DISQUS

Victor Panlilio · 7 months ago

What the man said. Unfortunately, many companies still don't "get it."

Bob Hazlett · 7 months ago

I agree with you Victor. Do you think its the fault of the consumer for still supporting these companies? What do you think it will it take for the consumers' voice to be heard?

Victor Panlilio · 7 months ago

Bob, if we vote with our wallets and stop supporting companies that don't "get it" then these companies face a very simple choice — they either start "getting it" or their customers will leave them in droves as increasingly well-informed customers learn that there are superior alternatives. It doesn't matter if a business is a restaurant, a hotel, a retail store, a camera manufacturer, etc. There's a point where choosing something inexpensive is really postponing the inevitable cost of dealing with a vastly inferior after-sales experience. Really, if people just stop buying junk and putting up with crap service, the purveyors of inferior customer experiences will go out of business. When I was in grad school, I worked part-time at the on-campus microcomputer store. I emphasized to every customer who walked in that (1) I was not on commission (2) my job was not to 'sell' (3) I was there to help them make an informed decision about what hardware and software tools were best suited to the problems they were trying to solve. My family and I had lunch today at a just-opened restaurant where we got attentive service and great food. I gave them a positive review on UrbanSpoon. Then we went to an ice cream shop where a single cone is $4 but the quality of the ice cream is so far above what you can get in a supermarket that the line snaked through the store and was practically out the door. Afterwards, I redeemed a gift card at the Apple Store - when I remarked to the specialist that iPhone OS 3.0 might finally free him from the Fujitsu handheld he used to process my order, he said he couldn't wait (after the iPhone, the WinCE user experience just makes you wince). This bodes well for the future of companies that "get it." People are uploading from their mobiles on-the-spot reviews of service and product providers, and this crowdsourced feedback extends traditional word-of-mouth to an online feedback loop that rewards consistent high performers and punishes laggards. Agility and accountability will be key competitive differentiators, even more so than before.

Chris Rooke · 7 months ago

great post - rules to live by

Louis Sagar · 7 months ago

As a social media strategist working everyday with marketers to execute on the value proposition so well summarized here...it is going to be imperative that we assist marketers to design, test, andpromote new transactional e-commerce solutions that move us away from discounting" (which is presently a pandemic problem) As the social web informs consumers, former spenders are likely to become savers..Savers are likely to become better buyers..willing to invest in products and services which are well-designed, and sustainable..price points become more elastic..micro-payment systems and social currency models will make it easier for all of us to support great companies who adhere to values who put forth on this post.

haroldcabezas · 7 months ago

As always, Louis, a tremendous post.

What's interesting is that this 'manifesto', 'evolution', or however you choose to describe it, has always existed, in my opinion. What's changed is the consumer's opportunity to access more information in real-time, create its (the consumer) own media (blogs, podcasts, etc.) at a low or no cost whatsoever. Add to this the opportunity to communicate with other like-minded consumers in real-time, no matter in what corner of the Earth you may physically reside, and you get a dramatic change from the days of tupperware parties, Avon door-to-door, etc.

Consumers have always been engaged w/ brands; now they have an opportunity to interact with them like never before.

Bob Hazlett · 7 months ago

Nice post Louis. I think we're at an important point right now in the eyes of the consumerist. We have equal (if not more) knowledge than the companies we're doing business with and we're becoming more value conscience.

Companies know they must evolve, but as Victor pointed about above, many still don't get it. What do you think we push these companies over the edge? Do you feel that a majority of the population is still behind in terms of real-time?

Victor Panlilio · 7 months ago

Bob: "Companies know they must evolve" - Do they? Fall 2008 I made a presentation on Gen Y to 65 of my management colleagues, and no one seemed to know what Twitter was. Hmm.

Sonny Gill · 7 months ago

Great post and really touches on the main points of consumers wanting brands to have an actual face and personality behind the brand/product. We don't want to talk to a logo or a mascot, we want to talk to someone who's as passionate about the product as we are. A company that makes us think that we're thought of before the $$ signs.

All great points and all points that create positive word of mouth for companies who understand the changing buying behaviors of consumers, online and off, and actually do something about it.

craig · 7 months ago

As consumers today we are snobby and want to be treated like kinds, and in a lot of ways we should. We want it now, fast, cheap. The web has allowed a lot of this to be true and to help cater to our snobby selves. Companies are learning, and you are seeing more of this directed towards consumers.

Samuel Gusso · 7 months ago

It’s the complete transformation of the old rules: “we expect and we want and not “we are waiting for some news or improvement”. When all the people start using blog, forum and social media to share information, it will be easy for every customer to do the right thing and to keep control of their money.
Very interesting post, thanks

justinlevy · 6 months ago

I really enjoyed this post! At the end of it all, we just want the companies that we do business with to be human. We don't want to be thought of as customer #998384 in their POS. We want our voice to matter.

Zappos is a great example of everything you mentioned...