Businesses Don’t Get Customer Evangelism

27 May 2008 Written By: Jim KukralComments: Comments

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Brands still don’t get customer evangelists. I know this because I am one, for two different products, and I do not feel the love I should. The video below talks about those experiences and about why more brands need to get smart and being to embrace the customer evangelists they have.

Not to mention, companies should actively go out and seek these evangelists, then keep them. But they’re not doing that yet and I can’t figure out why? Maybe it’s still fear of losing control. I don’t get that.

If you’re a company that understands customer evangelists, let me know… I’d like to hear from you. I’ll tell you what. I’m “this” close to firing Pure Digital and finding another product to evangelize about.

Check out Jackie and Ben’s book on the topic.

Jim Recommends...

The Shoemoney System - Check it out here.


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  • asimpson
    Excellent post. I have to add and say - i've hardly seen any great marketing activity from the flip people - which is odd considering how good their product is at that price bracket. (I bought a competitor @ similar price and hate it!)

    Your site, the daily flip vids and the amount of ranting you do about this product on twitter for example has undoubtably resulted in a boatload of Flip Camera Sales. Maybe you should get everyone who's bought one of their gadgets from your evangelism to email the flip people to show the power of evangelism ;)

    Keep up the good work - and hey if you ever feel like becoming a T-shirt evangelist ..... We'll welcome you no worries :)
  • I have heard that the Pure Digital people are pretty understaffed, so I do give them some slack. But now, competitors are starting to pop up and well, maybe those companies understand customer evangelism? We'll see.

    I will only evangelize about products/services that I love. Otherwise, it's just advertising, right?
  • Excellent video Jim. You are absolutely right. I think smaller companies like the two you mentioned are still trying to understand the impact/benefit of customer evangelism. Someday I am sure they will "get it". Keep up the good work.
  • I hope they do finally. Meanwhile, if you're a company that gets it, contact me. :)
  • We deal with this all the time with a brand that we sell. Often, we are stopped in our tracks promoting their brand in a positive way. It sometimes even seems that they want to prevent us from selling their products and services -- all while continually being a top level performer/seller for them. It really just boils down to a control issue and a lack of foresight. Good post!
  • Exactly. I have to admit, that I do believe there's a bit of an ego play here as well. Some people don't like it when you market as good or better than them.
  • Jim, I like your video, entertaining and interesting! Companies are built on hierarchy and control with managers paid to oversee....That's the structure they're comfortable with. Social media looks like chaos, has no structure, almost no rules....or i should say a social onse which isn't based on hierarchy and control but value, relevance and trust. Hard to leap from one to the other.
  • I get that laurent. I just don't "understand" it. It's not just social media either.

    Read Jackie's book, great stuff.
  • Customer evangelism built the free trade market! We all know the cliche'. The best marketing is by word of mouth.
    My grandfather was a blacksmith. He operated a shop on his own property and had customer coming from counties beyond his own. I asked him when I was a kid why so many people were always coming to him... "why didn't they go to other blacksmiths where they lived?"

    He said, "One thing I've always believed in is doing the best job I can. I do a little extra for the customer and he tells a friend. When that friend comes and asks me how much something will cost I'll ask him how much he thinks its worth. If he doesn't think the job is worth what I would normally charge, I charge him what he thought is was worth, but I ask him to bring me some extra [eggs, corn, wheat, etc.] the next time he comes by. Oh, and I ask him to tell three or four other people about my work if he's been satisfied."

    My grandfather understood the value of having other evangelize about his trade. He didn't use that word, obviously, but the concept was solid.

    The difference between my grandfather and these companies? Too much hierarchy creates too many levels of "command" and control. Each level wants to control a bit more than the level below them. Ultimately, the lose touch with their true purpose, which is to provide product and service that benefits their customer. Their customer, of course, is their income source... and their customer will say positive or negative things about the company if the see reason to do so. Get enough frustrated customers and you'll have no need for that hierarchy of control anymore.
  • Great story, thanks for sharing.
  • You wouldn't think a company would have a problem with someone promoting their product ?

    Given how competitive the business world is, how slim profit margins can be, free positive advertising should be the least of your problems.
  • I don't get it either. I almost feel guilty that I bought a Flip on your recommendations. Companies that do not understand what brand/product evangelism is are also missing the boat with social media. There have been enough studies done that show social networking is not chaotic and getting a positive review from an influencer with a large social network can be a tipping point for the product. You'd think companies would have seen this enough with the cult of Apple. People buy more Apple products based on recommendations from customers than any other competitor. This turned into Apple = cool so now when a new product release, it's selling itself.
  • You would think, eh? :)
  • Merrell
    I bought my Flip after hearing you evangelize about it.
  • Thanks Merrell. I hear that at least once a day.
  • Mike_Beck
    One word. "Attorneys"
  • Definitely fear of losing control. Companies look at growing brands by tight-fisted control not by true growth strategies. Nurturing evangelists cedes control to others they cannot completely control. Kind of like turning your carefully cultivated English garden into a wild flower garden. The results are more than some companies can bear.
  • Yeah. I don't think companies can afford to stay that way long term though.
  • Nice video Jim! The control issue cannot be underestimated. Marketers have been doing outbound broadcast-style marketing campaigns for decades. It's difficult for companies to change to model of forming relationships with customer evangelists one at a time.
  • Jackie, if you'd just send all of them a copy of your book we wouldn't have these problems. Get on that would you? :)
  • Well some companies try it with "Tell a friend", "Write up a friend and get cash" and similar programs. Some are quite successful with it
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