One example of this that I have seen is in the pizza company Dominos. One of their recent commercials discusses how their new product, parmesan bread bites, was created by a manager at a local store:
What I find interesting about this example is that this company is utilizing their inner groundswell, but is also advertizing the fact that they're using it. I believe this commercial is a message to consumers about the type of company that Domino's is as much as it is about their new product. I also understand this commercial as a message to Domino's employees about their value to the company.
Also in chapter 11, the company Avenue A/Razorfish and the CEO, Clark Kokich is discussed. The piece I found particularly interesting is a quote from Clark discussing how their online community has contributed to his job as CEO: "It's the virtual equivalent to management by walking around" (222). While I believe that new communication technologies allow us new ways to be connected, I don't believe they are all positive. In this example, Clark was able to stay more connected with more employees, but at the same time, if this connection comes in place of personal face-to-face connections, he may begin to seem more removed from the employees at his company.
To wrap up, Groundswell discusses how the groundswell has become, and continues to grow as, one of the most important things for a company to maintain a positive relationship with their customers and employees. In today's world, it has become almost expected that a company have a website, and even further, that it uses the internet and other communications technologies to interact with customers. Companies that are doing this well are clearly experiencing the benefits.
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