3PMjournal_2010s2

3pm Journal of Digital Research & Publishing
name was on the list of the names submitted, they made a mistake of not choosing the most
popular names and then conduct a poll to determine which would be the best choice. This
move by Kraft led to a strong objection from both the media and Vegemite consumers, who
also used the same social media applications to show their aversion to the name ‘iSnack
2.0’. (Wright 2010)
Kraft needed to appease the disgruntled consumers by changing the name once more.
To do this, they once again asked people to vote a name from 6 pre-picked names through
social media platforms along with online polls and phone surveys. Thousands of consumers
once again voiced out what their name preference through online polls and through social
networking sites. After the research process was over, it was finalized that the new product
was going to be named as Vegemite Cheesybite and was distributed in supermarkets and
other trade channels subsequently. (Kraft Website 2009)
Dell’s Idea Storm
Michael Dell founded the Dell Company in 1984 to be able to eliminate the so called
“middleman” when it comes to selling personal computers or PCs. He found a way to sell
custom built PCs directly to customers. Customization is what has differentiated Dell from
its competitors. Customization involves pretty much the customers telling the company
what they want and the company responding to this request (Arora et al 2008, p.306). In
the case of Dell, its customization capability has worked well for them as they have reached
millions of customers in more than a hundred countries all over the world in 2009.
In February 2007, Dell found a way to talk back directly to their customers through Dell’s
Ideastorm. Dell customers just about tell the company about what they want with their PCs.
However, with Dell’s Idea Storm, Dell was able to make connections with customers more
interactive. A power to voice out one’s ideas and to participate in “brainstorm” sessions
regarding new products and services were given to Dell customers through IdeaStorm.
Through this process, Dell is able to generate new product ideas coming straight from
the customers without involving the lengthy and expensive traditional research methods
while also offering quicker response times. “Storm Sessions” open up once in a while and
for a limited time allow Dell customers to submit their ideas regarding a specific topic.
Since these sessions are only up in the web for a limited time, conversations are targeted,
relevant and time-bound (Dell Website, 2010).
In 3 years, Dell has been able to implement 400 ideas from over 10,000 idea submissions.
They have listened to their customers and their customers have been able to also see these
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