Reading Reflections #2: Brand Success Through Energizing and Embracing the Groundswell

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After reading chapters 7 through 10 of Groundswell, I completely agree and value the third level of groundswell thinking which is: energizing. It is imperative for companies to energize the base because it has the ability to boost businesses, as illustrated through the case study of Jim Noble and eBags. Moreover, it is incredible how committed and enthusiastic customers (like Noble) can manifest into viral marketers, by simply telling others how much he values his eBag.

Clearly, Li and Bernoff emphasize that word of mouth is vital to increase the brand marketing for companies. This is because it is an honest form of marketing and ultimately, "people believe other people more than media" (Groundswell, 131). This method is successful because it is "believable (testimonials from customers are far more credible than any media source), self-reinforcing (hear it from one person, and it’s intriguing… hear it from five or ten, even if you didn’t know them before, and it has to be true), and self-spreading (…if a product is worth using, its word of mouth generates more word of mouth in a cascade that’s literally exponential)" (Groundswell, 130). Evidently, by embracing the most enthusiastic customers, this allows companies to turn these people into "an integral part of the company’s products and processes" (Groundswell, 151). 

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Throughout my own experiences, I can relate to energizing the groundswell when I bought my Sennheiser HD 555 Professional Headphones with Sound Channeling online through Amazon. Before making this purchase, I had never owned headphones that covered your ears entirely, since I used the small iPod  headphones which you plug into your ears. Once I received the Sennheiser headphones in the mail and listened to music with them, I was ecstatic with my purchase. Because I was so happy about my new headphones, this prompted me to tell all of my friends about them. Like Noble and eBags, this is an example of energizing the groundswell since I utilized the power of word of mouth to tell others how unbelievable a specific product/brand was!

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Additionally, if you look at the reviews on Amazon.com, you can see that people are answering one another’s questions about any issues they are experiencing with the headphones. This saves the company a great deal of money and shows how the groundswell is supporting itself. This type of marketing is brilliant for Sennheiser because it doesn't cost them a single penny. Furthermore, Sennheiser "keeps the customers at the center of [their] organization" since they engage with their customers (Groundswell, 198). In an interview with John Falcone, President and CEO of Sennheiser, he said, "Our approach is to listen to our customers and respond with the right solution." This is critical for helping the groundswell support your company.

Essentially, even though companies themselves can utilize the groundswell to increase their businesses, customers can turn into such an incredibly powerful asset as well. Ratings and reviews from customers play a critical part of their success. As a valued customer, if you buy a product and you absolutely love it, why not rave about it online so that others will hear about it! On the other hand, if you end up buying a product and hate it, you should be even more inclined to write about it to warn other potential customers!