Customers are increasingly dictating brands instead of companies controlling messaging. To adapt, companies must lose control of their brand and engage customers as partners through social media. By facilitating customer communities to create and share content that shows a company's values, customers can become brand ambassadors instead of just passive buyers.

1. What to do when customers
take over your brand
lose control
About to

2. Marketeers are no longer in control
Advertising becomes less effective
(largely ignored online)
The sales proces is broken
(it becomes a buying proces)
Online, our brand is at risk
(everyone can publish)
Our old habits need to change

3. Social media to the rescue!

4. Same mistakes, different channel
(you’re still trying to control the message)

5. Forget it.
The old times are gone,
the people are in charge now
Learn to lose control
and turn people into customers

6. Examples of
How to
lose control

7. GAP decided on a new logo
The audience said «no way», back to the old one
Result: GAP said: ok, we will listen to you
a lot of free publicity on the internet
and customers feel respected

8. Lano was looking for the cutest baby
The audience said «beauty is on the inside»
Result: Mikael’s picture is now on Lano
People become customers because
Lano showed they care (gave €15k)

9. What happens when you lose control
targets dictates
company customer community company
The customer becomes
the marketing department

10. Word of mouth
Viral campaigns
Customer recommendations
How do we create this community?
No games, freebies or campaigns.
Just real stories.

11. create show how
content you care
give away talk about bring people
secrets your values together
Example: Zappos

12. We need someome to manage this
Someone to start the program

13. a Knight in shiny armor

14. we need a

15. From CMO to CCO
customers customers customers customers
CRM R&D OPS HRM
Chief Customer Officer
The CMO must be the change catalyst
towards customer-centric culture

16. WTF,
I need an
army !
Good news: you’ve got one

17. Your
employees

18. Harness the power
of your employees
Ambassadors Innovators Storytellers
People want to feel Show your customer The good, the bad or
great about working the projects your clever the ugly. The little
for you. Let them share people are working on. stories that customers
it with their friends. Let them set up a can relate to are what
dialogue. builds brand affinity.

19. You do have
interesting stuff
going on
Let employees bring
their own story
(yes, they will use twitter, facebook and blogs)

20. Lose control
be the facilitator
of a movement
=value of your brand.
(if your organization can fullfill the promise)

21. Picture credits
Pulling hair: flickr/imranchaudhry
Social media guru: pammarketingnut.com
Employees: larrythecableguy.com
Office party: dreamstime/aniram_info
Knight: flickr/brennuskrux
Businesswoman: dreamstime/andresr_info
Contact
koen@del-mot.be www.del-mot.be
Koen Delvaux Innovation Consultant
+32 478 482111