Emily's Social Media + Marketing Communication Blog

Social Media Monitoring (cont'd.) & Brand Recommendations Since they  announced the end of their lifetime return policy , L.L. Bean has entered some rocky terrain with their fan base. The legendary policy -- a guarantee that the company would accept any item, at any time, for a full refund with no questions asked -- was once a trademark of the company. After all, it's been in place since its founding in 1912. Many loyal customers are not pleased, threatening to never wear their Bean Boots again. Fortunately for these folks, Bean's new policy is a liberal one; customers may return an item for a full refund up to one year after purchase, and defective items can be returned at any point. What the Groundswell Has to Say Still, fans are upset. If you've read my previous post monitoring L.L. Bean, you'll know I've been closely following the company's main  Instagram page. Why Instagram? Because this is where ...

In chapters 9 through 12 of Groundswell , Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff explore what happens once a company embraces the groundswell with arms wide open. As expected, the benefits are pretty vast and varied. Embracing your customer base is the gift that just keeps on giving. To get this gift, however, companies need to understand customer engagement. Just get your customers talking and start listening. It doesn't matter if you target your most technically knowledgeable customer base  (think: SalesForce's idea exchange ) or keep it simple like Credit Mutuel did with their Si J'etais Banquier campaign. The groundswell likes to talk, especially about your business. Li and Bernoff challenge us to think uniquely -- how can our businesses tap into these voices in a meaningful way, that is as unique as the services we provide?  For Rent the Runway , engaging the groundswell means something very different than their competitors . Rent the Runway is...

In Li and Bernoff’s Groundswell , we’ve explored how corporations large and small are engaging their customers via social media and group forums. We know that businesses will go great lengths to engage and energize the public, and for good reason. One such company is Disney, the 34 billion dollar entertainment giant founded in 1923. For years, Disney has reigned supreme in the entertainment industry. The company's trademark, Mickey Mouse, is widely known and loved across all generations; remarkable as it seems, the cartoon character hasn't yet become irrelevant or outdated. And Disney's reach is not just in the U.S. but in other countries too -- most notably China, India, Germany, Russia, the U.K. (I could go on). But even international giants like Disney can run into unexpected situations. Enter the Groundswell: #GiveElsaAGirlfriend In 2017, Disney’s followers began tossing a hashtag back and forth on Twitter . What they're tossing around is a complet...