John Winsor

The Power of Giving

Tom's Shoes has been an inspiration with the goal of giving away a pair of shoes to someone that needs them for every pair of shoes the company sells. How are you giving back?

Brands that Build Communities

After writing a lot about community in both Spark and here on the blog, I've been wondering what's the latest state of brands and how the interact with communities by asking a couple of questions on Twitter.

1. "What brands have created the best communities around them?" Within a few hours I got about 50 answers. Here's the top 10:

1. Harley Davidson
2. Obama
3. Lego
4. Nike
5. Threadless
6. P&G
7. Dell
8. Starbucks
9. Whole Foods
10. Trader Joe's

2. "What makes a great community?" And, again the Top 10?

1. self-generating (do stuff)
2. belonging (feel part of group)
3. identity (stand for something)
4. experiences (bring people together)
5. a great cause
6. working to a shared goal
7.  feedback & recognition
8. ease of participation
9. respect
10. love of and interest in a common goal

I'd love to get your thoughts, as well. Either leave a comment here or tweet me @jtwinsor.

Thanks.

You Know it's Over When

The little Mexican surf village that you bought a shack in 11 years ago has a shoe named after it. That's right, as unbelievable as it might seem Keen has named a shoe Sayulita. I still romanticize over the Sayulita of a decade ago. A place were you knew everyone in the break, the streets were all dirt and you could count the Gringos who owned property in town on both hands and toes.

Last year it was the cover of Travel & Leisure and now it's this.

Oh well, the great places always get discovered. I still love Sayulita.

Peer to Peer Lending

Here's a great audio of what's happening in peer to peer lending from NPR this morning:

Morning Edition, November 4, 2008 · Borrowers hurt by the credit squeeze and investors looking to boost their returns are increasingly turning to the same place: peer-to-peer lending. The loans can be quicker than going through a bank — and offer rates of return that can beat those of government bonds.

Companies such as Lending Club and Prosper Marketplace match individuals who want to borrow money with those who have money to lend. The process happens online, without a trip to a traditional bank.

One look at Prosper.com gives you an idea of this marketplace with 830,000 members and $178,000,000 loaned. In the current economic times with tight credit I'd expect peer to peer lending to explode.

On the Road

On the way through Casper, Wyoming a couple of weeks ago it was getting late and the kids were sleepy. It was dark and we weren't sure if we could find a campsite. What to do? We headed over to the WalMart parking lot to find another 20 RVs enjoying the lots safety and convenience.

The morning provided quite a cultural experience as other campers strolled by for a chat. What a blast to participate in a culture I didn't even know existed!

The Cleanest Line

Patagonia, one of my favorite brands, has started a new blog called The Cleanest Line. Here's what they have to say about it:

Build the best product, do no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis.
– Patagonia's Mission Statement

The goal of The Cleanest Line is to further Patagonia's mission by encouraging dialogue about the products we build, the sports we love and the environmental issues we’re concerned about. By talking openly about the products we build, Patagonia users can help us achieve ever greater standards of quality and functionality. By spreading the word about specific environmental issues, we can increase awareness and take action as quickly as possible. By sharing field reports, we can inspire one another to keep experiencing the natural wonders of our precious planet. And like any good conversation, there's always the possibility for pranksters and poets to direct the conversation towards territories lacking any seriousness whatsoever.

What are you doing to encourage dialogue with your customers?

Build the best product, do no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis.
– Patagonia's Mission Statement

The goal of The Cleanest Line is to further Patagonia's mission by encouraging dialogue about the products we build, the sports we love and the environmental issues we’re concerned about. By talking openly about the products we build, Patagonia users can help us achieve ever greater standards of quality and functionality. By spreading the word about specific environmental issues, we can increase awareness and take action as quickly as possible. By sharing field reports, we can inspire one another to keep experiencing the natural wonders of our precious planet. And like any good conversation, there's always the possibility for pranksters and poets to direct the conversation towards territories lacking any seriousness whatsoever.

Community 2.0 Conference

I'm just back from the Community 2.0 Conference. What a wonderful first conference with a great sense of community and dialogue. For a recap of the event check out The Future of Communities blog. Better yet, come join the conversation.

News War

If you haven't had a chance to check out Frontline's News War it's a fascinating journey into the troubles of America's newspaper business. The show really highlights the fact that newspapers have focused on a distribution tactic, putting ink on paper, instead of thinking about creating a community table for everyone from readers to advertisers to editors to participate in a dialogue. By focusing on such a relationship, distribution should be determined by the needs of the community.

As brands, it's easy to get stuck in the same trap, focusing on efficiency. Certainly, efficiency is important but understanding the cultural landscape is just as important.

What is Community, #9

Here's Rob DeFlorio's take:

“Community is where shared beliefs inspire participation”

What is Community?, #8

From Tinker Hatfield at Nike:

Caring enough about your neighbors, friends and cohorts to help when help is needed and to share experiences "just any old time".