Still need further reason to set up an online community for your product (see previous post on Business Social Networking)? Recently PepsiCo discovered the power behind online communities and branding when it changed its logo for Tropicana Orange Juice. It replaced the orange and straw logo with a glass of orange juice. Consumers raged against the change on peer-to-peer forums and social networks. Many threatened an all out boycott. Less than 2 months later, Pepsi gave in to the demands of their customers and is returning to their logo of 24 years.
With a corporate-sponsored social network for their customers, they could’ve rolled-out the new design to their most loyal before anyone else. They could’ve surveyed their customers, gotten their feedback. They could’ve saved a lot of hassle and expense. Plus they would’ve been clued in to the firestorm quickly through monitoring their own forum. Loyal customers think of the brand as theirs, and I guess in this example, they were right.
