WOMMA's Womnibus #2.25
- Starbucks Customers Wear Preferences On Their Sleeve
- Presidential Hopefuls Must Navigate WOM-osphere
- MTV Creates Virtual World to Up Viewer Interaction
- Movie Maker Leverages WOM to Generate Pre-Launch Buzz
- Briefly:
Interacting with Consumers, GM Gets Hip with YouTube
 Tell a friend: http://www.womma.org/tell/
1> Starbucks Customers Wear Preferences
On Their Sleeve
Starbucks knows its customers have extreme drink preferences. The company also knows that so many coffee-related decisions can be intimidating for the uninitiated. The milk choices alone -- whole, 2%, nonfat, soy, organic, breve, no foam, extra foamy, etc. -- are enough to trip up the uninformed. So Starbucks has created a site that details all of the beverage choices, and is letting latte loyalists design their own branded T-shirts that reflect their unique drink preferences.
At www.starbucks.com, enthusiasts can pick and choose various drink elements, as well as icons designed by "Project Runway" cast member Mychael Knight, to individualize their T-shirts -- in much the same way that they can personalize their favorite Starbucks beverage. Of course, the T-shirts are free of charge (including shipping costs!), and Starbucks gets to clothe eager fans in custom-made word-of-mouth-worthy gear.
Learn more (Yahoo)
2> Presidential Hopefuls Must
Navigate WOM-osphere
Political candidates are finally acknowledging the impact of online word of mouth and are gearing up to put the power of the online activist community behind their campaigns. When Democrats Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama announced their presidential intentions early this year, both of them did so via online videos hosted on their campaign websites.
Within a few hours of announcing her bid, Clinton's website had pulled in 10,000 messages of support as well as 2,200 submissions for a blog contest. The site also signed up 100 people a minute to its email list. While gaining the support of this "netroots" contingent doesn't guarantee actual election results come 2008, candidates' online efforts seem to acknowledge that the support -- and conversations -- of internet supporters could give their campaigns a helpful boost.
Learn more
3> MTV Creates Virtual World to Up
Viewer Interaction
MTV has created a Second Life-like virtual world, in which fans can interact with 3-D avatars of their favorite MTV VJs as well as with characters from the network's slate of shows. The launch of this not-quite-real world provides a place for fans of MTV shows to interact with each other, as well as with the personalities that pepper the MTV lineup. The MTV virtual world offers the interaction that viewers crave in an always-accessible online environment where word of mouth can flourish.
The move is a way for MTV to keep its stamp on what's hip, as well as to remain a music source for young people. With the proliferation of online music sites -- some that offer networking, some that offer file sampling, some that offer indie music recommendations -- MTV knows that the internet is where Generation Next is going for its music. And if that's where its core demographic is headed, MTV wants to be there, too.
Learn more
4> Movie Maker Leverages WOM to
Generate Pre-Launch Buzz
Before the movie "We Are the Strange" had its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival last month, its YouTube-hosted trailer had already been downloaded by 648,000 people. The film's writer (and director, and animator, and effects coordinator), Michael Belmont, has been working hard over the past several years to create a devoted cluster of fans, all of whom have long been anticipating the film's release.
Belmont, who is known by fans as "M dot Strange," has been interacting with his movie's enthusiasts online, and even went so far as to allow them to suggest possible endings for the film. "We Are the Strange" didn't fare so well at Sundance (a large portion of the audience left mid-movie), but with the kind of fan base that Belmont was able to accumulate pre-launch, it's going to take more than a panned premiere to put out the movie's fire.
Learn more (NY Times)
Learn more (Reveries Magazine)
Learn more (We are the Strange Official Site)
5> Briefly:
Interacting with Consumers,
GM Gets Hip with YouTube
Brands Invite Consumers to Tinker, Interact, and Build Buzz
GM Enlists WOM Techniques to Reinvigorate Its Image
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