Embrace the Groundswell - Go Further

My mother always tells me, "every pot has a cover." In other words, there is a person out there for everyone. As always, I laugh at her expressions and change the subject. While reading Chapter 9 of Groundswell, by Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff, my mind comes back to this saying. If there is a person out there for everyone, is there a product out there for everyone?

I am no Dr. Phil, however, I am convinced that understanding the rules of the groundswell is similar to understanding the rules of any romantic relationship. Let's be honest, a relationship is not going to last if you do not listen, talk with, energize, and embrace the person you are with. I don't know about you, but if my partner can't bring those four things to the table, I am moving on. In the world of consumerism, we do the same.

Like most relationships, some days are not filled with rainbows and butterflies, and we hit a rough patch. When this happens, we have two options: Embrace the problem and look towards a solution, or start over. good communication is the key to survival and in the marketing world, the key to success. 

Li and Bernoff explain through case studies how embracing your customers ideas will be beneficial to your company. 

Gala Amoroso, consumer insights manager for Del Monte Foods, spent her whole career understanding the psychology behind why consumers buy certain products. In this scenario, Gala is interested in George who is a loving dog owner and only wants the best for his loyal sidekick. Gala understands that George thinks of his dog as a member of the family and wants only top of the line products. With help from a brand monitoring vendor Umbria, Del Monte had identified an audience of pet owners called "Dogs are people, too."

After understanding what George and so many others were looking for in a product, Del Monte and community vendor, MarketTools, started up a private community. 

Gala, and employees from Del Monte, were trying to figure out what products to make and how to package them. For answers, they turned to George and many customers like him to gather (detailed) feedback.

Gala asked:

(photo by: thegloss.com)

"What if your dog was a person? Ok, I know your dog IS a person. Imagine that your dog could write out his or her fantasy of what to eat for one day. What would it look like? Click the comment link below to write out what your dog would want to eat for your doggie's ideal perfect day."

George responded:

"For breakfast she would definitely want bacon and eggs and she would want ketchup on her eggs. She loves ketchup!"

As time went on, so did the comments. Del Monte gathered the customer feedback and out came Snausages Breakfast Bites, a breakfast snack for dogs. The people and the pooches were extremely happy with the product and became loyal customers.

Now, Gala and Del Monte were not the first to think of this innovative idea to embrace the groundswell for new product ideas. I believe Li and Bernoff chose this example because they did it right. Del Monte listened, talked with, energized, and embraced their customers and in return got new ideas, and a successful product. Both sides were happy with the result and the relationship between them continues.

Below is a YouTube clip of Groundswell author Josh Bernoff discussing the Del Monte case study.

Li and Bernoff believe, "Customers don't take long to tell you what they want. They use your product and interact with your company; they know what's wrong and how things can be fixed." The authors of the bestselling book understand that you might have creative employees that can come up with brilliant ideas, but the groundswell will tell you what they want and allow innovation to be faster. In the marketing world today, time is crucial.

Remember, like any relationship (romantic or not), communication is of most importance and in the world of marketing, it is everything. The choice is up to you. Will you hide from the groundswell or will you embrace it?

Get a copy of Li and Bernoff's Groundswell today to see more case studies and understand the best ways to embrace your audience. Get out there and ask questions, accept the answers, and find somebody's missing cover.

~ Heidi