Week Five - Energizing Customers

I thought that the discussion on energizing customers was an interesting section in this week’s reading. The figure on p. 132 in “Groundswell” is really telling, in my opinion. The fact that 73-percent of Americans trust reviews from family and friends over expert ratings, company websites and television and radio ads goes to show that the groundswell truly has taken effect.

For me personally, I would rather get insight into a restaurant or a movie from someone I know as opposed to a critic I’ve never met. I would go so far as to say that I prefer sites like Yelp and TripAdvisor, even if the reviews are written by people I do not directly know, over ads on television or reviews in newspapers. I think I tend to prefer these types of reviews because I know that the people that write them are not being compensated or asked to write certain things; they are simply sharing their experiences.

Of the three techniques given in the book on how to energize customers, the one I think is the most effective is to participate in and energize online communities of that specific brand’s enthusiasts.  Obviously, the technique that a company picks would vary on what they want to get out of their publics, but I believe that if a company actively participates in a discussion with its brand enthusiasts, it goes a long way for that brand’s image and reputation.

The Lego Ambassadors program was really effective for Lego in connecting with its brand enthusiasts and maintaining a pulse on what was going on in its online communities.  Clearly, making money was one of the company’s objectives, but the feedback on Lego’s products was arguably more important. Finding out what its actual customers felt about its products was very important to Lego, and should be to every company that values its customers.  Had I been one of these people, I would have really enjoyed the company reaching out to me and engaging me in what they were doing. I think this example really shows the groundswell in full effect.