I wanted to explore the connections between how businesses and consumers use social media and how they can work together to co-create a better brand experience. To illustrate how this works, I chose to use Starbucks and Yelp as examples.
According to the Altimeter Report, Starbucks is the most engaged consumer brand online (Schonfeld). Based on the participation of their online community, Starbucks has launched My Starbucks Idea and the new However-You-Want-It Frappuccino (Wheeler). My Starbucks Idea allows consumers to share their big ideas with Starbucks online. Free Wi-Fi, My Starbucks Rewards, and the hot beverage plug all immerged from this online community. The However-You-Want-It Frappuccino was developed in response to comments and concerns Frappuccino fans had. The soy milk alternative, for instance, was not an option for Frappuccino beverages. Consumers wanted an alternative to milk and Starbucks responded.
Instead of focusing on the brand experience for a single organization, Yelp has developed sort of an online city-guide for customers to comment and rate all kinds of local businesses. This platform gives small businesses a new way to engage with customers, attract new customers, and promote word of mouth advertising. Though reviews have been damaging to some, others have seized the opportunity and have grown their businesses.
In both cases, Starbucks and Yelp cultivate the co-creation of the brand experience. Starbucks tailors to their consumers directly and Yelp has developed a platform for businesses and consumers to collaborate to build a better brand experience.
Works Cited
Chafkin, M. (2010, February). You’ve been Yelped. Inc, 32 (1), 48-55.
Razorfish. (2009, August). The data. Razorfish FEED. Retrieved September 25, 2010, from http://feed.razorfish.com/feed09/the-data/
Schonfeld, E. (2009, July 20). The most engaged brands on the web. TechCrunch. Retrieved September 25, 2010, from http://techcrunch.com/2009/07/20/the-most-engaged-brands-on-the-web/
Wheeler, A. (2010, July). Keynote speaker: Digital strategy and social integration. Social Media Influence 2010. Retrieved September 25, 2010, from http://socialmediainfluence.com/conference2010/video.html
1 comment:
I loved your comments on Starbucks and Yelp. I am fascinated by brand messaging and especially enjoy watching how companies are reaching us through social media. I'm going to check out the latest on Yelp now! Thanks.
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