Feedback and incentives

Incentivising real-time consumer feedback can play a big role in generating responses and creating engagement for service brands

In 2008, after buying the Abbey Well brand of mineral water in the UK, Schweppes launched an ambitious growth plan that was kicked off with an advertising campaign. After a week of real-time experience tracking, company executives realised that the most popular ad in the campaign was actually an offer giving anyone with a Schweppes Abbey Well bottle cap free entry to a public indoor swimming pool on a weekday. The offer was a hit because it was too cold then to swim outdoors. Schweppes poured more investments into that leg of the campaign, extending it to other pools and all weekdays. According to reports, within a year of the offer, sales of Schweppes Abbey Well grew 35 per cent. The promotion generated positive word of mouth and health association for the Schweppes brand. Schweppes gave credit to real-time tracking of consumer feedback.

That's exactly the sort of result every marketer hopes to generate on his marketing investment. But imagine a situation where every time you buy a product or interact with a service person the marketer/service provider gets after you for feedback. At best, you will decline politely; at worst you will end up giving the company representative a piece of your mind.

Wouldn't it be nice if there was a gift or a reward thrown in for your time?

The idea has travelled late to India, but companies have started showing how much they value consumer feedback. This year quick service restaurant (QSR) chain KFC started its Guest Experience Programme in India. This is how it works. Once you make a purchase at a KFC restaurant, the bill comes with a survey code printed on it along with the URL for the survey. On the completion of the survey, a code is generated that can be used by the customers to avail of a discount of 15 per cent on their next purchase at the same store. Says Dhruv Kaul, director, marketing, KFC, Yum Restaurants India, "Technology has enabled consumers to playback feedback faster. The survey will help us in getting real-time feedback in the real environment."

Travel portal Travelguru is running a contest in which it is asking customers to review hotels on four parameters: room quality, service, dining experience and cleanliness. One best review is selected every week and the winner gets a discount of Rs 1,000 on the next hotel booking. Says Abhishek Joshi, head, online marketing and product, Travelguru, "The reviews are a great way to get user-generated content, which can be used for optimising our website on search engines."

Ankur Bisen, senior vice-president, retail and consumer products, Technopak, says, "While incentivising consumer feedback is an old practice, the rewards are getting bigger now as service brands see value in it".

Of course, the level of a company's interest will vary according to the category of product or service. For instance, FMCG giants HUL and P&G may not need granular data on their consumers and just focus on how their lives are changing and its impact on the products they use. This is because these companies have already achieved high product standardisation. On the other hand, consumer-facing businesses like QSRs, airlines, and travel portals will value regular consumer feedback as service levels can make or break their brands.

Before you jump onto the bandwagon remember two things. Don't offer cheap throwaways in exchange of consumer insights. Or offer incentives like entry into a sweepstakes where one could win... kaboom... a crore. The odds are typically poor, and most people won't be excited to respond.