Business - Written Tuesday, June 30, 2009 by Laura M. Carrillo - 3 Comments

Hardee’s 2.0 Approach to Customer Engagement & Brand Management

Using social media, a company can develop loyal and engaged customers while launching a new product. Yesterday I read a BusinessWire article about Hardee’s, the 45 year old quick service restaurant. The company’s newest campaign is to name their latest product. Based off of their famous biscuits, the currently named “Biscuit Holes” are looking for a new name.

Rather than struggle internally, Hardee’s has opened up the naming opportunity to everyone at its microsite: NameOurHoles.com. The site is simple, clever and optimized for mobile use, allowing anyone with web access on their phone to participate. The site opens with a short video clip of people trying the food and offering their name ideas. Looks like a lot of fun! Note: The same video clip opens the main Hardee’s website and their YouTube channel, creating nice consistency across the three.

On the microsite you can submit your name idea by typing it in, or record yourself saying the name using your webcam. My favorite part is viewing other’s videos and rating them: I Like It or I Hate It. The site offers the required coupon for visitors but is also set up to be shared on Facebook and Twitter. You got a name to post? You can automatically tweet it once submitted.The entire product introduction will be supported on the Hardee’s YouTube and Facebook sites.

This strategy is a great example of how companies can use social media to not only build a brand and product introduction, but also create real customer engagement. Hardee’s customers are not just viewed as individuals that a company sells to, they are being asked to actively collaborate with the company and hopefully help the company succeed. Not to mention that the campaign seems like a lot of fun, the entertainment value is a very important consideration. As my colleague Tammy Erickson wrote recently, “Collaboration is a discretionary activity. People have to want to share ideas..” Hardee’s customers are sharing their ideas and becoming prosumers who will expect their voices to be heard by other companies. Kudos to Hardee’s. I look forward to seeing the winning name.