« July 2008 | Main | September 2008 »
August 26, 2008
“You talk. We listen.”
Getting feedback is hard: You need to encourage people to participate in a survey, write a review, or share their opinion in some other way.
So it’s astounding to me how often companies waste this hard-earned feedback. They fail to share survey results. Miss the chance to make changes. And sometimes, even when they make improvements, they don’t make the connection between what people said and what the company did as a result.
That’s why this recent effort by Stop & Shop caught my eye. A regional supermarket (a division of global giant Ahold) with 385 stores located in the Northeast, Stop & Shop is repositioning itself to better compete in the tough supermarket business.
How? By listening to customers’ needs. “You talk. We listen.” is the headline of the mailer Stop & Shop sent to customers.
“You’ve been depending on us for over 90 years to help feed your family,” Stop & Shop writes. “And we’ve worked hard to give you what you need. But as times change, needs change.”
So the supermarket embarked upon a customer listening program—which includes an online community called Grocery Advisory Board (G.A.B.)—to find out what customers need.
As a result, Stop & Shop is changing in three ways:
- “You told us you wanted lower prices, so we lowered prices on thousands of items.”
- “You told us you were concerned about the environment. We made reusable shopping bags available for sale. We even give you 5 cents back for each bag you reuse."
- “You told us you need help getting dinner ready. We created an expanded menu of prepared foods to help with dinner.”
I love the simple language, the emphasis on “you” and the very clear connection between what customers said they need and what Stop & Shop is doing as a result.
You, too, could take this approach: to report on action taken as a result of a survey or focus group, or even as a response to a review or comment.
This is not necessarily easy to do, but it’s very compelling and effective. (For more on what Stop & Shop is doing, see this article in MediaPost —free signup required.)
Posted by Alison Davis at 03:56 PM | Comments (1)
August 19, 2008
How about a video contest?
Many of our clients wonder, “How can we use Web. 2.0 on our intranet without breaking the bank, terrifying our lawyers or letting the inmates run the asylum?”
Here’s a simple idea: Run a contest in which you invite employees to create their own videos to support a theme or answer a specific question.
For inspiration, here are two video contests created for marketing purposes—one involving employees, one aimed at loyal customers. Although not exactly apples-to-apples, the ideas could be easily leveraged for internal communication purposes.
Olympic Spirit of McDonald’s Video Contest
To highlight its Olympic Champion Crew, which includes 1,400 McDonald's employees who have been selected to travel to Beijing for the 2008 Olympic Games to serve at the venue restaurants, McDonald's has created an online video contest. Members of the Olympic Champion Crew were invited to submit videos demonstrating their Olympic spirit in just five words. The top 25 videos have been posted at osom.mcdonalds.com , where visitors voted for their favorites. The winning videos will be announced in Beijing.
What would you do for a Klondike bar?
The parent company of Klondike ice cream bars, Unilever, has created a contest in which fans were invited to submit videos that support the ad theme, “What would you do for a Klondike bar?” klondikecontest.com has received 500 video uploads, which, after more than 123,000 votes were cast, were narrowed to four finalists. Visitors to the site can not only participate by voting, but can also create a custom Klondike Gram to send to their friends.
What makes these contests successful? They support the brand, of course, and they have specific parameters (especially the McDonald’s contest), so participants know what to do. Plus, these contests are wonderfully inclusive, since you don’t need to make a video to participate—simply vote for your favorite.
Why not give the video contest idea a try? (And for more ideas on using social media to improve your intranet, sign up for my colleague Julie Weissbach's October 7 web workshop .)
Posted by Alison Davis at 08:57 AM
August 11, 2008
Curb your enthusiasm
He’s just been named president of the division. He got the job because he’s smart and hard-working and—let’s face it—a major pain in the butt. He’s relentless; the man never sleeps. And when he latches onto an issue, he’s like a terrier with a towel—won’t let go, no matter what.
Naturally, the newly appointed president wants to communicate with the organization. He needs to share his vision. Do some straight talking about what needs improvement. Get everybody fired up, engaged, on board, on the same page. Banish complacency. Embrace the values.
Never mind that the organization is only mildly interested in what the guy has to say. Don’t get me wrong: They’re fascinated about what he’s going to do. But people in this organization weren’t born yesterday. They know that talk is cheap—that senior managers exercise their vocal chords a lot, and that only some of those words turn into action. So they’d rather wait until the “talk” turns into “walk” before they sign on.
Of course, the president doesn’t know this about the organization. (Anyway, he’s not a very good listener.) So he feels compelled to COMMUNICATE. He creates a five-point strategy and a six-pillar set of principles. He embarks upon a road trip, in which he meets with managers for 90 minutes and holds 60-minute employee town halls, during which he talks for 50 minutes and answers questions for 10. He is interviewed for the company newsletter. He starts a monthly e-mail letter that reiterates (for 1,000 words) his key messages. Proud of himself for being so cutting edge, he starts a blog.
Whew! What’s the effect of all this hot air? Actually, it’s the opposite of what’s intended. Overwhelmed by so much rhetoric, people in the organization pull back. They hold still and become watchful. They’re skeptical: “Can the guy really do all he says?” “Doesn’t he know what he’s up against?”
Some people might share these concerns with the president, but for two problems: One, he doesn’t let anyone get a word in edgewise. And two, it would seem disloyal to express anything mildly negative. The president seems so certain about his perspective that there’s no room for other viewpoints.
Hmmm. So what’s the lesson? What I would say to the president (actually, I did, but he didn’t listen) is: Slow down just a bit. Take a breath. Don’t get so far ahead of yourself, the changes you’ve put in motion, and the organization. Let actions speak for themselves—after all, they’re so much more powerful (and credible) than words.
And, most difficult of all: Stop talking. You may be the smartest guy in the room, but you don’t have all the answers.
Have you ever met anybody like this guy? What advice would you give?
Posted by Alison Davis at 08:43 AM | Comments (1)
August 05, 2008
Are you doing it in the middle of the night?
This survey is too much fun not to share: AOL has announced the results of its fourth annual e-mail addiction survey—and, as you might expect, nearly half of survey respondents say they’re hooked on e-mail.
What’s more, people report that they’re checking e-mail in the strangest places, at all hours of day and night:
- In bed in their pajamas: 67%
- From the bathroom: 59% (up from 53% last year)
- While driving: 50% (up from 37% last year)
- In a bar or club: 39% • In a business meeting: 38%
- During happy hour: 34%
- While on a date: 25%
- From church: 15% (up from 12% last year)
Remember that admitting you have a problem is the first step toward rehabilitation . . .
Posted by Alison Davis at 04:08 PM
August 01, 2008
¿Hablamos español?
I’m at it again, continuing my obsession with demographics, which was fueled by a supplement in this week’s issue of Advertising Age that contains insightful statistics about the U.S. Hispanic population, including:
The total U.S. population in 2007 was 301,621,157, of which 45,504,311 are Hispanics. (These and all other figures are from the U.S. Census Bureau.)
By 2020, the Hispanic population is projected to grow to 59 million. By 2050, the Hispanic population will increase to 102 million, comprising 24% of the population.
Sixty-seven percent of U.S. Hispanics have origins in Mexico, followed by 9% from Central America, 8% from Puerto Rico, 5% from South America, 4% from Cuba, 3% from the Dominican Republic, and 4% other.
Where U.S. Hispanics live
The largest market is Los Angeles, with 8.5 million Hispanics, who comprise 48% of the total population.
Next is New York, with 4.4 million Hispanics, 21% of the total population.
Rounding out the top 5, Miami has 2.15 million Hispanics (49% of the total population), closely followed by Houston (2 million, 34%), and Chicago (1.97 million, 20%).
Most people know that cities like Albuquerque (45%) and Dallas (25%) have a substantial proportion of Hispanic residents. But you might not realize that markets like San Francisco (23%), Denver (20.8%), and Washington, D.C.(11%) are also home to considerable numbers of Hispanics
Major markets with the highest percentage of Hispanics? Three in Texas: McAllen (1.15 million, comprising 96.5% of the population), followed by El Paso (817,200, 85.9%), and San Antonio (1.25 million, 54.6%).
Posted by Alison Davis at 03:00 PM