Kelly Mooney's blog about the online shopping experience from the customer's point of view -- MooneyThinks.com

AT&T O.P.E.N. to Hear Your Problems

I got a tip about an OPEN iPhone app from an industry friend today. Not an addictive game. Not a handy tool. Not even something so zany you just have to get it (um, raise your hand if you've got the koi pond app). But an app to help you complain about AT&T. From AT&T.

When we at Resource talk about brands being more open to consumer conversations, feedback, opinions and more, we typically refer to things like ratings and reviews, Tweets and general customer feedback mechanisms.

AT&T has taken the idea of listening to customers so seriously that it created an iPhone app so that users can quickly and easily report their problems and get an acknowledgment that the issue was successfully submitted. And the easier it is for consumers to get the right info to AT&T, the easier it is for the company to fix it.

I commend this novel approach to giving users an On-Demand way to communicate with the brand. Right on.

Thank You for Going on Vacation

Like I need any more reasons to appreciate Etsy and all the talented, thoughtful artisans who have shops there. The great work is only the beginning. Each order arrives with a nice hand-written note, special wrapping or even a little something extra from their studio.

Etsy artists sure know a thing about service.

Here's one extra great Etsy find--and not just the creative, eco-friendly prints. This particular artist has taken a fresh take on "Gone Fishing". Recognizing and supporting consumers' expectation for on-demand experiences, she posted a large note right on the front of her store announcing the fact that she's on vacation until November 5, so any orders placed now wouldn't be shipped until November 7. Vacation in the digital world? Personally, I'm a fan....I think we could all use a little more time off than we take. This artist didn't just ignore incoming orders or quietly delay shipping, she exceeded expectations by being transparent and by discounting any order placed during her vacation by10%--including shipping.

I love that the artist powering that digital storefront feels real, accesible-even if she's on vacation for a few days.

Making Lemonade out of an Offensive iPhone App

An iPhone App for an energy drink with the name, "Amp Up Before You Score," offering tips for guys on how to pick up various stereotypes of women is getting some press. Not a shocker.

What is surprising is that it's not all bad press. 

Yes, there are some very unhappy people, a lot of them women. And not just with the energy drink brand, but with the mother ship, Pepsico. And there are plenty of people who just think it's no big deal.

What I find worth talking about is how the company is handling the situation. While they've not said if they're going to pull the app, they issued an apology via Twitter and introduced a #pepsifail tag.

From Advertising Age:

"Still, introducing a tag that associates your brand with a fail is a bold move and one that ensures the brand is a part of the conversation. PepsiCo has quickly addressed the issue, before it got too far out of hand. And it has ensured the conversation is easy to monitor, which will certainly make it easier to plot its next moves."

Right or wrong. Offensive or not. Nice recovery. Definitely smart (and, of course, very OPEN of them, focusing on this new, complicated network) to jump in and be as close to the center of the conversation as possible.

The Open Brand -- Now in RUSSIAN!

It's been a little more than a year since we published  The Open Brand: When Push Comes to Pull in a Web-made World. And in that time it's inspired a client symposium, speeches, panels, workshops and, most importantly, provocative discussions with our clients. Discussions that have led to initiatives, projects, cultural shifts, and, ultimately, success stories -- for brands and for consumers.

Even as new technologies and movements take root, we continue to find new ways to leverage the Open Brand framework to transform marketing and branding. And to go along with the global reach of our icitizenry who are leading this transformation, we've just published The Open Brand in Russian.

If I knew any Russian, I'd tag on some sort of clever quip, but instead, I'll just say, check out the cover shot above. I think that's my name and my co-author's in the upper right hand corner. I think...kinda cool. (Jen, if you're reading, can you ask your Russian boyfriend to translate for me?!) ; )

Gain & Mandy Moore -- Live from Chicago

The great scent of Gain detergent is such a great source of joy to the people who use it that many of them remember their first sniff, the moment they fell in love with Gain. It's true!

We were thrilled to work with the Gain brand and partner agencies on a contest and promotion that celebrates first sniff stories. Consumers shared their stories on the Gain site and then a winner was chosen--Stephanie from Chicago (yes, that's her on stage singing with Mandy). Her prize was a free, intimate concert with Mandy Moore (another passionate Gain user) in her town--at the new Lasalle Power Company.

So in addition to the 300+ fans who enjoyed the concert in person last night, we aired it live on Ilovegain.com, where we could engage Gain fans across the country with an entertaining, inspiring experience. In addition to singing songs off her new album, Amanda Leigh, she spoke at length about her own personal, genuine LOVE for Gain. 

(Check out the first sniff stories across the country!)

Social Media Tools to the Rescue

For all the things we love about e-commerce, the reality is occasionally it doesn't work out the way we (consumers) want it to. And you can't just run to the store and make an exchange when it's a purchase from, oh, say, a boutique on the other side of the country.

So how do we get our problems fixed so we're happy consumers? (And how to brands recover from little mishaps?)

A fellow Resourcian shared a story with me about an online purchase gone bad. She'd ordered a coffee table book for her mom's birthday. It arrived all wrapped up (so nice, she was tempted to give it to her mom like that). A few hours before she was about to give it to her, she decided to re-wrap it and found the book damaged.

She called the toll-free number. Got a machine.
She sent an email. Didn't hear back.
Two days later she found the company had a Twitter account, so she Tweeted to them about answering her email about the damaged gift.
That was when the company responded. (They said her email had gotten stuck in their spam filter.)

So here's Twitter providing value to a customer - cheap, easy and fast. In this on-demand world, consumers need to be able to reach the brands they're doing business with--for good reasons or bad. And brands who want to stay on our short lists should be listening when we have something to Tweet about. Do you have someone assigned (and empowered) to manage this for your brand?

All New at Tide.com

I'm a Tide user...have been for years. Matter of fact, I was one of those geeks you might have questioned back in 2000 that downloaded the Tide Stain Detective onto my Palm -- to solve those quirky stain problems like "How do I get lipstick off my favorite cotton sweater? Hot water? Cold? Or, how do I get grass stain out of my son's nylon baseball pants?" I could never remember and this little tool saved me in the laundry room more than once. So as a marketer, I've followed Tide online for years. Naturally, I checked out their latest redesign. Hmmm. Seems like good intentions overall, but as a brand fan, the execution just gives me one big question of my own: What happened to Tide?

Consider the large search box in the center of the page. A key insight might have been that consumers come to the site to search for stuff, but why not address it in a Tide way (versus trying to be like Google)? I mean, if you're going to call that much attention to it, why not show some real searches, popular terms? Give it more attention without moving it around and making it so horsey.

Then of course, there's the big question at the top of the page. How smart that Tide is bringing consumer comments (answers to the big question) to the homepage, but when you ask a question so boldly, I expect a box or link to click on where I can answer it first. Sure I want to know what other people think, but set it up. The first question is "What do you think about Tide Total Care?" -- but they don't even tell you first what Tide Total Care is. The product is featured on the page, but its connection with the question wasn't obvious and it doesn't really say what it is.

Even the language feels off..."Check out what these people have to say." These people? Ouch.

And, then there's the product page. Partially I'm bummed because I liked the old one. It used to look like the store shelves. More than just cute, it gave you the in-store perspective you'll be facing when you actually want to get the product...which I still find overwhelming when shopping at Target, for example. Who knew there were so many formulations of Tide? Or, that we actually want that many choices? That's why Method is onto something.

This new product arrangement opens with a line-up that looks like it has holes in it. And the section says "Find the Tide that's Right for You" but doesn't tell you how to know which one's right. Fortunately the search feels pretty powerful, however when I typed in "no scent," (because that's what my husband prefers) the product recommendation was Tide with Febreze Freshness, which comes in Spring Renewal and Pedals & Rain scents. It did not bring up Tide Free. Guess, I'm off the hook for laundry this weekend. ;)

Sharing Pics of History

Whether you watched from the ease of your office, from the comforts of your living room, or from the crowded mall with 1.5 million others, it was hard to miss the inauguration of the 44th President.

At RI we watched the TV coverage and the live streams online (via CNN/Facebook)--where we got constant status feeds from our friends. While the video streams didn't truly deliver the experience, it was great to share the moment with Facebook friends by keeping up with everyone's status updates as we all watched history take place.

Through all the coverage, one of the fun things to see was all the cameras--even President Obama's older daughter took the opportunity to capture the moment. So I love how several web properties went beyond traditional reporting and offering us a more Personal and Networked experience.

• The New York Times aggregated reader photos into a massive readers' album.
• Flickr's inauguration group listed 7,533 photos.
• And CNN displayed "Your View of History," a bird's-eye-view map populated with over 9000 submissions to iReports, personal accounts of the big day.

And while I doubt we'll get to see the pics from Malia Obama's camera, at least not any time soon, I'm happy for now to settle on the thousands of other consumer-snapped images of this historic day.
 

Converse Goes Back to School with Laughter and Style

Time certainly is precious and I tend to make mine as productive as I can, but I have to give a shout of thanks--and laughter--to Converse for stealing 14 minutes of my time today.

It all started with a spelling bee. The Converse Spelling Bee. (Make sure you've got your speakers turned up.) Then Chucks In Soda for a Week, Kissing with Ross and many, many more. I was laughing out loud. I can only imagine the entertainment value to the teen boy who is probably closer to their target than I am...especially as he faces the end of summer and the prospect of clothes-shopping for school this fall.

Overall, Converse does a great job staying true to its brand legacy, and also continuing to push forward into the future. I loved it when the brand started letting consumers design their own Chuck Taylors, giving fans an even more Personal experience. And I love how the Converse Spelling Bee and collected sites create entertainment and inspiration that let those fans engage and deepen their attachment to the brand.

Fourteen minutes I won't get back, but 14 minutes I'll remember with a laugh, especially when I'm doing back-to-school shopping with my son next month. He might even give me a reluctant but knowing nod that I've stumbled onto something that even he thinks is cool.

What's Next: Sebastian Professional Products

Known for "blowing the lid off creativity," Sebastian Professional Products is doing it again with a new site we recently launched. While the brand started small in the 1970s, today Sebastian is a global brand shaping hair fashion.

Using original, engaging content (stunning behind-the-scenes-of-the-shoot photography and video), we created an experience designed to inspire and inform aspiring stylists and beauty junkies about what styles are coming next. (Bryan, that's you...time to rethink Aveda!)

The experience goes beyond the products, to looks and how to get them, to up-and-comers like cult blogger Cory Kennedy (and how to connect with Cory), to hair professionals setting tomorrow's styles, and countless videos and photos that let consumers inside the Sebastian photo shoot.

With all this inspiration, so much pressure to have a great "do" in our office. ; ) Check out Sebastian Professional and see What's Next for you.