Mashable's Article "Starbucks Cards Can Now Be Managed Via Facebook"

April 30, 2010 by Jennifer Van Grove  Mashable.com 

www.mashable.com

Starbucks Cards Can Now be Managed via Facebook

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As an early adopter brand, Starbucks has reaped the rewards of social media innovation. Today the company is furthering those efforts with a Facebook application for customers to access and manage their Starbucks cards.

The application will go live around 1:50 p.m. PDT today and will be accessible via Starbucks’ Facebook Page.  Essentially the application provides a virtual way to complete any card-related activity and even view a record of all transactions.

On the card management front, users can register (or unregister cards), check their balance, reload cards and edit profile information. The app also includes relevant rewards program information so frequent customers can check their status levels and benefits.

What’s even cooler is that come summer time, Starbucks will introduce functionality that will let users reload a Facebook friend’s Starbucks card as a gift through the application. Talk about an instant way to make a Facebook friend’s day.

Of course, most of the application’s functionality mirrors what you can already do via the Starbucks website and its iPhone app, but the Facebook app is all about convenience.

Product Manager Brad Nelson explained, “Our Facebook community is very vibrant with over seven million fans. We see this a great way to make it even easier to manage your Starbucks Card on Facebook. We can’t wait to make it easy to buy your friends a drink.”

Convenient it is. Given Facebook’s size and significance, we expect the application to be a huge hit for both customers and company.

Social Media and the Pea by Alice Ann Williams is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
Based on a work at www.socialmediaandthepea.blogspot.com.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://www.socialmediaandthepea.blogspot.com/.

So Why Foursquare and Gowalla?

The question was posed to me this week, "Why do you use Foursquare and Gowalla? Is there a benefit?"  


Answering honestly, I replied, "I originally thought it would be a friend/social networking tool."  The concept of seeing where my friends are, what they are up to, what they think of various places, etc. is another way to connect and share interests.  

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After giving it additional thought, I realized, "However, I use both Foursquare and Gowalla more for the tips and feedback.  I have more of a relationship with a couple of businesses now because they were interested in knowing whom was taking the time to participate."  Businesses are using these applications to learn about their customer base:  why do people go there initially, and what keeps them coming back.  And then some go the step farther to use the apps to learn more about their customers as people and to reward them for their loyalty.  


If the old business philosophy of "it takes three new clients to compensate for the cost of losing one current customer", then establishing and maintaining brand loyalty is not only a benefit to the organization and the customer both - it is a necessary symbiotic pairing.  The customer needs to feel appreciated, and, especially in today's economy, the organization needs the customer to return again and again.


So the benefit is networking and knowledge. I participate as a consumer because it identifies me as a loyalist and gives insight to my true likes without having to wear a badge or t-shirt advertising my favorite places, and my hang-outs don't have to hope against hope that I'll fill out a comment card on my way out the door.


Social Media and the Pea by Alice Ann Williams is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
Based on a work at www.socialmediaandthepea.blogspot.com.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://www.socialmediaandthepea.blogspot.com/.

"And It's Outta Here"

www.nytimes.com

Welcome to the season opening of Major League Baseball.  Baseball fans meet your unknown hero - Txtstation - who will be bringing social media and baseball together beginning this season.  In true social media fashion, fans will be able to interact with each other and their team.  Currently it seems only New York Mets' fans will have the initial benefit; however, as social media continues to penetrate society, we can certainly expect to see it hit a homerun in a stadium near us soon.

According to the Springwise website, the new Mets' features will include:  uploading fan camera phone photos, polls, and communication opportunities.  The more any organization, MLB not excluded, can engage their customers, or in this case - fans, and make them feel a part of the experience, the greater the customer loyalty.  Sports fanatics are generally a loyal bunch, and Mets fans are known to be faithful without the additional gimmicks; therefore, it would certainly be a safe place to roll out such a technology.

Social media's most important role is to bring people with similar interest together.  Organizations capitalize on social media by using it to connect with their customers and potential customers.  The Mets have not only found a way to do both but their fans are going to only get more excited when they get to see themselves and their texts on the JumboTron® during the game.  Bring on the 7th Inning Stretch and "Take Me Out to the Ballgame!"




Social Media and the Pea by Alice Ann Williams is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
Based on a work at www.socialmediaandthepea.blogspot.com.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://www.socialmediaandthepea.blogspot.com/.