A Social Revival

I will unashamedly admit that I am a fan of the TV show, Swamp People, and I was one of 2.5 million viewers who tuned in last Thursday to watch the Season 8 premiere. They took first place over all other shows that came on Thursday night. A year ago, when Season 7 premiered on TV, the show was missing a few cast members. Fans later learned that certain stars of the show had been cut for that season. To make matters worse, History announced that Season 7 would be the last. Fans turned to social media to express their disappointment. Twitter and Facebook were flooded with posts directed towards the History Channel to bring the show back for another season.

The History channel responded exceptionally well by listening to the consumer. Last month, I noticed a commercial on TV for Swamp People that said, "The fans spoke, and History Listened." They revealed that they agreed to another season of the show. They posted the announcement to their Twitter and Facebook page, as well. I believe that the main objective for marketers is to listen to the consumer and respond according to their needs and desires to improve customer satisfaction. It was not entirely clear why the History Channel canceled the show in the first place, but it was in their best interest to take fan's tweets and Facebook posts to heart and re-launch the show. 

The overwhelming success and viewership of the Swamp People premiere Thursday night is proof that social media outlets are very powerful platforms. In this situation, Twitter and Facebook were the only avenues where the customer's voice could be heard, and broadcasted to the right people. If customers did not express their concerns on social media, History would never know the loss they were truly making by cutting the show when its popularity was still at its peak. 

Suggested Shopping or Creative Enticing?

Last week, one of my professors briefly mentioned that Amazon was the creative mind behind "recommended" items that show up during any online shopping experience. I was not surprised to hear that Amazon was the company to create this feature, but it was not something I ever really thought about. So I decided to do some research and learn a little more about this element of e-commerce that we all use.

The recommendations list is powered by an algorithm that automatically draws from the item you are looking at to display similar items. These items can show up based on the number of reviews made, or the popularity of the product. Amazon refers to this suggestion based technology as "Item-to-Item Collaborative Filtering." In addition to showing related items at the bottom of the product page, Amazon also places those items on the home page whenever you log in to Amazon. Even though Amazon is the creator behind this feature, almost every e-commerce site utilizes it in some way. Sites that are not e-commerce based, like YouTube and Spotify also incorporate recommendations to give their viewers are more personalized experience.

Understandably, this feature is very successful for businesses. Amazon reported a 29% sales increase shortly after they launched the online shopping component. Another company that is a heavy user of recommendations is Netflix. There have been a number of times when I decided to watch a movie or TV show on Netflix just because it has shown up on my recommended list. The recommendation engine helps draw consumers to items that are not usually searched for, or considered, which in turn will increase their sales on those products. 

I think that this features is very beneficial to companies, because it offers customers a more personalized experience. In the end, all shopping experiences are about customer satisfaction and increasing sales, and the recommendation engine is successful in both of these areas. 

Sources: 

http://fortune.com/2012/07/30/amazons-recommendation-secret/
https://www.martechadvisor.com/articles/customer-experience/recommendation-engines-how-amazon-and-netflix-are-winning-the-personalization-battle/

The Patriots Weren't the Only Ones with a Come Back

During the Super Bowl last night, Google released an ad for their Google Home device. The ad featured a handful of people using their Google Home device to demonstrate the number of tasks that the device can perform. The ad sparked a chain reaction in a number of homes. Whenever someone in the commercial said "Okay Google," and asked their request, other Google Home devices in viewer's homes chimed in and responded. People took to Twitter to express their experience.

Whether the makers of this ad planned for this outcome or not, I think it worked in their favor. It was probably the most memorable advertisement for individuals who experienced this first hand, and for viewers who heard about it later on. The major goal of an advertisement is not to get consumers to go out and buy the brand after seeing it, but to cause consumers to recall that brand or product when they are interested in making a purchase from that market. Due to the hype that Google Home has created with this commercial, it has helped their brand stand out among competitors.

I imagine that some people might have a negative image associated with the brand after this antic. However, it is important to take note that Google Home's competitors, such as Amazon's Echo, have been responsible for the same thing. Additionally, I am sure most iPhone users have experienced Siri speak up when someone has said something that sounded like, "Hey Siri."

Personally, I think the aftermath surrounding this Super Bowl commercial is hilarious, and I think the makers of this ad had an idea that this would happen. The Super Bowl is a huge platform to air an advertisement, and it is a very effective way to communicate to a multitude of consumers.