I noticed this sandal/slipper from Woodland on Sunday, in The Sunday Times of India. This one,
I thought it looked pretty good. As someone who is looking to get a slipper-type footwear after getting bored with the sandal-type one, this looked like a very good choice.
Naturally, the first thing I do, in these circumstances, is to go online and see more about this model. So, I went online.
The default search is obviously on Google – so, I land in the Woodland official page. Nice, flashy page, but under ‘sandals’, while there are 3 other slippers, this particular model is missing. Worse – there is no link for the ‘Pro Planet’ range that is listed in the left menu – the print ad refers to the slipper as the ‘Pro Planet’ range.
So, I do a Google News search to find out when this new range was launched. Found an afaqs piece on Woodland’s announcement of the launch of the Pro Planet range – this is dated December 29, 2009!
Ok, they only talk of the imminent launch the next year, but must have at least launched the campaign and products from December 2009 to now (November 2010), right? Doesn’t look like it, if you go at least go by the non-linked Pro Planet image in the website – the marketing/advertising says a different story, however! The afaqs piece also mentions,
Efforts are also being made to create greater awareness among customers, by reaching out to them via social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. “We have our presence on Facebook and Twitter, where we run all our new campaigns, post information about our new range of products, our green initiatives and whatever is latest on our end. We intend to serve as a platform, where our customers can speak their mind and raise their concerns,” adds…
So, next stop – Woodland’s Facebook page and Twitter profile, in the hope of some info!
Twitter profile has all of 5 tweets in December 2009 and 24 tweets all across 2010, the last one being 29th October.
Strangely, they also seemed to have another Twitter profile – https://twitter.com/Proplaneters – which looks missing now! It was ‘advertised’ in one Facebook update, but has vanished since!
The Facebook page is no better – it seems to have started in December 2009 too, but has about 20,000+ fans so far – I’m guessing some advertising has happened.
Having given all this background, here are a few observations/lessons, out of all this.
1. Do not talk about ‘presence on Facebook and Twitter’ without making sure that it is actually a ‘presence’ of some repute:
Presence could also mean, ‘we’ve started our accounts’, but is that what a reputed brand like Woodland would need? The afaqs interview is dated December 29, 2009 – at that time, they perhaps had about 5-10 followers on Twitter and a few fans on Facebook. The point is – mere presence in Facebook, Twitter or any other social networking site is not worth talking to media, at least these days. It takes all of 2 minutes to create these profiles. Talking about it is nothing but hot air.
2. ‘It exists’ does not mean ‘people know it’:
A Facebook page or a Twitter profile is like a room you build, online. Just because it exists does not mean it is known or it is popular. The room has to be made visible to people in assorted contexts. So, the Facebook page needs to be popularized organically (contextual push among people who are interested in this topic) and inorganically (using advertising, offline events etc.). The Twitter page needs the same treatment – they are following ZERO tweeters and have got all of 3 responses in 1 year.
3. Every platform needs it’s own content framework:
I was surprised to see some tweets in their Twitter page. Things like,
– The first thought that comes to your mind hearing “Woodland”.
– Style or performance?
I found it strange – here they are tweeting in a vacuum…and are asking questions? Who are they asking these questions to? The answer is in the Facebook page – the content is primarily for Facebook, but, just because there is also a twitter profile, the thought seems to be, ‘why not cross-post the same thing there too’? Wrong – it doesn’t work that way, since the number and profile of audiences are completely different. If Twitter was adequately promoted and had some sizeable number of followers, these would have made sense. Now, they just look bizarre.
4. Synchronize your marketing outreach with your online content:
Why did I even bother to see their website? Because of the print ad. The print ad. talks about the new ‘Pro Planet’ range and my assumption is that, ‘if there is an ad., I should be able to see more of it online – before I spend time and effort in going to a Woodland store’. Is that assumption wrong? I don’t think so. But the advertised model is missing from the website – I have checked the website in at least 4 browsers (Firefox, Internet Explorer, Opera and Chrome) just to ensure I’m not missing something. Every other menu item in the left is a link, except the image for ‘ProPlanet’! I wonder why!
5. If you evolve enough to have a presence on social networks, for heaven’s sake, please be social:
There are 5 threads in the ‘discussions’ tab in Facebook – 4 are plugs for their eco-friendly efforts and even others’ responses are responded with more of what Woodland is doing for this…or that, in context to ProPlanet. The one thread where there is a crying need for something from Woodland is filled only with fan comments. The thread is titled, ‘ Does Woodland ever lend its ears to its loyal customers?’! I completely understand if this page was not meant for customer support and was intended only for brand evangelism, but isn’t support one of the core facets that enables evangelism? There are other ways to respond to people asking a question and not answering them, that too in a public forum, only shows that the Facebook page is an extension of a one-way communication exercise like the website.
I do notice that they have responded to a few queries on the main wall – where people are asking about product availability, but being social is entering into an ongoing conversation and spurring more conversation. A support query is perhaps the best way to show the fans that the brand actually cares – more than just telling people where their backpacks are available in some city.
Now, despite all these cribs, I will still head to a Woodland showroom and check that pair of slippers. Why? Because I do admire that brand, beyond all these missteps – to be frank, their excessive love for suede does bother me. Some of their best looking footwear have an uncomfortably large amount of suede and I have a huge problem with the life of a footwear that has so much suede! But, their non-suede models are mighty impressive, in my opinion.
It’d have been great if I got some info on an already-publicized model, but that’s ok – I’m a fairly loyal customer who will still give it a shot.