Marketing 2.0
Translated from French to English
With Passenger, the consumer becomes a consultant for brands. The companies use Web 2.0 to solicit the advice of their most influential consumers.
How to tap into the conversations from those on the Internet; on blogs or their favorite social channels around a brand or product? That is the question that Justin Cooper and Andrew Leary asked themselves, consultants in marketing for large companies like Coca-Cola. Their mission was to aid their clients to develop long lasting relationships with consumers, by exploiting notably the phenomenon of blogs.
But their frustration born from their inability to systematically exploit the generated content from those on the Internet to develop usable marketing information, by establishing regular contact with the influential consumers, gave them an idea.
Launched officially end of February, Passenger, the start-up that they founded with the help of Shelter Capital Partners (4 million dollars invested from two funds) supplies to each company a modifiable platform to institutionalize the dialog with consumers. Under the framework of mini social track of 1,500 to 3,000 members created around a brand, the companies can ask consumers to vote for a publicity clip, to comment on a product or give their assorted advice on a new product or development. These are benevolent consultants regarding their preferred brands.
Once they are attached to a brand, the consumers adore feeling entrenched in the brand, rather than receiving forced marketing messages, explains Justin Cooper, chief innovation + marketing for Passenger.
For the brand, developing an exchange for the long term is the best way to motivate these influential consumers, to get the trust and loyalty, and to become spontaneous ambassadors.
ABC, already a client of Passenger, transmits to select programming producers the commentary from the members, and their suggestions which may find their way into new episodes.
Passenger must convince those in charge of old school marketing to open conversations with consumers. The founders count on the financial argument that at least half of marketing budgets are dispensed without good sense. The start-up hopes to help the decision makers to define the best strategies for marketing investments, for a monthly fee of 12,000 dollars or 200,000 per year on average.
Passenger should announce a partnership with an important social network. It has not been revealed but it so happens that one of the closest advisors is Shawn Gold, senior vp of marketing for MySpace.
With Passenger, the consumer becomes a consultant for brands. The companies use Web 2.0 to solicit the advice of their most influential consumers.
How to tap into the conversations from those on the Internet; on blogs or their favorite social channels around a brand or product? That is the question that Justin Cooper and Andrew Leary asked themselves, consultants in marketing for large companies like Coca-Cola. Their mission was to aid their clients to develop long lasting relationships with consumers, by exploiting notably the phenomenon of blogs.
But their frustration born from their inability to systematically exploit the generated content from those on the Internet to develop usable marketing information, by establishing regular contact with the influential consumers, gave them an idea.
Launched officially end of February, Passenger, the start-up that they founded with the help of Shelter Capital Partners (4 million dollars invested from two funds) supplies to each company a modifiable platform to institutionalize the dialog with consumers. Under the framework of mini social track of 1,500 to 3,000 members created around a brand, the companies can ask consumers to vote for a publicity clip, to comment on a product or give their assorted advice on a new product or development. These are benevolent consultants regarding their preferred brands.
Once they are attached to a brand, the consumers adore feeling entrenched in the brand, rather than receiving forced marketing messages, explains Justin Cooper, chief innovation + marketing for Passenger.
For the brand, developing an exchange for the long term is the best way to motivate these influential consumers, to get the trust and loyalty, and to become spontaneous ambassadors.
ABC, already a client of Passenger, transmits to select programming producers the commentary from the members, and their suggestions which may find their way into new episodes.
Passenger must convince those in charge of old school marketing to open conversations with consumers. The founders count on the financial argument that at least half of marketing budgets are dispensed without good sense. The start-up hopes to help the decision makers to define the best strategies for marketing investments, for a monthly fee of 12,000 dollars or 200,000 per year on average.
Passenger should announce a partnership with an important social network. It has not been revealed but it so happens that one of the closest advisors is Shawn Gold, senior vp of marketing for MySpace.
