從Etsy的成功看膜拜自我潮流的商機
????這些例子也展現(xiàn)了我稱之為“膜拜自我”的理念。初聽上去,這個詞或許過于以自我為中心,但事實上這涉及到企業(yè)老板需要關(guān)注的兩大主題:消費者希望進行創(chuàng)作,以及希望成為創(chuàng)作群體或文化的一部分。這些文化的建立通常是基于對非主流工程和設(shè)計的強烈(甚至是瘋狂)的熱愛。這就是為何我認為“膜拜”這個詞或許比“文化”更加適合。 ????“膜拜自我”思維的核心反映了一個現(xiàn)實,即如今很多消費者不只是希望企業(yè)能發(fā)明和銷售產(chǎn)品和服務(wù);事實上,他們希望作為個人能直接參與到創(chuàng)新過程中來。這不只是通過網(wǎng)絡(luò)頭腦風(fēng)暴廣泛征集人們對改進或創(chuàng)造產(chǎn)品的意見那么簡單,就像2005年左右盛行的那樣。今天的消費者們希望以非常個人化的方式參與到個人理念的構(gòu)建和推廣中來,將自己置于焦點之下。他們希望孕育和發(fā)展個人的創(chuàng)意遠見,通過社交媒體在世界舞臺上分享。 ????不管他們的創(chuàng)意活動是為Facebook個人賬戶撰文和發(fā)照片,是發(fā)明自制機器人,還是在業(yè)余時間設(shè)計裝飾枕頭在Etsy上出售,消費者們正在變身產(chǎn)品開發(fā)者、品牌策略師等等。 ????首先,要談?wù)劚尘啊?缡兰o一代或80后年輕人通過社交媒體和DIY文化(對產(chǎn)品和服務(wù)的渴求)定義自我,認為“膜拜自我”指的就是這群人可能失之簡單。事實上,很重要的一點是要意識到各個年齡段的人們都比以往更多地使用社交媒體,使用網(wǎng)絡(luò)工具創(chuàng)建內(nèi)容,打造個人品牌。麥肯錫(McKinsey)2010年的一項調(diào)查發(fā)現(xiàn),35歲以上者正在越來越多地使用社交網(wǎng)站,而且增速快于25-34歲者。25-34歲者使用社交網(wǎng)站的年增幅為7%,35-54歲者的增幅為21%-22%,55-64歲者的增幅更是高達52%。 ????但除了理解社交媒體對各個年齡段的“膜拜自我”者有多大影響后,更重要的是要找到有效的方式,如何通過社交媒體利用好“膜拜自我”熱潮。這無需投入大量的資金和時間就能做到。下面是幾種方式: ????- 利用社交網(wǎng)站進行市場調(diào)研。比如,百事公司(PepsiCo)就根據(jù)DEWmocracy網(wǎng)上推廣活動中收集到的消費者意見創(chuàng)建了新的子品牌Mountain Dew蘇打水。蘇打水愛好者幫助設(shè)計了口味和包裝這些品牌延伸,甚至上傳了視頻,表達他們對最終獲選口味的感受。自從2008年這些由消費者設(shè)計的口味上市以來,百事公司已經(jīng)賣出了超過3600萬箱新產(chǎn)品。但除了像百事公司的Mountain Dew案例這樣專門花心思吸引消費者提供創(chuàng)意點子之外,別忘了消費者也樂于在社交網(wǎng)站上發(fā)表個人喜好觀點,這些可是免費的資源。聰明的公司會定期關(guān)注Facebook、Tumblr、Pinterest等流行網(wǎng)站上的熱門話題,即便他們沒有百事公司那樣的資源能通過社交媒體打造自己的推廣活動或網(wǎng)站。 |
????These examples also illustrate a concept that I call the Cult of Me. While at first glance, this term might sound rather ego-centric, it's really about two key themes that business leaders need to pay attention to: consumers wanting to create, and consumers wanting to be part of communities -- or cultures -- that create. These cultures are often built around strong, even near-fanatical passions for hands-on, far-from-the mainstream approaches to engineering and design, and that's why I think the term "cult" might be more appropriate than "culture." ????At the center of Cult of Me thinking is the reality that many consumers today aren't just hoping that corporations will invent and market products and services to them; instead, they want to participate directly in the innovation process as individuals, too. But it's not just about simple crowd-sourcing for ideas by asking people to suggesting how to improve or create products via online brainstorming sites, as was the rage in the mid-2000s. Today, consumers want to participate in forming and promoting their concepts in a very personal way, with themselves in the spotlight. They want to nurture and develop their own individual creative visions. And share them on a world stage via social media. ????Whether their creative activities are limited to crafting posts and photos for their Facebook profiles to inventing homemade robots or designing decorative pillows to sell on Etsy in their spare time, consumers are becoming product developers and brand strategists themselves. ????First, some context. It is too simplistic to say that understanding the Cult of Me is best applied to keeping tabs on what Millennials, or the youthful generation of people born in the 1980s that defines itself via social media and DIY culture, desire as products and services. Instead, it's important to realize that people of all ages are engaging more with social media than ever before, using online tools to create content and craft their own personal brands. McKinsey, for instance, found in a 2010 survey that adults older than 35 are increasingly using social networks at a rate that's rising higher than that of young people aged 25 to 34. There was a 7% annual increase in the use of social networks among 25 t0 34 year olds compared to 21% to 22% increase among 35 to 54 year olds, and a whopping 52% increase in social networking among 55 to 64 year olds. ????But beyond merely understanding just how influential social media is for Cult of Me participants across generations,it's even more key to recognize effective ways to tap into the Cult of Me using social media as a conduit. And this can be done without allocating large resources of capital and time. Here are a few: ????- Use social networks for market research. PepsiCo (PEP), for instance, created new sub-brands of its Mountain Dew soda based on consumer insights it gathered via its online "DEWmocracy" promotional campaign. Fans of the soda helped design flavors and packaging for these brand extensions, and even uploaded videos of themselves reacting to the winners. Since the consumer-designed flavors were released in 2008, PepsiCo has sold more than 36 million cases of the new products. But in addition to launching focused efforts to prompt consumers to create for your company, as PepsiCo did with Mountain Dew, it's also worth remembering that consumers love to offer up their personal likes and dislikes—for free--on social media sites. Wise companies will constantly pay attention to trending topics on Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest, and other popular networks to discover clues on new product ideas, even if they don't have the resources to create their own campaign or Web site using social media, as PepciCo did. |