Feb 25 2009
In Brave Web 2.0 World, Prepare for Criticism
An interesting piece popped up in a recent edition of the New York Times that makes you realize just how different the marketing universe has become thanks to interactive web technology. It seems that Tropicana, the fine purveyor of orange juice, has scrapped its latest re-branding effort and will bring back their old packaging in the near future. I see this as a smart move for Tropicana – a solid way to gain a reputation as a company that listens to its loyal customers.
In the good old days, marketing agencies would hand out new branding ideas and even if consumers didn’t like the changes, they would eventually accept them. With a few notable exceptions (New Coke is the classic example), it used to be difficult for consumers to make a fuss about their displeasure with corporate marketing. But in the brave new world of Web 2.0, one customer’s voice can be heard fairly easily. And in some cases, that one voice can lead to an avalanche of public opinion over the web. As the Times piece states:
Such attention is becoming increasingly common as interactive technologies enable consumers to rapidly convey opinions to marketers.
“You used to wait to go to the water cooler or a cocktail party to talk over something,” said Richard Laermer, chief executive at RLM Public Relations in New York.
“Now, every minute is a cocktail party,” he added. “You write an e-mail and in an hour, you’ve got a fan base agreeing with you.”
…Or disagreeing with you, as the case may be.
Beyond email, Facebook groups, Twitter users, and bloggers are driving more of the conversation than was ever possible before, and often times, it’s not complimentary. Just this past fall when I joined the Facebook group “Stop Playing Toyota’s ‘Saved by Zero’ Commercial,” I was pleased to see that within 2 weeks, my Sunday football games were no longer being ruined by the aggravating ad popping up on my screen after every kickoff. On Twitter, angry mothers took to the digital streets in protest of Motrin’s baby wearing campaign. And my personal favorite, the recent leak of a Pepsi re-branding document by Gawker Media reveals that their new logo is not just a remix of the Obama logo, but something uniquely “breathtaking.”
The takeaway here is that marketers must maintain a thick skin as their work becomes increasingly scrutinized on the web, and then respond calmly and promptly to better enhance customer relationships.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some complaining to do on Twitter…
