tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17898384.post116235720255123969..comments2024-03-25T21:41:06.801-07:00Comments on Mobile Opportunity: Sprint recalls an AmbassadorMichael Macehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17966107280587843091noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17898384.post-1162826567011479552006-11-06T07:22:00.000-08:002006-11-06T07:22:00.000-08:00Count me as someone not too enthused or disappoint...Count me as someone not too enthused or disappointed by the whole scenario, Sprint invited me to join the original scheme too.<BR/><BR/>My being over 5000 miles from the nearest Sprint coverage was a tad farcical, and showed how little research they'd done. However I got a Stateside friend to sign up on my behalf and give the phone a workout. <BR/><BR/><A HREF="http://feetup.org/blog/mobile/My-new-phone.html" REL="nofollow">This he did</A>, and I think his feedback was pretty much the same as most of the reviews; limited phone, good data rates, interesting but potentially expensive entertainment offerings.<BR/><BR/>Have I been invited back to try another phone on their programme? No. Did I expect it? Not really. I just looked at it as a one-off bit of market research.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17898384.post-1162529083350254222006-11-02T20:44:00.000-08:002006-11-02T20:44:00.000-08:00That would not be a great way to measure the effec...<I>That would not be a great way to measure the effectiveness of the program.</I><BR/><BR/>Agreed. But if you're a staff member in the Sprint marketing department and are in need of an impressive-sounding number to justify your program to the higher-ups, it might fit the bill nicely. <BR/><BR/>Not that that is how it ought to be, of course.Rachel Luxemburghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12521247639838493705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17898384.post-1162451772781721492006-11-01T23:16:00.000-08:002006-11-01T23:16:00.000-08:00Chris wrote:>>"fanboys" on the other hand will do ...<B>Chris wrote:</B><BR/><BR/><I>>>"fanboys" on the other hand will do anything for some free hardware....Sprint's mistake with the Ambassador program has been in treating the thought leaders of the industry like a bunch of fanboys.</I><BR/><BR/>And in so doing, they almost forced the thought leaders to criticize them in order to prove that they're not fanboys/girls. Anyone invited into the second round of the Ambassador program is now almost branded online as a Sprint shill. That's terribly unfair, but that's the impression a lot of people will take away.<BR/><BR/><BR/><B>Fiat wrote:</B><BR/><BR/><I>>>perhaps that was the amount of hits to their website that originated from Google searches.</I><BR/><BR/>Interesting thought. Let's add it to the list.<BR/><BR/>That would not be a great way to measure the effectiveness of the program -- the Sprint Ambassadors landing page is very bland, so if you're driving traffic to it you're not doing much to market your company.Michael Macehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17966107280587843091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17898384.post-1162450418020908532006-11-01T22:53:00.000-08:002006-11-01T22:53:00.000-08:00I can't say I'm all that surprised. Marketing to b...I can't say I'm all that surprised. Marketing to bloggers is hard even for agile companies experienced in two-way customer communication. A large, insular mobile operator isn't likely to get it right the first time out. The real question is whether they will learn anything as they go along.<BR/><BR/>One thought about that "389,000 Google hits" number -- perhaps that was the amount of hits to their website that originated from Google searches. Tracking inbound traffic by referrer is trivial, and a major site like Sprint could easily garner that amount of traffic from Google.Rachel Luxemburghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12521247639838493705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17898384.post-1162446059661575622006-11-01T21:40:00.000-08:002006-11-01T21:40:00.000-08:00The key here is to know your audience..."Thought L...The key here is to know your audience...<BR/><BR/>"Thought Leaders" online need a real two way dialog - anything else and they will throw it back in your face - as Sprint is witnessing with how the Ambassador program is backfiring.<BR/><BR/>"fanboys" on the other hand will do anything for some free hardware- including rave about whatever you send them so that the gravy train will keep coming in. <BR/><BR/>Sprint's mistake with the Ambassador program has been in treating the thought leaders of the industry like a bunch of fanboys.<BR/><BR/>It is sad, and it shows just how clueless they are.<BR/><BR/>*sigh*<BR/><BR/>Any company out there looking for a solid whack with an enthusiast marketing clue-by-four, I am available for consulting gigs....<BR/><BR/> - chrisAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17898384.post-1162424796125273412006-11-01T15:46:00.000-08:002006-11-01T15:46:00.000-08:00Thanks, Chris. I agree that Microsoft does a grea...Thanks, Chris. I agree that Microsoft does a great job on this stuff, which is very ironic considering how heavy-handed much of its marketing and PR has been over the years.<BR/><BR/>By the way, I just noticed from the trackbacks below that Eston Bond from Hyaline Skies has just written a long <A HREF="http://hyalineskies.com/2006/11/an-exiled-sprint-ambassador/" REL="nofollow">post</A> on the Ambassadors program. There's a lot of interesting detail, but the most interesting revelation to me was that Eston was kicked out of the program despite not having written anything negative about the phone in public. Eston did give some mixed feedback in private, which was a very courteous way to handle things.<BR/><BR/>Whether or not it was Sprint's intent, the implicit message is: write good things about us in public and we'll keep giving you free phone service.Michael Macehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17966107280587843091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17898384.post-1162362932386702442006-10-31T22:35:00.000-08:002006-10-31T22:35:00.000-08:00An excellent post. Totally right on.I think any m...An excellent post. Totally right on.<BR/><BR/>I think any marketeer who has not read and fully grokked the Cluetrain Manifesto (www.cluetrain.org) deserves to be punted to the curb.<BR/><BR/>This isn't hard stuff. It takes minimal resources to actually engage ina a two-way conversation, and the results can be stunning. <BR/><BR/>I worked miracles at Rendition. And we did some amazing things at Palm(Source). All just by opening up a real dialog.<BR/><BR/>Microsoft has caught on to what is possible - the Microsoft MVP program is great, and so is their annual gathering of mobile influencers and enthusiasts.<BR/><BR/>Why is it that so few other big companies seem to not even have the slightest clue?<BR/><BR/>*sigh*<BR/><BR/> - chrisAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com