1) People talk a lot both online and offline, and conversations influence others. Brands should focus on managing conversations and acting human rather than relying on social media strategies. 2) Creating shareable stories and helping customers are more important than new technologies. Kindness and positive experiences generate word-of-mouth. 3) A company gave an elephant live birth coverage generating over a million online viewers and increased zoo visitors by 28%. The shareable story engaged people for months.

1. Conversation management
Manage word-of-mouth to increase business value
Polle de Maagt for Danone

2. Hello. I am Polle de Maagt.
I create impact through
conversations at a pretty cool
company called InSites Consulting.
We work mostly because we’re
committed to make research sexy
again, but brands like Ben&Jerry’s,
Telenet, Danone and Philips agreed
to pay us for it.

3. Honestly, sentences like the world has changed,
power has shifted to the consumer, increase your
share of conversation, consumers trust each other
most, shifting power from marketers to consumers,
marketers are no longer in control, social media
strategy and learn to lose control give me a minor
headache.
While it is really really simple.

4. People talk. A lot.
Internet made it pretty easy to talk. But
still: 80% of the talking is done offline.
You might not be surprised that talking
influences others. Especially when the
conversations are searchable and
retweetable.
Consumers talk better, more and more
genuine than brands.
So you better be ready.

5. Kindness, happiness and cool things are talkable.
KLM surprised random passengers in their effort to discover how happiness
spreads. Advertising campaigns make great conversation starters.

6. “
Consumers out-conversate brands.
“
Create stuff worth sharing.
Tom de Bruyne (Boondoggle)

7. Great products create happy customers.
No surprise, I guess.

8. “
Focus on what really matters: making users
happy with your product as quickly as you
can, and helping them as much as you can
after that. If you do those better than anyone
“
else out there you’ll win.
Marc Hedlund (Wesabe)

9. A remarkable company culture works.
Every company has it’s stories and ambassadors. Capitalize on these stories and
turn your employees in an army of ambassadors.

10. Your product might has fans who love to help.
Facilitate them in sharing.

11. Helping people helps.
Exceeding customer expectations builds loyalty (81% repeats, 63% recommends)
and falling below customer expectations erodes loyalty (5%/71%).
* Forrester, Build Loyalty By Exceeding Expectations When Resolving Customer Problems, 2010

12. When you understand your customers, you’ll do better.
66% of marketers is disconnected from their target audience.
* InSites Consulting, Meet The Joneses Research, 2010

13. If someone asks you a question, answer politely.
Zappos invites every employee to WOW their customers. By the way: 11% of
organizations doesn’t reply to customer emails.
* InSites Consulting, Meet The Joneses Research, 2010

14. Recap.
People talk. A lot.
Kindness, happiness and cool things are
talkable.
Great products create happy customers.
Helping people helps.
When you understand your customers, you’ll
do better.
If somone asks you a question, answer
politely.

15. You might have noticed it really isn’t so much
about a social media strategy guru framework
policy.
Or cool and new technology.

16. It’s really about being human.
It is about asking yourself ‘What should
consumers be saying to each other after
they’ve seen my ad or contacted me and
my brand?’
It is about integrating conversations in
all thinking and acting.
And that might be a challenge.

17. In 2010 Boondoggle
used a little elephant
as the ultimate lean
mean conversion
machine.
(isn’t she cute)
© Boondoggle Amsterdam - Czaar Peterstraat 155 - 1018 PH Amsterdam - The Netherlands
T +31 (0)20 716 3717 - www.boondoggle.eu

18. It didn’t start from a medium or
technology gadget.
It started from a remarkable story. A
transmedial story that is.
A story that is worth sharing.
They were asked to make Antwerp Zoo
top of mind when young families
consider to go out for the day.

19. On may 17th 2009, 559.824
people watched a live
broadcast starring a little
elephant.

20. 1.200.000 stream viewers (in 1 day).

21. The first month, 165.000
visitors turned up for the
‘baby shower’.

22. Antwerp Zoo welcomed
300.000 extra paying visitors.
(+28% compared to 2008)

23. Kai Mook was nominated for
product of the year 2009 by
Belgian Newspaper De
Standaard.

24. Number 1 Carnaval Suit 2009.
Things really work when they end up on T-shirts or as a carnaval suit.
Number 1 Carnaval Suit.
We love stuff that ends up on t-shirts (and carnaval suits).

25. They created a story that was
worth sharing for 8 months.
Wouldn’t it be awesome if we could make
every Belgian feel a little bit pregnant
too?

26. There was buzz.

27. There was engagement.

28. There was a central point.
A website that collected all efforts

30. © Boondoggle Amsterdam - Czaar Peterstraat 155 - 1018 PH Amsterdam - The Netherlands
T +31 (0)20 716 3717 - www.boondoggle.eu

31. © Boondoggle Amsterdam - Czaar Peterstraat 155 - 1018 PH Amsterdam - The Netherlands
T +31 (0)20 716 3717 - www.boondoggle.eu

33. Gathering and activating fans
A Facebook group

34. A widget
Can’t live with ‘em, can’t live without ‘em

35. A trunk-o-lizer
Get an elephant trunk for your Facebook avatar

37. 3.500.000
3.000.000
3.000.000
2.500.000
2.000.000
1.500.000
1.000.000
500.000
50.000
0
Media investment versus media value
If it’s worth sharing, it isn’t worth buying

38. You can forget most of the silly things I said. But, please:
Remember these five
things.

39. 1) The world is a conversation
network and customers out-
conversate brands.
It is about integrating conversations in
all thinking and acting.
It is about managing the conversation.

40. 2) It is about changing the way you
treat your consumers. About
acting human.
It is about doing what you say you do, it
is about listening and acting.
About observing, facilitating and joining
the conversation.

41. 3) It isn’t rocket science.
Kindness, happiness and cool things are
talkable.
Great products create happy customers.
Helping people helps.
When you understand your customers, you’ll
do better.
If somone asks you a question, answer
politely.

42. 4) It is about starting from a story
worth sharing and making it
shareable.

43. Read the manual.
Seriously.
Read it.

44. 48

45. I hope I was worth sharing.
Send me an email at
polle@insites.eu so I can help you
remind of the 48 hours. Or answer
your questions.