Organization name: GoPro
Industry: Compact Cameras
Name of Contact: Nick Woodman, CEO – Brad Schmidt, Creative Director
Build a really fun online community and they will come: visit any one of GoPro’s social media channels and you’ll see lots of people doing the things they love and having loads of fun doing it. User generated content of dominates. GoPro’s customers are encouraged to post video and photos of themselves using the GoPro camera on their adventures, whatever they may be. It doesn’t matter which GoPro model or accessory you’re using, the company wants to see and hear about it and GoPro makes it easy for its product users to do so via social media channels like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Instagram.
GoPro’s high level of customer engagement is a beneficially symbiotic relationship between brand and consumer. The strategy inspires massive amounts of fresh content daily that fuels the company’s success and makes the consumer feel more connected to the brand. In his article on the Inc. website, Tom Foster calls this league of invested customers, “The GoPro Army” and goes on to say that this, “ incredible brand enthusiasm fuels a virtuous cycle of content sharing and drives camera sales.”
GoPro virtually hits a home run when it comes to social media transparency in terms of technology, communication and identity. Technology is GoPro’s friend and as stated, it’s easy for the customer to share their story across diverse platforms and applications. Communication is open and GoPro has nurtured community dialogue with campaigns like “Photo and Video of the Day” and “You in HD Video & TV Distribution”. GoPro’s brand identity is based on Nick Woodman’s mantra that his company’s choices are based on “How stoked are our customers and fans?” Customers know that when they purchase a GoPro they’re not just buying a camera, they’re buying into a whole community that will enthusiastically support their activities and adventures.
Lesson learned: Let your customers participate in and contribute to the evolution of your product or service and watch your sales skyrocket
References:
Websites –
Social Media Strategies Summit Modern Marketing Review Legal Leaks Business Value Exchange Social Media Explorer The Shorty Awards Inc. Magazine Online
Podcast-
Interview with GoPro’s Creative Director Brad Schmidt
Submitted By: Shelby Mulligan, University of Waterloo
To contact the author of this entry please email at: shelby.mulligan@gmail.com
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