Oh my gosh, how did that happen?
Brands used to be so, you know, in charge. Anything went wrong and their PR
armies could spin things right back under the carpet. Then along came
transparency and it all changed.
As with most changes these days, it
was the internet whodunit. So now (shock! horror!), your crazy-as-a-loon customers
are in charge of your brand’s success. Say goodbye to command-and-control and
hello to co-opt-and-cooperate.
The internet has cleared out the neat little hidey-holes which brands could use to stash their bad service, over-priced goods and ethical transgressions. Now, a fully informed public has access to countless stories about your brand, written by people just like themselves as well as professional and impartial review sites.
The internet has cleared out the neat little hidey-holes which brands could use to stash their bad service, over-priced goods and ethical transgressions. Now, a fully informed public has access to countless stories about your brand, written by people just like themselves as well as professional and impartial review sites.
Gee, what’s a
company got to do to maintain its modesty these days?
First
off, recognise that the rules really have changed. Reviewing is the new
advertising. Accept that customers’ decisions to buy from you or your
competitor have largely moved peer-to-peer. Whether its word of mouth, social
media, complaint or review sites, people who are not employed by you are either
promoting you or panning you. Every industry now depends on virtual goodwill,
from consumer electronics to hotel rooms to your neighbourhood doctor.
Remember
that complaints only spin out of control if nothing is done about them. So if
someone badmouths you on HelloPeter, do something that will change their frown
into a smiley face. Voila! Instead of a moaner, you have an ambassador.
Stay
price-competitive. With price comparison websites, like pricecheck.co.za,
offering potential customers “the internet price”, why would people possibly
put up with being ripped off, when they can get the same product for often
thousands of rands less?
And
when it comes to your ethical behaviour, just remember that the green movement growing
every day - and they are using the net to find out if your chickens really are
getting massaged every day or whether you’re sewing the fingers off Eastern
child labourers.
So remember, the world’s changed: the facts are in plain view – and at the inmates’ fingertips. Make the most of it!
So remember, the world’s changed: the facts are in plain view – and at the inmates’ fingertips. Make the most of it!
Hilton Alexander Rose
Your Brand Agency | Director
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