If you go to Portland, Oregon, everyone wants to talk about Voodoo Doughnut. They talk about the caffeinated doughnut. Or the chocolate-glazed chocolate doughnut rolled in Cocoa Puffs cereal. Or the voodoo-doll-shaped doughnut that bleeds raspberry filling when impaled with a pretzel pin. Oh, did we mention that a Voodoo founder will conduct your wedding–with doughnuts and coffee for 10–for $175?
Dunkin’ Donuts customers leave with tasty doughnuts. Voodoo customers leave with tasty doughnuts and a conversation to have with their friends.
Conversation isn’t everything; clearly you’d take Dunkin’ Donuts’ P&L over Voodoo’s. But all businesses today crave the credibility, not to mention the free advertising, that comes from word of mouth. As such marketing matures into its own discipline, more companies are thinking about how to kick-start it. So why is it rare to find a business that is good at sparking these customer conversations?
The conundrum for companies is that good products or services aren’t enough. Ritz-Carlton hotels are undeniably among the best in the world. And yet, if you’ve just returned from a stay at the Ritz, what conversation do you have with your friends? “The hotel was great–check-in was faster than usual, the rooms were nicer than usual, and the food was more delicious than usual.” Hmm. Better just show vacation photos.
