A great report was recently published by Brad Bortner from Forrester Research about “How Web 2.0 will Transform Market Research”. Online communities offer marketers - real-time, cheap, and unique insights that traditional qualitative focus groups don’t necessarily provide. We continue to see clients leveraging our software to listen and understand what consumers are saying about there brands. Web 2.0 and social media provide a new laboratory for listen and dissecting consumer opinions. Forrester interviewed 31 leading Fortune 500 firms to compile this new piece of research. I would encourage marketers and market researchers to purchase the report and learn more.
Entries Tagged 'Consumer Generated Media' ↓
Web 2.0 to Transform Market Research?
5.13.08 by Blake Cahill {Blake Cahill, Brand Management, Consumer Generated Media, Market Research, New Media, Social Media}
Demographics in Social Media - Women very active Partcipants
5.13.08 by Blake Cahill {Blake Cahill, Blogs, Consumer Generated Media, Social Media, Social Networks}
Very interesting post from WOMMA of an article that I missed from Jack Loechner last week from the Center for Media Research. 36.2 Million Women Actively Participate in the Blogosphere Weekly. Of the 36.2 million women who are active in the blogosphere each week, 15.1 million of them publish posts of their own, and 21.1 million read and comment, according to new research from BlogHer. As evidence of their passion for blogging, 55% of the women surveyed reported that they would give up alcohol in order to keep their blogs, 50% said they would give up their PDA, 42% said they’d give up their iPod, 43% would give up reading newspapers or magazines — but only 20% said they’d part ways with chocolate.
Dell’s Bob Pearson at WOMMA-U
5.9.08 by Blake Cahill {Blake Cahill, Consumer Generated Media, Customer Experience, Dell, Social Media, Word of Mouth Marketing}
Attending, speaking, and exhibiting at WOMMA-U in Miami yesterday and today. This morning was kicked off by Bob Pearson from Dell, VP of Conversations and Communications (note the title!). He opens with stats about the grow of the internet and consumption of online content and its continued assent. Then some learnings about content created in other languages. Only 1/3 of total internet content is in English. Dell is focused on listening and communicating in customers’ 1st language - guess what - that’s what customers like - imagine! Also, there is need to recognize that communities are like countries - i.e Facebook, My Space, Twitter.
Great quote from Bob - “Leaders will enter and become relevant in conversations that occur everyday everywhere all over the world about your company or product”. The question for marketers that Bob presents is - Are you or your brand present in the places that consumers are researching and having conversations?
Key Learnings/Actions from Dell:
- Engage in relevant conversations with our customers online 24/7 worldwide in all major languages
- Blogging is global..blogging is multi-lingual..blogging is a community of passion
- Join the conversation
- Would you rather do a focus group of 10 people or listen to 100,000 people debate ideas?
- Start with Listening
- Customers are partners
- Communities are more powerful than individuals. Communities want to help each other improve.
- Online experience at work should be similar to online experience at home
- Join your customers communities
Dell has actually recognized revenue via Twitter - $500K thus far by offering discounts/specials via Twitter. One of the first revenue conversion stats I have heard about Twitter from a large company.
Great job Bob! We are honored to be but a small part of enabling Dell’s monitoring and outreach in social media.
T-Mobile and Engadget go at it in Social Media
5.5.08 by Blake Cahill {Blake Cahill, Brand Management, Consumer Generated Media, New Media, Reputation Management, Social Media}
Recent example of an emerging social media tug-a-war between Engadget and T-Mobile over the use of the color magenta for mobile products/services. Engadget launched their mobile product as Engadget Mobile (logo magenta) which got the T-Mobile marketing teams fired up see story below.
CGM Gone Wild
4.29.08 by Mike Spataro {Consumer Generated Media}
I’m as big a fan as there is of consumer-generated media and the implications that social media has on brand building and corporate reputation, but it seems to me that some companies and organizations are starting to lose their minds in this new era of open communications.
Nowadays, immediate consumer reactions and thoughts are readily available on any topic and issue under the sun and that’s a good thing, especially if you’re in the business we’re in here at VT. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that every random thought published on the Web needs to be rebroadcast by the media and brands just so they can appear to be hip and contemporary.
You have to wonder if any serious thought is being given to some of these decisions. Did the NFL and ESPN really think that displaying wacky comments from fans along with each draft selection would draw more viewers? Is there anyone who thinks the addition of five embarrassing questions from viewers now included on American Idol really makes the show any better? Talk about your ‘jump the shark’ milestone moment. There are right ways and wrong ways to wrap your arms around your biggest supporters and get closer to the consumer.
The same can be said for many brands these days.I’m sure the good folks at IKEA can point to the overwhelming success of allowing comedian and filmmaker Mark Malkoff to live in one of their stores for a week and broadcast his experience in 24 short videos on MarkLivesInIkea.com, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it was a smart idea. There is more to brand building than just video hits and impressions.
Brands have to evaluate the potential risks to such ideas, as I’m sure IKEA did. That said, there should be growing concern in the media and corporate America about a potential backlash from what I believe is CGM gone wild.
