Though it has been around for almost two years, I have just got to know about this that Starbucks is also jumping into the social media wagon where they allow people to share their ideas online. They called it “My Starbucks Idea“. It sounds like what Dell has done with their IdeaStorm website where they also want to hear your ideas.
I think it’s really cool to have found another company embracing the social media. But if they are just making use of their existing plans and associate with the ideas shared within the social media, it is just a matter of time that the social media will “smell a rat”. According to Brand Autopsy’s findings, only 6 out of 50 launched ideas are authentic! Below is an extract from Brand Autopsy that 44 ideas are not authentic:
For example, Starbucks credits a customer idea for the Splash Sticks (#1 on the list) they offer customers to help ensure coffee doesn’t spill out of the plastic lid. Reality is this idea was being done in Japan months before its introduction into the North American market. It’s not a customer-generated idea because this idea was already in the Starbucks product pipeline.
Though Starbucks may not have implemented 100% of hearing their customers’ ideas, I can see that they are still trying very hard. By starting such a website to gather ideas, I think that is already a bold step to take. Social media is not a place where we can use “white lies” to resolve issues effectively because the customers will help one another to tell the truth sooner or later. Unlike the traditional media of TV, newspapers and radio, the social media is a two-way communication… Remember that the social media can reply back with their thoughts… People are no longer hearing only the brands’ voice… They are also hearing their peers’ voice too!
Photo image: John Niedermeyer
I started learning online marketing since 2007. I have a couple of online projects which I am working on part time with an elite team such as