Comments on: Seven consumer trends worth embracing

By: What every digital marketer can learn from Hubspot TV | Creativity_Unbound

What every digital marketer can learn from Hubspot TV | Creativity_Unbound — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 11:03:36 +0000

[...] as common these days as an email. And guess what? Most consumers and online viewers don’t care. New trends abound. We’re in the midst of “The Good Enough Revolution,” as Wired so aptly labeled the new [...]

By: A Deeper Dive Into Brand Humanization « Creative Wannabe

A Deeper Dive Into Brand Humanization « Creative Wannabe — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 22:50:40 +0000

[...] a greater opportunity to humanize our brands now more than ever because we have the tools to do it. Edward Boches, of Mullen, has qualified consumer desires to work with people as a consumer trend worth blogging [...]

By: edward boches

edward boches — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 16:00:18 +0000

David:
Not sure it always has to be the CEO. Could be head of service, or HR, or even an annointed employee whose job it is to get out there and be a cheerleader or catalyst. In the right way of course. I have clients ask all the time, “who should do this?” Often we tell them that we’ll do it. But other times we suggest they find the employees in their company who are passionate and set them free. With some guidance, of course.

By: David Saxe

David Saxe — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 13:50:08 +0000

From the CEO perspective I follow you. If the co. is blessed enough to have a dynamic and interesting leader, this works. The 3Ms of the world may have to explore other routes to humanize their brand – how many people know George Buckley? Is it wise for 3M to visibly position him out front?

I saw what you do for Panera on Twitter and love it – introducing a single individual who Tweets on behalf of the company, or Frank at Comcast as you mentioned. I see a lot of brands using co-tweet, or something similar, to “empower” a number of contributors to tweet under the same brand. This is where I see it tend to get disconnected.
.-= David Saxe´s last blog ..Agency New Biz: Just Be Yourselves =-.

By: Jim Mitchem

Jim Mitchem — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 23:47:37 +0000

Did you clear the use of Seven as a valid headline number with @amyflanagan? Nice post Edward.
.-= Jim Mitchem´s last blog ..My Daughter’s First Blog Post =-.

By: edward boches

edward boches — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 11:39:35 +0000

Sarah:
Agree with crowdsourcing and co-creation as you no doubt know. Also, in the increased use of memes and propagation techniques. Agree that sm is changing research; just didn’t think of that as a “consumer” trend. Interestingly, if you ask most of your clients if they have set up robust, personal listening stations to track their own company, competitors, and supplier/distribution, guess what the answer will be?

By: Sarah Montague

Sarah Montague — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 17:37:08 +0000

Adding to your point number 1: Consumers want to participate and engage with brands. Product innovation is going to happen when companies collaborate with their consumers. Crowdsourcing can provide great ideas that lead to innovating products or services based on consumer needs.

Also the other trend I would add is that social media is changing the very nature of traditional research. Social Media listening tools give us a chance to hear what consumers really think of brands when brands are “not in the room.” I think companies can learn a lot about what messages resonate with consumers by “listening” to how consumers talk about them across SM platforms.
.-= Sarah Montague´s last blog ..Are you asking a more powerful question? =-.

By: edward boches

edward boches — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 16:04:03 +0000

Sam,
First of all social media doesn’t sleep.
Yes on the UGC, crowdsourced component. But we also have to figure out where we should spend out time and money. On polishing and finishing? Especially for something that is short-lived and viewed on a small screen? Or do we put it elsewhere, in inventiveness and frequency of content.

By: Sam Reid

Sam Reid — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 11:39:24 +0000

Wow – I’m writing from London and you’re up pretty early
UGC has to exist as part of a transmedia approach to any strategy.
The proletarian has the power and exercises this democratically, en masse……That’s a good thing undoubtably.

I think this has to be augmented with portable, affordable quality. The sheer exponential growth in choice means popularity will be a function of honesty, accessibility & quality. specific combinations will be tuned to specific audiences.

By: edward boches

edward boches — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 10:44:02 +0000

Sam,
Possibly that’s what we all *want* to believe. But it’s also possible that it doesn’t matter to a consumer. A video, shot on video for cheap, not as beautiful as film, or not edited as smoothly as a great editor might do is often enough to totally engage a consumer. Does it meet your standards or mine? No. But, if it works for the client and it’s all that they’ll pay for, what are we to do, say no? Convince them they’re wrong? Anyway, thank goodness this wasn’t an issue when Michelangelo was working or we might have hotel art on the ceiling of the Cistine Chapel.