Debenhams acquires 12,000 brand advocates through social media advocacy programme
Debenhams says it has reached almost 1.5 million consumers via social media channels, following its introduction of a new social media advocacy programme.
The GoRecommend application from customer experience management expert Empathica, encourages customers to become advocates of the Debenhams brand by promoting positive retail experiences via social media channels using an automated referral process. To date, Debenhams says it has acquired more than 12,000 brand advocates who in turn have made recommendations to over 1.5 million friends and followers.
Kate Whittaker, strategy manager at Debenhams, said, “Late last year we decided to include a coupon voucher with every recommendation made by an advocate. During the two-week promotion, advocates delivered the voucher to their friends and followers on social media via GoRecommend. From those advocates, Debenhams received thousands of redemptions and sales”.
After customers complete a retail experience survey, the GoRecommend engine prompts those who were happy with their experience to make an online recommendation on Facebook, Twitter or email. The results instantly generate a significant number of positive brand impressions, as the location-specific content can automatically appear on both a brand’s Facebook fan page, and a user’s profile page.
Gary Topiol, managing director, EMEA of Empathica, said, “We’ve found that people are happy to make recommendations online, especially when they have a strong affinity with a brand like Debenhams. We are excited to be driving a significant impact in the social media space and doing it in a new and innovative way that leverages the power of the brand advocate. GoRecommend has been a tremendous success among our clients, and to date positive impressions of their customers’ have reached over 40 million people through their social networks, and the number continues to grow.”
