In 1999 Critical Mass launched a project for P&G called “P&G Advisor” as a component of PG.com that was about enabling consumers to “talk back” to P&G on their products with feedback and ideas on how to improve them. Like Digg and IdeaStorm and MyStarbucksIdea, consumers could vote up or down ideas or add new ones. That tool was based on an ASP product called “Recipio” which later became “Informative”

P&G received thousands of new product and existing product enhancement ideas. While I don’t believe the program is still in place, I do know the conversations they started caused some shifts in how P&G solicits feedback from consumers. In 2000, P&G was named “Marketer of the Century.” Our client at the time wanted them to become “Listener of the Century” for the next 100 years.

I applaud any brand that formalizes their listening methods and encourages brand conversations. I think Starbucks will be effective to the extent they implement or react to the ideas presented, to show they are listening AND acting.

Interestingly, the tool that Starbucks is using is the same tool that Dell is using. It’s delivered as Software as Service from Salesforce.com. They use it to power their own community - ideas.salesforce.com

I think different businesses are better suited for these types of communities (software comes to mind), but I’m hard pressed to think of a company that can’t improve upon their product or service. It is also fun to be able to browse and see what other people have come up with. For example, on the Starbucks site I loved the idea of a sticker lid.

Lid Stickers

While it does take a commitment to managing ideas, I’d say it is hyper efficient when you figure it is helping to harness and prioritize feedback from hundreds of thousands of employees and millions of customers.