Every new associate at Resource Interactive gets a copy of The Ten Demandments and The OPEN Brand, co-written by our President and CXO Kelly Mooney.
The Demandments are presented as “rules to live by in the age of the demanding consumer”, and the OPEN Brand is about “how marketing and branding are being transformed by the technology-inspired power shift from brands to consumers”.
Obviously I’m a frequent blogger with a decent online presence, so I was reflecting on how much I fit into the demographic described in the book. Earlier today I was on Shelfari, and even as I was tagging my own books, I looked to see how others had categorized them. Was “Night” by Elie Wiesel considered biography? How about “Me Talk Pretty One Day” by David Sedaris? I used the wisdom of others to help me in my own folksonomy.
What really prompted me to post, though, was an email I just received. Earlier this week I purchased a product called “yaktrax” (an “ice traction device for your shoes”). I purchased them at Campmor, an online retailer that always seems to have good prices and excellent customer service. They arrived yesterday, and I promptly posted about them on my running blog. Just a few moments ago I received a comment on said blog:
Way to Run it out! Hope you enjoy your Yaktrax!
Your friends at Yaktrax Headquarters-
Safe Running
No link-back to their site, no advertising, just a few kind words that made ME feel valued as a customer.
And I’ll tell you what, it worked. I’m posting about this now, and I went to their website (to be honest, I’d been aware of the product before I purchased it, so I’d never hit their site before), and signed up for their newsletter. I feel valued — not pressured, not used as a billboard. I feel as though, well, a friend at Yaktrax headquarters stopped by to say hello to someone else who values safe outdoor activity as much as they do.
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