Consumer 2.0 = Tamagotchi

Ok, so maybe modern consumers aren’t entirely the same as the small screen virtual pets of the nineties that drove parents and teacher mad with their constant beeping. But maybe they are more like the 2011 release – 3D touch screen, surround sound, WiFi Tamagotchi giants.

Hear me out.

Consumers, like Tamagotchi, respond to the way brands interact with them.  Each one has an individual path and their end perception is determined by how they are nurtured and interacted with.

It takes just one brand encounter to hatch your Tamagotchi and awaken it to the “Universe of You”.  Today, consumers are bombarded by brands. From listening to the radio when they wake up, to reading the paper, checking blogs, walking past billboards, talking to friends over coffee, and finally drifting off to the sounds of blue whales on their DAB/CD player – there’s rarely a point in the day when some message or other is not wheedling its way into our brains.

So where does your brand fit into this?

Well, once hatched a Tamagotchi needs to be intensively looked after in order to foster growth.  In the real world this means constant dialogue with consumer to convince them to purchase your product or service.

Tamagotchi grow at different speeds and in different ways, but they can be influenced through providing a certain formula of care.  Their end persona is entirely dependent on their interactions with the user.

Consumers too are individuals, and their end perception of brand is reliant on their interactions with it, whether that be direct or through media and peers. In the same way that Tamagotchi can be guided to behave in a certain way, so to can consumers, through the use of persuasive conversations.

Persuasive conversations govern the messages spread, how they’re delivered and by what means – all with a focus on achieving a desired action or behavioral change. It’s about creating targeted messages and delivering them in ways that works best for that audience.

So again, comparing Tamagotchi with consumer 2.0, what can you do to make sure they grow into loving evangelic little creatures:

Feeding – Feed it healthy messages regularly. Well thought out messages delivered correctly will be far more efficient than simply scattergun junk.

Games – Capture attention and use communications that will resonate with your target audience.  Different audiences like to receive messages in different ways – so mix it up!

Medicine – Should consumers become fatigued with your brand, inject some creativity into your comms.  Or, if it’s the skull and crossbones is flashing on the screen due to some toxic illness, use your crisis comms to set the record straight and bring your brand perception back into good health.

Attention – Personalise your communications by targeting messages. Make your brand work for you online by investing in social media and giving one-to-one love to receptive consumers who will act as advocates.

Discipline – Tamagotchi can be trained to behave in a certain way.  Now, I’m not saying we need to reprimand consumers who don’t do what we want, but we can certainly be disciplined with our approach in delivering relevant and reliable comms.

Praise – Reward loyal customers and evangelists, not only does it make them feel special it also spurs others on aim for similar praise.

Match maker – Find a way to connect customers.  Peer to peer recommendation is a powerful call to action and can deliver awesome results.  Get people talking through events and online.

Toilet – Sometimes you just have to flush the crap away and focus on what really makes a difference to your bottom line.