When tapping into the groundswell, the key is to spur the interest of customers and let them carry the messages. In 2006, for example, Chevroletwanted to increase awareness of the new Chevy Aveo among collegestudents, so the company conceived the “Chevy Aveo Livin’ Large CampusChallenge.” In the challenge, Chevrolet recruited pairs of students on sevencollege campuses to spend an entire week living inside a Chevy Aveo, withbreaks only for classes and occasional trips to the bathroom. The campaign was a success mainly because Chevrolet had encouraged thestudents to use the groundswell to publicize their experiences. The studentswrote blogs, created and posted You-Tube videos, and mobilized their friendsby the thousands in groups on Facebook and MySpace.Now, in companies worldwide, employees often spontaneously help eachother solve retail problems that in the past would have taken weeks to worktheir way up and down the management ladder.
Making Social Applications Work
1.Accept the loss of control
Because they involve people banding together, social applicationsoften move in unexpected directions. Consequently, in addition tocareful planning (as for any advertising campaign or IT project rollout),social applications also require flexibility and nimbleness on the part of their creators.
2.Expect pushback from managers
Connecting with the groundswell tends to challenge internalboundaries.
3.Line up executive backing
To avoid such departmental turf wars, groundswell initiatives requirethe support of a senior executive with clout.
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