In the rush for the demonstrative testimonial, marketers try different tactics.  Some tactics are artifical, some are authentic.  Some work, some don’t.

Test Tube Testimonials
 The easiest method to create testimonials is to generate them in an alternative reality.  A reality in which their product will win against competition or at least win enough so they can get a few customers on tape, in a commercial, and broadcasted to the nation by next week.  These artificial testimonials live in a “consumer lab” and are within a marketer’s control.

One example is last year’s Microsoft’s Challenge.  The challenge asked people to buy a PC or Mac based on a set budget normally under $1,000.  The camera follows the budget minded shoppers as they compare how much “PC” they can get relative to a Mac.  According to AdAge last year the campaign was making a dent in the perception of PCs for budget minded shoppers.  According to my Apple-loving coworkers, they don’t believe the results, and think the majority of people paid the difference and bought an Apple.

Currently Ford is (re)running Swap Your Ride  where people exchange their vehicle for a new Ford.  From Ford’s perspective, the positive aspect of the commercials is the driver  positively portrays the Ford product relative to their current vehicle.   From the consumer perspective, this is the fundamental problem with Test Tube Testimonials — it is not a balanced perspective.  However, very few marketers (like Domino’s) would broadcast people disparaging their product.  This is the conundrum with Test Tube Testimonials:  a balanced perspective is more believable — more real.  But showing a balanced perspective may be more harmful to the brand.

Free Range Testimonials
My brother raises chickens.  Not many.  Maybe about twelve or so.  He doesn’t feed them grain, corn, or some fancy chicken feed.   He just lets them wander around the yard and peck away at his lawn, eating whatever may be beneath the surface.  He swears the eggs taste much better because the chickens are allowed to freely roam his yard eating what nature has to provide.

Customers who paid for the product and use the product regularly are believable.  Their experience is not fabricated.  A classic example of a powerful customer testimonial is Jared for Subway.   The interesting aspect to Jared’s Story is it offered a brand repositioning for Subway — one that Subway initially did not want to do, until it worked.   It worked because it was dramatic, original, and unexpected. 

As of last December, Taco Bell is trying to repeat Subway’s formula with Christine Dougherty’s Drive Thru Diet.  Christine lost 54 pounds on the diet (compared to 245 pounds for Jared).   The effect of the Drive Thru Diet will be interesting to watch.  On the one hand, novel diets seem to be always a trend.  On the other hand, this fast food “diet” formula seems tired, and may be rendered ineffective due to fast food diet apathy.

Another example occurred last February when Toyota briefly used customers who recently bought a vehicle in ads to counter the negative recall buzz.  It is hard to tell if the ads were effective, but I think timing is an issue with these ads.   When a safety recall is top of mind with hundreds of thousands of owners and the general public, airing ads about enthusiastic new customers comes across like Toyota may be out of touch.  Instead of new buyer testimonials, Totyota should have generated testimonials about the speed and progress to fix the recall (which some ads speak to) and how Toyota went the extra mile to treat owners well. 

The Personal Testimonial
The most effective testimonial is the people you know.  Nothing new.  There have been many books written about the effectiveness of word of mouth mareketing.  Many companies like BzzAgent or House Party base their business model on marketing products through word of mouth.  The basic premise of word of mouth marketing is for people to describe the product on their terms — identifying their benefits, and then talking about the product in terms their friends can understand.  This authentic interaction is the power of a first-hand testimonial.  The power is found when one friend personally recommends a product to another.  A lot of the power is lost when it is filmed and broadcasted to the masses.  

While the effectiveness of personal recommendations will trump mass recommendations, word of mouth takes time.  It is about becoming social relevance.  Think about the automotive industry:  It took several decades for domestic auto companies to become socially irrelevant in many social circles (especially on the east and west coast).  And for GM and Chrysler the icing on the top of the irrelevancy cake was the bail out – it just turned many people off.  It will be a long way back for GM and Chrysler.  One car at a time. One customer at a time.  One driveway testimonial at a time.  And this journey will take patience.  It took decades to become socially irrelevant — something that will not be corrected overnight.

Driving Testimonials
The art of the testimonial is putting the right pieces in place to be relevant.  It is about giving people something to talk about, initiating the conversation, and encouraging interaction.

Give them something to talk about.  We love to tell a good story, especially about our experiences.  If a marketer would like to be brought up in conversation they need to be relevant — be in the story.  The story could be about a customer’s interaction with the product.  The story could be about excellent customer service (God knows we hear enough stories about how our friends or family members are mistreated).  The story could be about a bold company action they are proud to identify with (e.g. Ford not taking the bail out money or Amazon redirecting all their advertising dollars into free shipping).

Initiate the conversation.  Help your customers come up with stories by asking about their product purchase – their product experience.  Many companies like Weber Grills, John Deere, and Honda to name a few, request owners to tell their product stories.  By initiating the conversation, brands will get people talking about their product experience.  The first evidence is online – an owner generated story for all to read.  The second benefit is initiating a behavior.  A customer behavior to talk positively about the product.  A behavior which is hopefully repeated multiple times with friends, family members, and co-workers.

Encourage interaction.   I like the testimonial twist to State Farm’s latest campaign.  The commercial prompts prospective insurers to first speak to one of over 40 million drivers who currently use State Farm.  Nice.  A company with nothing to hide will encourage prospective customers to talk to owners.  Of course this may backfire if all my friends have Geico and Progressive, but the point of the testimonial tactic is to get people to talk about their insurance.  And hopefully through discussion they may find there is a better insurance plan for them.

Testimonials should always considered within the marketing mix.  They are one of the most persuasive methods in persuading people to try or buy a product.  Just be authentic, be realistic, and be patient.  Testimonials are a marathon strategy not a sprint.

Yes, as the old axiom says actions speak louder than words.  This idea was reinforced about a year ago by the Ford Motor Company, when they did not take federal funds in the bail out.  The action changed many consumers’ view of Ford.  It was powerful and memorable.  Ironically, about five years earlier Ford ran a corporate campaign called “Bold Moves”.  It was not a bad campaign, however, it was marketer rhetoric stating what they were going to do.  In the end it wasn’t a series of ads that began to change people’s perception, rather, it was a single bold action.

Actions can establish a brand.   Earlier this year, Hyundai made a promise to take a vehicle back if a new owner lost their job.  The Hyundai Assurance Plan established a brand promise that the auto manufacturer was acting in the best interests of their owners.  An action that was not matched by the competition for months.  The action made Hyundai a topic of conversation.  The once unknown Korean auto company started appearing on many shoppers’ consideration set, and also in many peoples’ garages.

Actions can be more powerful than advertising, because actions are relatable — believable.  You may have heard the story of the following story about a Honda owner.  The story is about these two neighbors a man and a woman.  The man asked the woman how she liked her new Honda Accord.  She responded by telling him the engine blew last week.  He responded, “I guess that is the last time you will buy a Honda.”  She responded, “Actually, now I am a Honda owner for life.”  To the man’s amazement the woman told a story of how the dealer and Honda took care of her — they quickly replaced the engine, Honda picked up the cost, and she received a free rental.   I don’t know if the story is true or a marketing urban myth.  I do know the story is memorable, easily repeatable and will probably do more for the Honda brand than probably 100 commercials. 

By the way, coming up with a defining marketing action is not easy.  Actually, coming up with action is probably easier than implementing the action.  Generating an action that is a “win-win” for marketer and customer may require business investment, changes in production logistics, or a shift in the corporate mindset.  It is much easier to come up with  an ad to tell everyone what you are going to do, than actually do it. 

Regardless of difficulty, I believe marketing through actions is worth the effort — worth the risk. So the next time your brainstorming about how to differentiate your brand or launch a new product, try starting with actions instead of ads.  And let me know how it goes.

Honda is finding out first hand out on their Honda Accord Crosstour facebook page what facebook fans think.  Honda revealed their new crossover on facebook and the wall posts are resoundingly negative.  Referring to the new Crosstour as “Has to be the ugliest car of 2009. Ugliest car of the decade?” or “The Crosstour looks like Honda’s attempt at building an Aztek out of spare Dodge Caliber and Chrysler Sebring parts. This really is hideous.” or “Just like other’s I became a fan to make this comment alone. It’s ugly, plain and simple.”  You get the idea.

In addition to rubbernecking at the social crash on the facebook site, I was also checking out how the news and social bloggers are responding to the situation.  Some are defending Honda’s move recommending to stay the course it will turn around.  Others are stating it is a misstep, a social marketing faux pax, a debacle.  One blog post, on Mashable, drew a nice parrallel equating Honda’s feedback on facebook to the Twitter Effect experienced when a movie is released.  The “Facebook Effect” should not be taken lightly by marketers.

So what went wrong with facebook Crosstour page?  Several things.  The first is rose colored brand glasses.  Marketers love their products, and why shouldn’t they.  They spend years creating the new product — from concept to drawing board to production.  It is hard to maintain objectivity.  Sometimes they lose sight of how others may view their vehicle.  While Honda may see a nice, streamlined crossover, facebook followers are seeing the Pontiac Aztek (with the track record of the Aztek, this reference may be worse than calling the vehicle ugly).  

Another factor may just be the type of vehicle is not conducive to a positive response.  Face it.  There are very few nice looking crossovers.  Crossovers are a minivan evolution without the SUV gas-guzzling hangover.  Unlike most sports cars, the beauty is found in the utility of the vehicle — in less glamorous features like leg room, MPG or seating versatility.    Therefore it is not a surprise Honda received such a negative response from the facebook masses, who were looking for a more appealing curb appeal.  If the responses were confined to minivan and Pontiac Aztek owners, Honda may be hearing a different tune.

Lastly, I don’t think this type of public response is new.  It just hasn’t been recorded.  Imagine if we could have placed a microphone on television sets over the years and listened to consumer response to new product commercials.  Depending on the product, the response may be very similar to the facebook Crosstour feedback.   Marketers just never heard the response, becuase television lacked the listening platform.  facebook and other social sites allow for reactions — many honest and brutal.

One last nore is an interesting phenomonon that did not occur:  the lack of brand advocacy defending Honda. Most times, the negative conversation evens out as advocates come to the brand’s defense.  In this case it seemed like everyone was piling on — from Joe Facebook to Honda Haters to Honda Advocates.