Passion + Purpose

Pepsi’s Refreshing Refresh

I’ll admit that I have never been a fan of Pepsi as a soft drink.  In fact, i’m not much one for soda at all due to the high sugar content.  But Pepsi in particular has really caught my attention recently with their Refresh Project campaign.   Here is how it works:  anyone can submit an idea through www.refresheverything.com.  Pepsi is looking for people, businesses and non-profits that have an idea that will make a positive impact on our society.  Whether it be in your community or around the world (although this strikes me as a super-local program).  But overall, it shows what a significant cultural impact big companies can make when they take a step back from the spreadsheets and hyperactively optimizing the bottom-line…and they start looking at the larger influence they have (and can have) in our society.

I respect what Pepsi is doing here…and who knows, I may just venture out and grab a nice cold Pepsi today.

The Word on The Street

We seek opinions and gladly give ours everyday on the things that we all buy, see and do. Some opinions are stronger than others. Some voices are louder than others –but somehow it all comes together neatly to form “the word on the street,” or as I like to call it, “SocialSmack.”

Sometimes “the word” gets passed around so broadly and is adopted by so many, that little movements get formed around them. In the consumer world, this called Word of Mouth Marketing, and it’s incredibly powerful. It can dramatically affect a brand, as these micro movements can ultimately affect buying patterns and a brands economic trajectory. Now, with the growth of social networking tools, our individual and collective voices can be heard louder than ever before.

OK, the academic perspective aside, let’s talk some Smack! SocialSmack.com was born out of both very good and very bad consumer experiences. In 2 cases (one good and one bad), I almost went nuts trying to gain the attention of the brand to whom I’d paid a whole lot of my hard earned money. All I wanted to do was to help them improve. In NEITHER case could I get a response from the brands that made any sense (and in one case, couldn’t even make contact with a human being)! After talking with several others like me, I decided it was time to take a stand and start a consumer revolution!

I wanted to build a community where people could talk smack (props OR drops) about the brand experiences they have everyday; and give people the tools to amplify the collective consumer voice so it could be heard like never before!

And hey, why not have some fun in the process and really get to know who the big influencers are; by region, by category, or by brand?  So we’ve put social game dynamics to play in order to better understand what brands are crushing it with great service, and which ones are falling down and need our collective help to improve. In the end, the member of our community with the highest point total for sharing their various brands experiences will get crowned “The Sultan of Smack”. But they shouldn’t get too comfy, as the throne is always up for grabs!

So we welcome you to c’mon in and be part of the NEW “word on the street”. Let us know what you think in the comments, and then go have fun talkin’ smack, building your social cred & have your voice heard so you can make a difference!