I wrote about the FUEL Conference earlier and what a success I believe it to have been; but I didn’t go into my thoughts following the event.
It strikes me that company culture is a key factor in a successful social and community strategy.
The companies that are doing well and really engaging with their customers through communities, social networks and other web 2.0 tools are those that are doing so as an extension of their company culture and their business model if you will.
They are companies that truly value their customers, that really want to engage with them in honest and open dialogue, that want to have fun and that want to create remarkable products and experiences.
They have, to paraphrase Tara Hunt, “made happiness their business model”.
These are not companies that have outsourced their call centres to India, in fact these are companies that have banana phones rather than call centres.
These are not companies that are solely motivated by profit but if you treat your customers with respect and give them great experiences and products the bottom line will naturally follow.
Hi David, great write up on the fuel conf, i found myself agreeing with most of your points, especially the lows (wish there was a more fun way that the sponsors could get their message across).
Again i agree with your point on this blog post to.. and so we will be installing banana and red flashing bat phones in to our new office.
Hi Gareth,
Thanks – banana phones for all I say!
I think it’s down to the sponsor how they use their sponsorship. Microsoft just aren’t imaginative or empathetic to their audience, ironic at a conference all about having a genuine conversation with your customer.
The typical audience at these conferences is a Mac toting creative so you have to wonder why Microsoft continue to sponsor these events but they do and I think by doing so in such a heavy handed way they are doing more harm than good.
When you have comments on Twitter such as “make the bad man stop” during the Microsoft slot at Future of Web Design you have to wonder what their business goals for the sponsorship are.
See you at FUEL next year or may Future of Web Apps?
Thanks
David