Mon, April 28, 2008
Slick website. Sexy ad units. Entertainment brands sure do love to talk – but how well do they listen? That’s the question we all should be focusing on.
The Internet age is about listening. Every click, forward, reply, IM and text message a consumer sends is defining your brand. A new study helps illustrate this stating that, “74 percent of respondents choose companies or brands based on customer service experiences shared by other Web users on the Internet. Eighty-one percent of those polled said they believe blogs, online rating systems and discussion forums give consumers 'a greater voice' in customer service. However, only 33 percent of respondents felt that companies take customers' opinions seriously.”
For entertainment brands, I think the one area that needs to be better focused on is that we aren’t selling just what’s on stage – we are selling an experience. We are selling an experience that begins at the ticket buying experience all of the way through to the ‘thank you’ message that is sent when they return home. And, it’s safe to say, that consumers want to be heard throughout that entire process.
Entertainment brands can’t expect to really control what consumers post about your production on blogs, message boards and social media outlets. But, there is enough research that will show that if you proactively offer to give them a voice along with making their overall experience with the production a good one, it will help offset any complaints they might have with what’s on stage. This might be as simple as a survey after the production or by allowing consumers to post reviews on your website. There are many ways to ‘listen’ – it’s making the commitment to doing it and wanting to hear what consumers have to say that makes it worthwhile doing.
If people’s experience before going into the theatre and after the theatre are enjoyable, you would have to believe this pays dividends in consumer feedback. What more can you do?
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