Sometimes, Marketers try too hard.
We’re taught all these cool approaches to analyze data and extract insights. However, I’ve always been a backer of listening to the end consumer before making any business decision. I can cite the famous “New Coke” case in which Coca-Cola spent loads of money on market research to launch “New Coke,” only to have the figurative can blow up in their face. The consumers didn’t like the change, and the launch failed miserably.
Coca-Cola was, and still is, one of the most valuable brands in the world. They’re experts at what they do. So what went wrong?
To simplify the explanation, consumers simply did not want the familiar “Coke” product that they knew and loved, to change into something new and unfamiliar. Even if blind taste tests indicated a preference for a sweeter beverage (New Coke), consumers would still prefer old coke simply because of the nostalgic feelings it brought back.
Sometimes, science can be wrong! Why? Because humans are irrational beings. I would highly recommend that you read Dan Ariely’s “Predictably Irrational” for some more insight into this, but the key takeaway I want to bring from this is that “people can do strange things, but in the eyes of the marketer, they are always correct.”
It seems that new-age marketers have not only learned from the Coke case, but are taking advantage of now-more-vocal consumer. Instead of instigating the research themselves, savvy marketers are now directly taking input from consumers themselves. I mentioned this in my previous article about sourcing ideas from social media sites, but the concept of “crowdsourcing” is just so relevant in today’s digital age.
Why waste so much effort moving around and testing an idea, when your customers can simply move it for you?
Granted, you’ll need a large enough representation of the market to prove any point. However, when enough users are speaking, it’s as if the crowds are crowdsurfing your new campaign ideas. Take H&M for example. Just recently, they’ve launched a new campaign to allow customers to vote on their philanthropic activities. This move is, in my opinion, quite brilliant. Not only does H&M gain the most effective use of their philanthropic money, but they also gain a lot of free attention from local buzz.
I’m interested to see just how far crowdsourcing can get us as a civilization. The digital age is upon us-why not join the revolution?
Until next time, signing off.
-Chris