The Next Frontier

A lethargic Austin morning greets me as I prepare to start another day as a SXSW newbie.  I move through my morning routine thinking about the days events to come, my mind wandering from to do list to all the faces I had met the night before.  As I start my shower, my head continues this daily conversation, until my eyes make an unexpected discovery.  I see that an 800 number and its URL mate have been prominently displayed on the face of the showerhead.  I’ll have to admit that I blinked.  Twice.  Now for the techset, this may not be that strange to find a brand other than the shampoo bottle present during one of their more personal moments.  But wearing my average consumer hat, it definitely caught my attention.

Staring at the showerhead, I began to think about what the brand, Speakman, intended by putting their information front and center on the product.  Of course, this would be immensely helpful during installation of the product in case any problems arose.  But once the piece was affixed and working, what then?  Did Speakman still want to hear from me?  Was this supposed to be an invitation to start a conversation?

During his SXSW09 plenary talk, Tony Hsieh stressed that customer service that delivers happiness is the core of his company Zappos’ culture.  Zappos’ focus is on building a lifelong relationship with each customer, one call at a time.  For Zappos, the 800# is one of the best tools for creating branding opportunities with their customers.  Contrary to many in the industry, Tony wants customers to call his company and his people to spend time with each customer, regardless if it relates to a direct sale.  The conversation rather than the transaction between brand and customer is most valued.  If people can call Zappos from a hotel room at 2am looking for a hot pizza, then shouldn’t someone be encouraged to call or tweet Speakman from a 7am shower just to share their gratitude for the rainforest spray power setting?

Now this is where things get bumpy.  Can we start to expect shower liners with advertising callouts, branded entertainment or coupons?  Touchscreen technology is exploding – its already finding its way into our living and dining rooms, the elevators we ride each day, the gas pumps we congregate around – are the shower walls next?  Imagine catching up on your iTunes shopping while getting a deep conditioning on your split ends.  Or better yet, being able to place your coffee order for pick up at Starbucks as you finish shaving.  But at what point do we say that certain spaces are “off limits” to brands?  Or, does it depend on the context?  Another SXSW09 panelist, Jamie Monberg, stated that you have to be thoughtful on where you place your assets and on the interaction you want to create.  To me, the best interactions result in great stories.  And how you create opportunities to appropriately generate and share those stories with consumers will be the main challenge for brands facing an increasingly digital world.  The right way can endear you for life.  The wrong way can get the door slammed in your face, with a slim to none chance for redemption. 

For now, we’ll have to wait and see how brands and consumers explore this next frontier.