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ROLE BLENDING CAN CREATE NEW OPPORTUNITIES
The roles we all played in commerce were once so clear, so concise. Seller. Buyer. Advertiser. Media outlet. Product developer. Customer relations. But now, the lines between those roles are a big blur. CEOs are answering customer feedback emails. Consumers are posting word of mouth advertising on their Twitter and Facebook accounts. And new media has become the R&D department for new product development.
In the midst of all this role blending, there is opportunity. United Airlines recently began using Twitter to reward its customers and to unload any last-minute empty seats. The airline offers a limited number of Twitter deals called "Twares" and tweets last minute specials that get scooped up in mere seconds. This new offering gives United followers something special they can't find anywhere else. And pulls consumers closer to its brand. And creates revenue. The total win-win-win.
Domino's Pizza used social media to first show videos of customers bashing the taste of the pizza they've been serving for 30 years, and then to launch its new pizza recipe onPizzaTurnAround.com. An instant buzz was created by doing the unexpected: the restaurant chain accepted criticism of its product, admitted its shortcomings and then changed its product. All in public. All in new media.
CareerBuilder hosted a contest at HireMyTVAd.com where average Joes could turn in their 25-second commercial concepts. The winning spot ran during the SuperBowl, an honor coveted by advertising creatives around the globe. The crowd-sourced TV spot idea has been done before but, with CareerBuilder, the idea of taking risks to succeed is right on brand for the company, and a big win.
When does stepping into a new role not work? When parties don't understand the unwritten but unwavering rules. When CEOs ignore the posts they don't like, when blogs go stale, and when companies try too hard to sell in social media. Big flops. Public flops.
Be open to bending a few roles, but do it strategically and with great thought. Not ad-hoc. This isn't about gizmos and technology and chatting. This is just the new old-fashioned brand building.
Article by:
Leah Henderson, HMH Creative Director
