It is a terrible thing to see and have no vision. Helen Keller

The WOM Effect

In the midst of the Social Media Revolution, there has never been so many platforms to communicate messages and develop dynamically word of mouth (WOM) around projects & causes. As my study and recent seminar showed, a great part of the success of loyalty building campaigns is based on the ability of companies to deliver real value to their customers: promising is not enough anymore.

Needspotting in a new world

The ability to spot consumer needs has always been a key management skill. As companies need to change the ways they engage with increasingly informed and concerned consumers, the needspotting skill is becoming so much more important. Simply because New Media lets companies address directly & individually consumers that react.

Starting with the end in mind

Building strategies with the user in mind is the challenge.

Speaking of this new user-based strategies during a lunch, Yann Graf a good friend and Multimedia Project Manager, mentioned Foodspotting. This social media platform is a visual local guide that lets you find dishes instead of just restaurants. Working as a food Foursquare (with badges), Foodspotting lets users decide what dishes they want to show to their friends.

Although we cannot be certain of the success it’ll have, the thinking behind Foodspotting reflects this new building around the consumer drive that motivates also Location Based services (Foursquare, Gowalla): being closer to the user.

Interested in Loyalty Building & New Media trends & opportunities ? Don’t hesitate to join my group on LinkedIn for more content on these subjects in english & french.

What do you think  about the challenge of spotting needs of the new consumers ? I’d be glad to have your feedback.