As I was working at my computer on Monday, the 11:00 a.m. news was on KSTP TV. I heard the two anchors, Brad Sattin and Rebekah Wood, discuss Governor Dayton’s new puppy. “What breed of dog is it?” Brad wondered. “I heard that it‘s a German Shepherd.”
“No, it’s not a German Shepherd,” Rebekah replied. “Look at its black color. Maybe it’s a Lab.”
Having heard other news reports about the puppy and having had four German Shepherds, one of which was black, I knew that, yes, indeed, the puppy was a German Shepherd. Thinking that I would let Brad and Rebekah know that information, I found their e-mails at the KSTP Web site and hurriedly typed the following e-mail. “That is a German Shepherd. Shepherds come in more colors than the traditional: black, white, and tawny. Mingo is a black German Shepherd. Dayton loves Shepherds; that is why he got another one. Just because a dog is black does not mean it is a Lab! Shepherds' ears are always floppy when they are puppies; it takes a while for them to stand up, often until they are six months or older.”
I immediately sent the e-mail to both Brad and Rebekah.
A couple minutes later, I heard Brad say, “We want to give a shout out to Elizabeth Fischer,” and I thought, “Oh, I wonder what another Elizabeth Fischer did?”
Then I caught the rest of his statement. “For her e-mail letting us know that the puppy is a German Shepherd. She says that just because a dog is black does not mean it is a Lab!”
I was shocked.
“Wow!” I screamed to my roommate who was out of the room. “They just gave me a shout out on TV! Not only did they receive my e-mail, but they read it immediately, maybe on a break. I wasn’t paying close attention. Most amazingly, though, they used it right away and cited me as the source.”
Yep, I was jazzed. My roommate and I played the segment back several times.
When I returned to my computer, I had an e-mail from Brad that said, “Thank you!” and one from Rebekah that said, “Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. The ears are actually what threw me off. I knew there were different colors of German Shepherds, but didn't
not know about the ears! You're wonderful Elizabeth. Thanks for the lesson! Take Care,
Rebekah”
She said that I was wonderful! Okay, they now have a friend and a viewer for life.
While I have chuckled all week at my reaction, this episode has a great marketing lesson concerning Web 2.0. First of all, I am very typical of most of us who love to be recognized. Giving a viewer a shout out live on TV and calling that person “wonderful” in an e-mail both qualify as recognition. Second, responding quickly adds the power of immediacy. I had just written the e-mail, and it was fresh in my mind, both of which added impact and excitement. Third, tying a viewer’s response into the broadcast gave an additional dimension and freshness to it. Finally, Brad and Rebekah’s humanness in that they didn’t know the answer, were willing to hear the answer, acknowledged the answer’s source, and thanked me both on air and via e-mail for the answer made them real to me. They became more than news anchors. They became people to whom I could relate.
They used the immediacy and the interactivity of Web 2.0 to make their news cast relevant to their viewers and, in the bargain, solidified a viewer for life.
How are you using Web 2.0 with your customers?
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