Postcard from the Welcome Mat: Levi Strauss's Wall of Letters

This is Tom Asher, head of consumer relations for Levi Strauss & Co, standing in front of an absolutely amazing -- dare I say engaging -- monument to consumer letters written to his company. The exhibit sits in the main foyer of the Levi-Strauss building in San Francisco.  Trust me, you just can't just dodge by this exhibit -- you have to stop, look, and soak it in.  It's quite powerful, and it basically amounts to a pre Web 2.0 monument to the true foundations of consumer conversation.   

“Levi's consumers are so passionate. Our goal has always been to engage with consumers, help connect them to our brands and our products, and gather insights to help improve our consumer experience.” Tom explained to me. “We receive calls, letters and emails from Levi's consumers, some of whom have been wearing our product for decades. Others tell us that their grandparents and grandchildren wear Levi's.”  Tom's so passionate about the listening mission that he's also the president of the Society of Consumer Affairs Professionals (SOCAP).

While I noted to Tom that the new world of consumer-generated media brings huge new challenges and opportunity to the table, he hardly disagreed - in fact, that's why he he invited me to lunch with several of his colleagues. That said, he did remind me of a few important fundamentals that we as marketers sometimes lose sight of in our glorification of all "new" conversational techniques.   “Some of our most meaningful and successful connections with consumers," he said, "are via old school methods.” For example, he said Levi’s frequently sends “written thank you cards to some consumers after they call us.”

Of course, the answer rests in both the old and new, but I have to admit, there was a certain authenticity and sincerity in mission that came across for me as I toured this great wall of letters. As a consumer, sometimes it just feels more meaningful to receive a real letter in the mail, with a real signature.  Email alone doesn't always cut it!  It clearly depends on the situation and circumstance.  The key is to master the art of the response, and that requires a requires not only active listening, but a deep understanding of the relationship between emotion and word of mouth.  After all, is it purely rational that all these denim buyers over the years have written letters to Levi's?  To some extent, yes, but brand emotion is a far bigger driver, and this come across clearly in the letters themselves.  That's also what's happening throughout the web today, across all multi-media formats.  Some of the most viral videos on the web related to brands, in fact, are deeply rooted on consumer emotion (both positive and negative).

Back to Basics: But back to the wall.  As I finished walking around all four corners of the exhibit, I just keep thinking to my self: this is where marketing truly begins. 

Comments

[Herman Najoli]

Great example of an organization where the customers are driving business by singing it's praise. Helps with cutting down ad costs too!