Dell’s experiment with

Online Communities

September 2008

Dominique Hind

Mark (M&C Saatchi)

It all started with a post

Source: http://www.buzzmachine.com/archives/cat_dell.html

And gained momentum

Source: http://www.buzzmachine.com/archives/cat_dell.html

And even more momentum

Leading to dedicated haters

How did Dell respond to the noise?

Phase 1 – Dell blogOne-way information push with moderated postings & comments

Phase 2 – Inviting participationCollaborative environment

IdeaStorm

� Positioning:

� Where your ideas reign

� Messaging is consistent with online activities

� It’s about:

� Containing negative feedback

� Product development

� CRM

How did this evolve?Design refresh & active online engagement

Dell’s three year progression

IdeaStorm redesign

Direct2Dell redesign

Dell tracking IdeaStorm

Dell staff listen to blogs

Who else is experimenting?Starbucks

Radio Shack

My Starbucks Idea

Starbucks audience engagement

My Starbucks Idea Model

� Positioning:

� Help shape the future of Starbucks - with your ideas

� Messaging is inviting & consistent with online activities

� It’s about:

� Understanding customer needs

� Being innovative

� Opening up to the community

Invention Lab Model

� Positioning:

� Sharing ideas & getting involved

� It’s about:

� Providing a forum to encourage the sharing of ideas and stories… to ultimately win a competition.

Key learnings & observations

Top 5 Learnings

1. Consistent message� Ensure messaging is consistent with online activities

2. Open communication� Transparent two-way dialogue is essential in authentic

communication

3. Onsite promotion � Idea promotion onsite allows the company to meet customer

needs & wants

4. Company wide buy in� Must be ingrained in the company with all departments

actively engaged with regular posts

5. Focus� Site needs to have one single, specific focus to drive posts

Thank you!Dominique Hind

Email: dominiquehind@gmail.com

Blog: http://dominiquehind.wordpress.com

Links

� Buzz Machine http://www.buzzmachine.com/archives/cat_dell.html

� Dell IdeaStorm http://www.ideastorm.com

� Direct2Dell http://www.direct2dell.com

� Dell http://www.dell.com

� My Starbucks Idea http://www.mystarbucksidea.com

� Invention lab http://rsinventionlab.com/