Tim Leberecht: 3 ways to (usefully) lose control of your brand

Translator: Joseph Geni Reviewer: Morton Bast

翻译人员: Xihuang Sun 校对人员: LEI ZHANG

Companies are losing control.

许多公司正在丧失控制权

What happens on Wall Street

发生在华尔街的事

no longer stays on Wall Street.

已从华尔街日报上消失

What happens in Vegas ends up on YouTube. (Laughter)

发生在拉斯维加斯的事却荣登YouTube（笑声）

Reputations are volatile. Loyalties are fickle.

名声和忠诚变得反覆无常

Management teams seem increasingly

管理层似乎与他们的员工

disconnected from their staff. (Laughter)

背道而驰。（笑声） （图中文字：“高盛将有良知的员工关在单独的格子间里办公”洋葱网）

A recent survey said that 27 percent of bosses believe

最近一项调查显示，27%的老板觉得

their employees are inspired by their firm.

其员工受到了公司的激励

However, in the same survey, only four percent

结果呢，同样还是这个调查称

of employees agreed.

只有4%的员工这么想

Companies are losing control

许多公司正在失去对

of their customers and their employees.

顾客和员工的控制

But are they really?

不过他们真的失去了么？

I'm a marketer, and as a marketer, I know

我是个营销人员，作为一个营销人员，我知道自己

that I've never really been in control.

从来没有真正地控制过什么

Your brand is what other people say about you

谚语说：你的品牌是你不房间里的时候

when you're not in the room, the saying goes.

别人对你的评价

Hyperconnectivity and transparency allow companies

网络的超连通性和高透明度让公司

to be in that room now, 24/7.

全天24小时都在那个房间里

They can listen and join the conversation.

他们可以聆听并参与谈话

In fact, they have more control over the loss of control

实际上，公司通过"失控"，反而拥有了

than ever before.

前所未有的掌控力

They can design for it. But how?

他们可以自己来设计。但是怎么做呢？

First of all, they can give employees and customers more control.

首先，他们能给予顾客和员工更多的控制权

They can collaborate with them on the creation of ideas,

公司可以在理念、知识、

knowledge, content, designs and product.

内容、设计以及产品的创造上跟他们合作

They can give them more control over pricing,

公司还可以给顾客更多定价权

which is what the band Radiohead did

就像电台司令乐队使用

with its pay-as-you-like online release of its album

“买者定价”的方式在网上发布新专辑

"In Rainbows." Buyers could determine the price,

“在彩虹中”时一样，顾客可以自行决定价格

but the offer was exclusive, and only stood for a limited period of time.

不过商品的数量和销售时间则是有限的

The album sold more copies than previous releases of the band.

而这张唱片比之前的几张卖的都要好

The Danish chocolate company Anthon Berg

丹麦巧克力公司Anthon Berg在哥本哈根

opened a so-called "generous store" in Copenhagen.

开了一家“慷慨商店”

It asked customers to purchase chocolate

它要求顾客对所爱的人做出“善行承诺”

with the promise of good deeds towards loved ones.

然后用这个承诺作为货币来“购买”巧克力

It turned transactions into interactions,

这使得交易变成了互动

and generosity into a currency.

慷慨变成了货币

Companies can even give control to hackers.

公司甚至还可以给黑客一些权利

When Microsoft Kinect came out,

当微软发布Kinect时

the motion-controlled add-on to its Xbox gaming console,

这种用动作操控Xbox的设备

it immediately drew the attention of hackers.

很快吸引了大量黑客的目光

Microsoft first fought off the hacks, but then shifted course

微软起初极力遏制黑客，后来却反其道而行之

when it realized that actively supporting the community

因为它意识到主动支持这些家伙

came with benefits.

利大于弊

The sense of co-ownership, the free publicity,

共同拥有的感觉、免费的宣传

the added value, all helped drive sales.

附加的价值，都帮助Kinect提升了销量

The ultimate empowerment of customers

给消费者的终极权利

is to ask them not to buy.

是叫他们不要买

Outdoor clothier Patagonia encouraged prospective buyers

户外服装品牌Patagonia鼓励潜在顾客

to check out eBay for its used products

在买新货之前先上eBay找找他们的二手货

and to resole their shoes before purchasing new ones.

或者给旧鞋换个鞋底就行了

In an even more radical stance against consumerism,

为抵制消费主义，该公司还发起更激进的活动

the company placed a "Don't Buy This Jacket"

大打"别买这件外套"的广告

advertisement during the peak of shopping season.

而且还是在购物季正如火如荼的时候

It may have jeopardized short-term sales,

这种手法也许有损短期销量

but it builds lasting, long-term loyalty

但能在共同的价值观基础上

based on shared values.

建立长久的品牌忠诚度

Research has shown that giving employees more control

研究显示，如果员工对自己的工作有更多掌控

over their work makes them happier and more productive.

他们就会更开心、更有效

The Brazilian company Semco Group famously

巴西Semco集团的出名之处

lets employees set their own work schedules

就是让员工自定工作计划

and even their salaries.

甚至自定薪水

Hulu and Netflix, among other companies,

其他例子还有Hulu和Netflix公司的

have open vacation policies.

开放休假政策

Companies can give people more control,

公司可以释放权力

but they can also give them less control.

也可以收回权力

Traditional business wisdom holds that trust

传统的商业智慧认为

is earned by predictable behavior,

信任的基础是可预测的行为

but when everything is consistent and standardized,

但是当一切都一致化、标准化时

how do you create meaningful experiences?

要如何创造有意义的经历？

Giving people less control might be a wonderful way

减少人们的控制权也许是个

to counter the abundance of choice

抵消过量选择的好方法

and make them happier.

也可以让人们更开心

Take the travel service Nextpedition.

例如Nextpedition这家旅行社

Nextpedition turns the trip into a game,

就把旅行变成游戏

with surprising twists and turns along the way.

一路上都有意想不到的惊奇

It does not tell the traveler where she's going

旅行社会一直卖关子，旅客要到最后

until the very last minute, and information is provided

才知道自己要去哪，并得到相关信息

just in time. Similarly, Dutch airline KLM

同样，丹麦航空公司KLM也用类似的手法

launched a surprise campaign, seemingly randomly

推出惊喜之旅

handing out small gifts to travelers

随机送出小礼物给旅客

en route to their destination.

到达目的地之前都惊喜不断

U.K.-based Interflora monitored Twitter

总部位于英国的Interflora花店利用Twitter

for users who were having a bad day,

锁定走了一天霉运的用户

and then sent them a free bouquet of flowers.

免费送他们一束鲜花

Is there anything companies can do to make

公司有没有什么办法

their employees feel less pressed for time? Yes.

减少员工的时间压力？有

Force them to help others.

就是强迫他们帮助别人

A recent study suggests that having employees complete

最近一项研究显示，如果员工在一天内

occasional altruistic tasks throughout the day

能抽点时间进行些有利他人的活动

increases their sense of overall productivity.

他们对整体生产率的感知就会得到提升

At Frog, the company I work for, we hold internal

我工作的公司Frog

speed meet sessions that connect old and new employees,

会举行快速见面会，在新老员工之间搭起一座桥梁

helping them get to know each other fast.

帮助他们迅速了解彼此

By applying a strict process, we give them less control,

通过建立一套严密的体系，员工的控制权减少了

less choice, but we enable more and richer social interactions.

选择虽然少了，但社交互动更丰富了

Companies are the makers of their fortunes,

公司是自身财富的创造者

and like all of us, they are utterly exposed to serendipity.

和我们所有人一样，他们随时会遇到突发状况

That should make them more humble, more vulnerable

这使他们更卑微、更脆弱

and more human.

也更具人性

At the end of the day, as hyperconnectivity

说到底，网络的超连通性和透明度

and transparency expose companies' behavior

让公司的行为

in broad daylight, staying true to their true selves

暴露在光天化日之下，而忠于自我

is the only sustainable value proposition.

是创造持久价值的唯一方法

Or as the ballet dancer Alonzo King said,

正如芭蕾演员阿隆索‧金恩所说

"What's interesting about you is you."

"你的有趣之处就是你自己"

For the true selves of companies to come through,

要让公司的本色外显于世

openness is paramount,

开诚布公是不二法门

but radical openness is not a solution,

但是彻底公开不能解决问题

because when everything is open, nothing is open.

因为公开一切等于什么都没公开

"A smile is a door that is half open and half closed,"

"微笑是一扇半开半关的门"

the author Jennifer Egan wrote.

这是作家珍妮佛‧伊根写的

Companies can give their employees and customers

公司可以让员工和客户

more control or less. They can worry about how much

有更多或更少的控制权

openness is good for them, and what needs to stay closed.

可以评估公开多少对自己有利以及什么不能公开

Or they can simply smile, and remain open

或者他们也可以微微一笑， 以开放的姿态

to all possibilities.

接受各种可能

Thank you. (Applause)

谢谢各位(掌声)

(Applause)

(掌声)