Get integrated

Just coming back from giving a lecture at the Göteborg University about integrated communications I popped into Forbes.com. With a perhaps not groundbraking but interesting article about how companies like Danone, GM and toy manufacturers are profitizing from letting customers be a part of the design process. Either by choosing from prospective alternatives, or even be a part of the actual design.

By doing so companies can not only meet the customers judgement before their products are hitting the shelves but also get insights from the customers they never otherwise would have get.

I think advantages are even greater. By integrating customers, or potential customers, in your product development you not only get their opinons. You can also study their behavior, and you can better find out what use they actually have from the products. You have also generated a network of ambassadors. Danone nowadays have 750 people who rightly can say - I was part of the design of that Low Fat youghurt!

How about if a hamburger restaurant invited their customers to a "burger designer's night" Free eating when you design your own hamburger, while being video taped. Then the avarage burger design can be offered as the true local specialty,  burger made for our customers, by our customers. Let it be salads, pastries, 3G phone content, radio playlists or whatever.

Let the customers in!!