People at the ePharma Summit spoke about needing to focus on “value beyond the pill.” However this statement still makes the pill rather than the customer the central point of reference. A more customer centric version asks, “what sustainable changes can we help the patient make to improve their health?
Look at the questions your company asks. What does your product/service do to improve the life of your customer?
One of the areas where social media will excel is in the opportunity to make things our own, to give them our own look and feel. Remember when you got your first personal computer? Remember changing the background picture? Remember when you could change the theme? The world is pushing further and further into a desire for customization, and I think social media gives us a chance at custom communication/interaction.
The photo above are Disney’s Vinylmation toys (note: Hanes brought me to Walt Disney World for an event, but I wasn’t paid by Hanes or Disney for any of my thoughts on their workings or properties). I thought the toys were really clever, but then I found the do-it-yourself ones. Those really caught my eye. Because once you see what others had created, your next thought (or mine, at least) was, “well, what could I do to make it look different?”
Social media allows us to customize our communication. I can talk directly to Jon Swanson, and not to preachers. I can have conversations with Glenda Watson Hyatt and not just people interested in accessibility. That means, if interested, I can talk specifically about things that matter to them, and not to crowds.
Custom is everything.
Look at these flowers. The Disney Imagineers made them for the Hanes event:
They’re made out of socks. First, it’s cool because they look like flowers. Second, it looks like a fun craft you could do with kids. Third, it’s something that didn’t have to be there. And yet, because it was, the dinner looked custom to the rest of the Hanes Comfort Crew and me. Disney SAW us. They knew we were there.
Custom is everything. Do you agree?
Brogan writes that custom is everything. Custom is great, I agree, but there are some hurdles:
- As people customize their goods they will start realizing that what they create (with their own custom specifications) is not as good as what was created by the professionals.
- This realization of personal inadequacy will manifest in a resentment to the provider of the customizable good/service.
Companies must realize that they themselves are the experts of their goods/services. Do not let a customer run wild with your new customizing feature, guide them, tell them when they are wrong, be a coach and co-create.
Looks like a lot of slides, but it is quick. Take a look at it to re energize your business model.
I wonder how retailers want to differentiate themselves when they present their goods like this. A sale is no excuse to cheapen your displays.
The only thing that differentiates this place from Zappos is that I can try the shoes out on the spot.Other news from the Geotourism Summit:
- Economist James Gilmore, coauthor of the books Authenticity: What Customers Really Want and The Experience Economy, provided the keynote address. He said that the world is moving out of the “service economy” into what he calls an “experience economy” – a desire by consumers for authenticity and memorability. His message to travel entrepreneurs at the Summit: consumers now desire a combination of the “four E’s”: entertainment, education, esthetic and escapism.
So remember guys, when creating your experiences. Keep in mind:
- Entertainment
- Education
- Estetic
- Escapism
If it's being said at a geotourism get together, it better be said by your company.
I help brands and customers interact with each other through static, interactive, and human touch points. I look especially at the crossing of online - offline, focusing on what makes a customer experience shareable & remarkable.
I lead the Singapore office of Edge Asia
I help brands and customers interact with each other.
I look especially at the crossing of online - offline, focusing on what makes a customer experience shareable & remarkable. I lead growth for Aleph-Labs.
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