tell3000

Motrin Moms Tell Way More than 3000!

A fascinating case study is unfolding online regarding a Motrin video and TV commercial triggered a viral backlash among the segment I refer to in Satisfied Customers Tell Three Friends, Angry Customers Tell 3000, as "Power Moms."  Recall:

"Power Moms, who often balance their careers with parenting, have little free time and therefore have no choice but to connect and communication in the most efficient way possible. Bound by a sense of community and responsibility, Power Moms will go out of their way to tell fellow parents and other consumers about their opinions on or experiences with products or companies -- particularly those, like cold medicines or diapers or minivans, that have to do with the health and safety of their families."

In this case, the platform of choice for the Power Moms is Twitter, and this puts the controversy on hyper-drive.  Like it or not, Twitter has dramatically accelerated the delivery time of "feedback moments." This particular issue moved so fast that a nine-minute Twitter-montage has already been posted to the YouTube documenting negative reactions to the ad campaign. According to the Crunchy Domestic Goddess blog, the brand has formally responded and retracted the ad. Marketing bloggers are having a field day with the topic -- in fact, they are driving a good percentage of the overall conversation --  and David Armano's thoughtful analysis is one of the best so far.  (My response to his post here.)  Kevin Dugan also weighs in, while Steve Hall at Ad-Rants thinks we're all going a bit overboard on the issue.  Oh, and there's even a counter-video to that effect (thanks, Kevin Dugan, for heads-up).  My wife and I are huge fans of the baby-slings and carriers so I'll conduct perhaps the most important "focus group" on the spot tomorrow morning. 

 

Well Hello There Peter (W New York Hotel Solicits Feedback)

Nice touch by "W New York" hotel! I like being asked for feedback, EVEN if I don't get around to giving it!  "We'd like to know if anything was less than perfect," the notes says. Shows commitment. 

Twitter: Is Down Again

Moments after I read this story, Twitter is down again.

Rebecca Lieb Reviews "Tell 3000"

Rebecca Lieb just wrote a highly favorable review of the book in a lead ClickZ column entitled "The Customer is Always Talking."   While complimentary, she correctly pinpoints a key missed opportunity, and I've now heard this from a few folks.

In fact, if I have a quibble with the book, it's this laser-focused concentration on big-brand superpowers. While the aforementioned corporations bring a lot of credence in the C-suite, plenty of smaller and online-only companies, craigslist for example, would have been worthy of mention while underscoring the book's arguments about listening and stellar customer service

Still, she notes, "None of this detracts from Blackshaw's central argument: credibility plus authenticity plus transparency equal success, and that listening to and promptly responding to consumers are an absolutely essential element of doing business, particularly as the world becomes increasingly wired."  Again, here's a link to the article.