Sometimes, listening to your own consumers may give you a good idea of what to expect if you release (or hold off on releasing) a product.
This week in Comm296 we discussed the topic of research and the many methods of gaining primary and secondary information. Research can take place the form of a survey, an experiment or simply a quick browse of secondary sources on the Internet. Yet, often the signals that companies need to pay attention to are right under their noses.
Take a look at the gallery above. How often do you see something like this on YouTube? These are comments I’ve randomly collected from various product suggestions and innovative ideas shared online. Individuals are often quite responsive towards their consumer experiences and some are apt to share their opinions with one another through various means of communications such as online forums or live gatherings. This tendency to rate products is the backbone of various sites such as “gamespot.com” that rate products varying from video games to food. Listening to such feedback is, in my opinion, just as important as conducting surveys or experiments (and less costly as well!)
Our Marketing textbook mentions the concept of responding to the Marketing Environment (Chapter 4, pp. 145-147). It features several examples of companies responding to negative feedback that begin to cascade and negatively impact a company’s brand. As harmful as these comments may be to the brand, there are often golden pieces of advice and observations that, if properly dealt with, would help a brand solve many problems and may strengthen the consumer-producer relationship.
The consumer is your greatest critic. Listen to what they have to say!
I’m looking at you, Facebook & Co.
signing off,
-Chris
