In their latest newsletter (ISSUE 21, November 2004) TrendWatching.com reports on the ‘Customer Made Revolution’. They state:

“Marketing has finally become a conversation. Not, in most cases, as was intended, BETWEEN corporations and consumers (that would make too much sense), but rather a global conversation involving millions of consumers ABOUT corporations. On sites like Planetfeedback.com, thecomplaintstation.com, Epinions, About.com, on hundreds of thousands of blogs, community sites, forums, viral emails, bulletin boards, and what have you, consumers relentlessly exchange views, complaints, opinions and comments about products and services, about brands, about companies, about YOUR company.

"Why now? Because they finally can. For decades, consumers have been saving up their insights and rants about the stuff they consume, simply because there were no adequate means to interact with companies, or with other consumers for that matter. No longer. These fickle, wired, empowered, informed, opinionated and experienced holders of a MC (Master in Consumerism) are getting used to 'having it their way', in ANY way imaginable, which includes wanting to have a direct influence on what companies develop and produce for them.

"It certainly helps that these same consumers are also part of GENERATION C: they're creative and increasingly have access to professional hardware, software, and online distribution channels to show (and dictate) companies what it is they expect from them, using text, sound, picture and video in ever more powerful ways.

"Some companies ARE now engaging creative customers in new ways … These companies are clearly aware that tapping into the collective intellectual capital of their customers yields great creative and 'real' content. However, let's not make the mistake to think that in the end these conversations will all be about communications and branding: how about extending this cooperation with consumers to virtually everything a corporation does, by making the customer an integral part of ALL creative and creational processes?”

It’s an interesting read not least because of the opportunities businesses have to involve clients in their business. You will see this to some extent with websites that include chat rooms/discussions threads. These forums certainly encourage participation and new content (and for many a journalist quite a few leads!). The down side is that increasingly such chat rooms are coming under the scrutiny of legal restrictions. Recent case law suggests that the test of whether a statement is defamatory is determined by the country where it is downloaded not where it is drafted … so all those people who adhere to free speech ideals may potentially find themselves in hot water if the person they are attacking is in a country that supports much stricter standards.

The Australian Stud Book has adopted a more interactive approach to client relations by encouraging people to contribute foal photos to the monthly newsletter. It’s certainly one approach to ‘engaging’ customers.

I think thoroughbred businesses have the potential to go a lot further however. One idea is as simple as a horse stud having a section of its site devoted to interaction with its clients (this includes potential as well as current clients). One suggestion would be to ask people to submit photos they had taken (camera or mobile phone) of any of the horses the stud had raised/bred that the person had spotted at a race track anywhere in the world. Of course you wouldn’t choose every photo (but you could post them all and get the community to vote for their favorite 5 each day and just post those ones). It would be inviting interaction and developing a community of participation.

Equally, a stud/business could invite clients to give feedback on initiatives. Rather than just say “thank you for the suggestions” they would be wise to then get the community to vote on the best ideas and ask people how the ideas might best be implemented. Most horse studs don’t have the time or staff to take a list of 150 suggestions and then work out how to implement them … why not use the knowledge of those that do have the time (and the desire to produce some interesting content for you) and see what comes out of it. One reason to adopt this approach is to move beyond a rather tired public who continually hear “please tell us how to change”, who then go to the trouble of making a suggestion (or three) ... but never hearing another word.

Yes, it is giving up a small measure of control. But it is involving people at a far more intelligent level than previously and I would suggest that it is the way businesses will be forced to move in the future if they wish to maintain strong customer loyalty and increased brand awareness.