StORES Magazine - September 2007 - (Page 28) COVER PEOPLE EXECUTIVE SUITE / RETAIL STORY Spreading the Word Generating buzz for retailers Tung Huynh Community manager, Bazaarvoice azaarvoice is a two-year-old, Austin, Texas-based company that offers retailers a way to generate and leverage word-ofmouth buzz to increase sales. As community manager, Tung Huynh helps harness the power of consumer-generated product reviews and ratings (generally captured and shared online) to craft strategies and campaigns. B store signage and print circulars. I think marketers are starting to realize that consumer-generated content is compelling and it’s really powerful. It’s definitely a trend with most of our clients that have a bricks-andmortar presence. We’re anticipating clients installing in-store kiosks so that customers using a bar-code reader can scan the product’s UPC and read product reviews. Are there incentives for customers to provide feedback? Word-of-mouth advertising drove sales at early bazaars, which functioned as both commercial and social centers. It continues to be a powerful driver today, though noticeably more sophisticated and hi-tech. What’s a community manager? Because we’re a technology company, it’s very easy for us to help the average user or consumer share [reviews and ratings] with lots of other people. My role is to help the client evolve marketing strategies to include word of mouth. I consider myself an extension of my client’s e-commerce and marketing team. The marketing team may be working on word-of-mouth efforts or direct marketing or viral efforts. Can you give us an example? True word-of-mouth marketing comes unsolicited and no one gets paid to solicit responses. Some clients, for instance, are sending e-mails soon after the product is purchased or delivered and capturing information through e-mail surveys and questionnaires. Ratings and reviews come from people who have real experiences with products [and] feel so inclined to share their experiences with others to help them be better informed and make better purchases. So it’s a very authentic and compelling process. The top reasons why people write reviews has nothing to do with incentives. The No. 1 reason is people genuinely want to help other people make a decision. Second and third are they want to feel smart and to feel heard. What do you do for relaxation or during down time? We know from past studies that featuring top-rated products inside e-mail marketing actually improves e-metrics and e-mail performance, such as open rates and click-through rates. Petco, for example, saw a five-fold increase in click-through rates in an e-mail featuring top-rated products; now, a product review area is part of their e-mail strategy. We’ve [also] seen this with clients who’ll [place] review and ratings content into e-mail. Do you work exclusively in an e-mail environment? Having fun is a really big part of the culture at Bazaarvoice. We play foosball in our game room and we also have a dartboard and ping-pong table. [The game room] is a great resource in building community within our offices by allowing different teams to play together. Our culture also has a lot of fun traditions. … We “gong” the gong when we get a new client; we also gong when we get a new employee. We want to celebrate all of our accomplishments, from signing on new employees to new clients. Your resume lists Tungfest. What’s that? Word-of-mouth is not limited to just one medium: We’re definitely seeing more and more of this online word-of-mouth moving offline. It’s very exciting to see our clients taking this offline. We have a major grocery chain client in Canada that has taken ratings and reviews and translated them into in28 STORES / SEPTEMBER 2007 It’s definitely something I put on my resume, because it’s a big part of who I am. It’s an annual event that I created eight years ago to celebrate life and friendship. It’s a time when family and friends gather so I can give back to those who have helped me grow in my life. StORES — Janet Groeber WWW.STORES.ORG http://WWW.STORES.ORG
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