I admit it. I am a demanding consumer. But, aren't we all? We want everything better, faster, easier, and more personalized than ever before. We want to feel like we're important to the companies we do business with. But why is it that despite every marketing milestone and breakthrough many web experiences often fail to meet our expectations?

Blame company structure or budget or legacy systems or leadership or the weather. But the more you excuse it, the worse it gets.

I've made a career out of studying, advocating for, and creating customer experiences and sharing them with clients, in columns, speeches, a book, and now this blog.

So, forget the excuses. Here you'll find a consumer perspective on what works, what doesn't, who's getting it right, and who's still in the dark.

Straight-forward. Unfiltered. Customer fanaticism.




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May 24, 2005

Kodak Makes Viral Make Sense

Kodak_share Kodak is taking a smart approach to a smart idea.

In this age of digital photographs that consumers so rarely get around to print, Kodak has a program that not only creates an opportunity to increase its sales and margins (helping out with the high cost of storing everyone's pictures on their servers), but it also resonates with consumers.

See, from my consumer point of view, I think: Finally, a marketer encouraging me to share in a way that makes sense (and has VALUE) for me!

To be honest, I didn't even know about this program until I got this delightful email over the weekend. And what I found was that not only is Kodak (formerly called Ofoto) doing viral in a smart way, but they're mapping it to a rewards program so seamlessly that I don't have to think about points or codes or anything.

See, I'm so tired of companies asking me to tell everyone I know that I bought something for them--some start begging before I've even received or tried the product! But with all the photos that I keep online at the Kodak EasyShare Gallery, it MAKES SENSE that I'll want to share them. And when I do, if the person I share photos with decides to purchase them, I get $3 off my next purchase. But get this: THERE'S NO PROMO CODE!!! Nothing I have to save or remember, they just automatically credit my account.

How beautiful (and SIMPLE) is that?!

Seriously, I hope the program will be a success. Kodak is a brand I grew up with and one that I would really love to see thrive in the digital era.

May 24, 2005 in Innovative Experiences, Viral Sites | Permalink | Bookmark

Comments

I agree and have enjoyed the benefits of what i thought to be clever email marketing from a company i have been with and actively encouraged many people to join since early the Ofoto days. I even tested their Beta version of the current site for them. I have responded to probably 70% of their email credit/discount offers and spent significant amounts on their products. BUT they've blown it. In the last 2 months i have received two offers for discounts, one of which appeared to be a personal birthday offer for me. I responded, went through my albums, ordered some prints etc etc and got right to the end when the coupon codes didn't work. Retraced steps to the email which stated "not valid outside the US". HELLO! this is totally unacceptable because:
1.Kodak is a global megabrand. I expect an online service from Kodak to be capable of catering to international customers.
2.They have catered for international customrs over the past 4-5 years, no trouble. So they CAN do it.
3. Obviously they know i am in NZ. If an offer can for some reason only be valid in the US they must not send the offer outside the US. Marketing for dummies.
4. they are attempting to build a relationship by sending me a birthday offer. that i can't use. I can think of a word for this kind of behaviour that starts with c and ends with tease.

I am so disappointed in this brand and service that I am extremely fond of. Their marketing has become unintelligent and inappropriately US-centric. Their response so far is very average, still in progress but they could have sorted this issue in 5 minutes instead of sending me ridiculous responses like "As per your request we have unsubscribed you from our email coupon offers". Come on Kodak get with the programme.

Posted by: Andrea Hammond | Feb 27, 2006 2:15:03 PM

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