Individuals like to associate themselves using the products they buy, and very frequently people have an excellent deal in typical with other individuals who use exactly the same products. Motorcyclists have a strong fellow feeling for other bikers, private pilots often meet as much as swap stories and share experiences, and even rail commuters form associations to campaign for better service from the railroad.
Such groups are powerful - from a marketing viewpoint, they can create powerful loyalties among their members (like the Harley Owners Group, or HOG, for owners of Harley-Davidson motorbikes) or they can become a real thorn in the company's flesh, like the aforementioned rail commuters' groups.
Huggies is a Kimberly-Clark brand of disposable diapers that, as well as the fundamental version, offers variants like swimming versions and Pull-Ups (utilized for potty training). The brand is successful in a competitive marketplace, but one element in the marketing that gives Huggies a distinct edge is the Huggies Club.
The Huggies Club is open to expectant and new mothers, and offers discussion forums, advice from other new mothers, and the opportunity to offer feedback about Huggies products.
The site avoids the patronizing "this is how to do it" approach common to numerous other sites - the website genuinely belongs towards the mothers, and they are totally free to discuss anything and everything to do with having a baby and looking after it, regardless of whether it is related to Huggies or not.
Much of the website is accessible to new mothers with out logging in, but those who wish to post comments or access all of the website need to provide some basic information to register. The mothers are asked concerning the expected delivery date of the baby, which supermarket they usually shop in, and their names and addresses. In return, they are sent a £4 voucher to redeem against Huggies products.
The information allows Huggies brand managers to tailor their marketing method, and of course populate a database. Feedback from the website helps in tailoring new products, identifying recurring problems, and identifying new market opportunities.
Childbirth is a worrying time for many ladies - the excitement of having a baby is tempered by fears of not being able to cope, fears concerning the changing relationship between the parents, and so forth: since so many women now reside far away from their mothers, aunts, and grandmothers any support and guidance is welcome. Huggies have filled a gap, and in the exact same time developed loyalty and greater insights into their products.
Do not be tempted to take over the website to plug the product. If you do this, you'll frighten individuals away. Use the members' personal information carefully. Don't abuse their trust. Give a little reward for providing the information - it is cheap in the price! Recruit some ladies to start the forums rolling. New visitors will not post to a blank website, but once it gets moving it will be self-sustaining. Publicize the club somewhere other than online.
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