Can you remember the last conversation you had with someone who was talking at you? They have no interest in what you have to say, what you think or how your day has been. They just talk and when you speak they are clearly distracted and not listening or turn the conversation back to them.
How did that go?
It was probably annoying and not much fun. You don’t look forward to interacting with this person again and you possibly even go out of your way to avoid them. You may even switch off after a while and stop responding, after all, it’s all about them. This is what it feels like to be broadcasted at by a brand.
Now imagine the opposite
You’re having a conversation with someone and you’re really listening to each other, getting inspired and not interrupting one another. Then you respond with your thoughts and feelings, whilst they listen and nod. Eventually the conversation comes to a natural end and you go away thinking about what has been discussed.
You may return to the conversation a few days later and say something like: “You know what we were talking about the other day? I’ve been thinking about what you said and XYZ.” The conversation continues, it moves on, it sparks ideas and one another’s imagination. This is a dialogic conversation. This is what we believe brands need to be doing with people
Co-creation follows a dialogic conversation
The other person responds and maybe agrees and adds: “I’ve also been thinking about it and you know what ABC was saying something similar the other day.”
Then, a WhatsApp group is formed with 11 people contributing their thoughts and responding to each other’s ideas. A platform is born.
These people start sharing their own solutions, creations, relevant articles and videos related to the original topic. This is Co-Creation.
People naturally talk about what they’ve shared and learned from one another. News spreads. More people get involved. All these people stay connected and a get together occurs. A movement begins.
For organisations, words speak just as loudly as actions. We believe brands need to start two-way conversations and really listen, otherwise people will simply start switching off.