communities – Data Pulses storytelling

Data driven fitness community

data pulse #43

sweaty betty tamara

Now I’m not one into female fashion ( just ask my wife) , nor do I hang around the shops but I do love how Tamara Hill-Norton has used data to create a passionate community with Sweaty Betty since she set up the first boutique in Notting Hill in 1998 . Initially targeting “yummy Mummies” but now broadened out to connect fitness and fashion.

Sweaty Betty is a British retailer specialising in active wear for women, featuring in 50 from London to San Fancisco and selling significantly digitally. Sweaty Betty aims to ‘inspire women to find empowerment through fitness’.

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Sweaty Betty has a real distinctive difference to its potential competitor Amazon : It distinctively moves beyond traditional retail practices with added value services as well as great clothing and builds an active community. This is achieved through regular Sweaty Betty fitness classes that are actively promoted to its customers. These classes range from yoga, run clubs and boot camps right through to Pilates, and are held in Sweaty Betty stores around the world. For those who can’t attend in person, there are also online fitness classes.

Sweaty Betty Live was a event where 3000 Sweaty Bettys came to sweat learn shop eat & get pampered:

sweaty betty carnaby

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Sweaty Betty was very clear on their purpose and had a very clear story that was developed starting inside the organisation, and building out into their community. A data driven approach to brand building and creating community, loyalty and interaction meant people starting telling the Sweaty Betty story themselves.

checkout Tamara story:

http://www.sweatybetty.com/meet-tamara/

Sweaty Betty leverages a broad range of data-driven social tools – Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest are all used. They also created ‘brand ambassadors’ and allowed customers to have a conversation, helping to underline the sense that Sweaty Betty is a ‘fitness community rather than just a sportswear retailer

Blow Up Bedrooms….

lifestyle airbnb

Data Pulse #23

When a few programmers and bloggers bought some air-beds , built a website and offered an air-bed with a coffee on their floor during a particularly busy conference season in San Francisco, they didn’t think they’d be creating a dis intermediation business to rival Marriott or Intercontinental Hotels.

Airbnb is a lodging rental platform with headquarters in San Francisco, California.

airbnb has grown staggeringly quickly over the past half-dozen years. The mind-boggling numbers show its incredible popularity; 1.5million listings in 33,000 cities in 191 countries around the world have attracted 65million guests – and counting.

Last June the company was priced at $25.5billion (above hotel giant Marriott’s $20.90bn), and ranked the third most valuable start-up business in the world, behind transportation network company Uber ($51billion), and Xiaomi, the world’s fourth-largest smartphone maker ($46bn).

airbnb has used data to deliver against the brand purpose, tell the brand story and build the customer experience . “Experience the world like a local”

airbnb describes itself as a ‘community marketplace where guests can book spaces from hosts, connecting people who have space to spare with those who are looking for a place to stay.’ A super brand that is community led.

The hosts are business partners, and airbnb is led by what the business partners say, continually getting their opinion and gauging reaction to business challenges and opportunities. It quickly builds a sense of openness, trust and meaningful interacton to form a strong community.

Every year, some 5,000 hosts from more than 100 countries are invited to the company’s airbnb Open (the 2015 edition was held in Paris) and encouraged to talk about the nature of their work. It is a great opportunity to both connect with the hosts and understand how airbnb can help serve them better. It is also a good way to feel part of that broader global community and the local area.

airbnb ran an innovative campaign to engage not only hosts but visitors in the airbnb community. The One Less Stranger campaign – where 100,000 hosts woke up on New Year’s Day, 2015, to an email from airbnb’s founder Brian Chesky saying he had paid $10 into their bank account – was an instance when “full editorial control” was taken away from Airbnb. Brian wrote that we would like the hosts to do something to help someone else, and to meet someone new with that money, It was a $1million marketing campaign where we gave full editorial control to the hosts. Some people just pocketed the money, but the idea here is that you can allow people who are your biggest advocates to be your spokespersons, and do your marketing for you, on social media and word of mouth.

It all builds up to the goal that your brand is driven by community rather than people in a marketing department.

‘It’s far better to have 100 people love you than 100,000 people sort of like you.’

airbnb also use data to make a ever growing core of people love them . The platform has disrupted the traditional hotels industry by eliminating the middle man and connecting travellers directly with people who have space to offer. airbnb collects detailed data relating to how customers are using the platform and attributes much of its success to an ability to analyse and understand how to improve the service.

airbnb employs extensive A/B testing to score multiple configurations or designs of its website and apps. Different users will also be exposed to different ranking and recommendation algorithms – the variation they experience is then linked to their next actions – viewing patterns, bookings and ultimately reviews of their stay.

airbnb uses natural language processing to decipher users’ true feelings about their stay, finding this to be more accurate than simple star rankings (which, they hypothesise, are overinflated due to the personal contact between guest and host).

Must admit i was a little nervous using airbnb for the first time ,. Found a little room in deepest Shoreditch, better than the local Premier Inn and cheaper… but now i’m a convert

using my own data to tell my Fathers Day story

The weather has suddenly turned on the Pennines and summer days arrive and I’ve started to cycle again , and connect with my friends across the country on Strava. This Sunday on Fathers Day I cycled the Turnpike Challenge over the Pennines along with 100s of Lyra Clad Fathers.

STRAVA: the fitness app gives users access to cycling and running performance data.This is using customers own data combined with Google maps and geo-location to create tools and reports for themselves, a sort of Business Intelligence (BI) for customers or CI. Access is free initially but users can upgrade to Strava Premium for a small monthly fee with added features.

Strava focuses clearly on creating a great customer experience with a really simple sign up, and starting to get going, easy to use maps, and showing routes.

Users compete against their own personal best with friends or people they don’t know but run or ride the same routes as them. They can take part in wider Global community challenges such as last year just after the Nepal earthquake I was challenged to climb 29000 feet in a month on my bike.

Strava Premium users are ranked for routes of segments by day, year and all-time, and can win badges to improve their standing to become “king of the mountain”. Difficult on popular routes easier if you can find a distant and less popular cycle or running route. Friends connected can give each other kudos for a good cycle.

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STRAVA is also advanced in several other uses of data. It has world class use of segmentation to create relevant communication and improve the customer experience. The more you use Strava the more relevant the communication , linked to running or cycling.

STRAVA links members to the wider community by ranking performance against other users. strava king of the mountain

Challenges create personal competitions as well as a digital community supporting an event e.g. cycle climb 27000 foot to raise money for Nepal earthquake appeal. Users can receive updates when their connections log activity and recently STRAVA launched the ability to message simply.

The STRAVA Community is a virtual digital community bound by the common interest of Cycling.

Taking data into communities

nike plus

Similar to Strava, Nike+ Running is a fitness tracking app which measures and records running and cycling activity.

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While the playback of exercise data to users is considerably less detailed than Strava, Nike+ has committed more energy to connecting real world communities with Nike+ Run Clubs and Training Clubs. Run Clubs are for all kinds of runners, with different types of run – Long Run, Speed Run, Track Night and more – designed to help runners achieve their personal goals. Separate to the Running app, Nike+ Training provides over 100 workout routines catering to different needs: Get Lean, Get Toned, Get Strong etc. at beginner, advanced and intermediate levels. Users can share their workouts, see how their friends are doing with their own training programmes and give and receive messages of encouragement.

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The Nike Training Club puts on free exercise classes in city locations (typically parks and shops) and also feature in some paid-membership gyms. These classes bring together people of all types, regardless of ability.

Nike also stage real world events so that the digital community can become a physical community.

Mike and I both Run Hyde Park and run around the same time.

Nike+ invite us to a NIKE event in Hyde Park,

Global Bike to Work Day 10 May

Strava is launching the first Global Bike to Work Day Challenge on Tuesday May 10th, #CommutesCount. I’ll be cycling to work using Strava will you?

Access is free initially but users can upgrade to Strava Premium for a small monthly fee with added features. Strava focuses clearly on creating a great customer experience with a really simple sign up, and starting to get going, easy to use maps, and showing routes. Users compete against their own personal best with friends or people they don’t know but run or ride the same routes as them.

Strava is a data company that collects members data and effectively aggregates anonomised data to improve the community and make a profit:

Strava Metro analyzes the millions of human-powered commutes uploaded to Strava every week, then partners with urban planners to improve city infrastructure for cyclists and pedestrians using anonymized data.

strava cast of riders

Here’s how it all works:

DATA-DRIVEN BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN PLANNING

More than five million rides and runs are uploaded to Strava each week, and in cities, the majority of these activities are commutes. These activities have created trillions of data points on where people actually ride, run and walk in cities.

In 2014, Strava launched a data service called Strava Metro. Since then, Metro has worked with over 70 organizations around the world to understand how more than a half-million bicyclists and pedestrians choose to navigate through cities. Each of these organizations is using the anonymized data to understand the general flow of people across their streets over time.

With data like this, cities can better understand how people choose to interact with the network of roads, bike paths and intersections. The result is improved decision-making, smarter planning, safer streets and more people biking, running and walking.

Better data is a catalyst for change.

strava bike to work day

Check out earlier Blog on Strava:

https://andrewmann.me/2016/04/23/creating-communities-using-data-linked-by-fitness/

Using storytelling to kickstart engagement

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Using storytelling and data to explain your organisations purpose is very effective with three levels “The Self”, “The us” and “the We”

Kickstarter is a crowd-funding organisation for the arts: the company’s stated mission is to “help bring creative projects to life” .

Kickstarter is an enormous global community built around creativity and creative projects. Over 10 million people, from every continent on earth, have backed a Kickstarter project. Some of those projects come from influential artists like De La Soul or Marina Abramović. Most come from amazing creative people you probably haven’t heard of — from Grandma Pearl to indie filmmakers to the band down the street. Every artist, filmmaker, designer, developer, and creator on Kickstarter has complete creative control over their work — and the opportunity to share it with a vibrant community of backers.

Kickstarter has reportedly received more than $1.9 billion in pledges from 9.4 million backers to fund 257,000 creative projects, such as films, music, stage shows, comics, journalism, video games, technology and food-related projects.

Kickstarter uses storytelling to engage people .

It has an impactful way of asking people to join its team.

That narrative starts by having its founder tell the story of the company (the “self”).

Their website includes pictures and short descriptions of each and every company employee (“the us”).

Finally, the narrative culminates its “now” call to action with a careers page asking: “Love Kickstarter? You’ll fit right in.”

These stories are most powerful when they are individually authentic, build to a collective narrative and values, and then seal the deal by asking the person reading, watching, or listening to join in.

Data driven vision for Social Security in Bolanzo

data pulse #32

SMART sensors keep Italian seniors living at home

There have been significant step changes in Healthcare in the last few years through their use of predictive and algorithmic data , data segmentation and technology to solve organisational problems

Limited budgets and resources posed a challenge for the city of Bolanzo, with elderly citizens representing almost a quarter of the population and nearly 50% of social budget. With ongoing medical advances, greater numbers of the elderly are living longer and staying in their homes, often alone. The city wanted to ensure their safety and provide the required services, but needed a cost-effective way to know when people needed help.

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The city has implemented an advanced mesh-network of sensors that monitor the home environment – temperature, CO2, water leaks etc – of elderly citizens living alone. Remote interaction with medical professionals via touchscreen and mobile devices provides healthcare advice, saving trips to the doctor.

The technology will also alert ‘angels’ – friends or relatives of the user – if there is a problem, so they can provide assistance until the appropriate services arrive.

This enables social service and health staff to concentrate on people who really need a physical presence with them, while maintaining excellent quality of life for those in the monitoring programme.

If you’d like to checkout a short film that talks it through, here’s the link through to youtube

Data driven Aussies

ARFU fans.jpg

Players always say that when it counts the most, fans and supporters can represent the force of an extra player in the team. the “Unfair Advantage”

Competing against three other football codes in one of the most crowded sporting markets in the world, the Australian Rugby Union (ARU) has used data to harness that Unfair Advantage.

Data has become a crucial battleground at Rugby’s top level with every aspect of a match and a player’s performance analysed over and over to find that competitive edge. The Australian Rugby Union also use data to create a community at grass roots playing and grass roots supporters. They learnt from the 2012 Olympics in London and went back home and built a bottom up connected supporter community.

As Bill Pulver, ARU CEO, states: “The fundamentals of running a sport are pretty similar to running a business, the difference being you have this thick layer of passion over the top. “

Unlocking Fan Force with Rugby Link

Rugby Link is the platform through which the ARU engages every member of its community – “from the age of 5 right through to the age of 75”.

According to Bill, the Australian Rugby Union have a digital platform for omnichannel one-on-one communication on that is relevant to a fan or player’s historical engagement with the game; as well as enabling a customised future with the game as well.

A good example that Jade McAuslan, CRM Manager, describes is how the platform allows the ARU to understand when fans and players renew their seasonal membership, and as a result, time and personalise their outreach accordingly. The way that the data and metrics inform that personalised connection is critical to keeping people more engaged than with any of the other codes.

In the modern, professional era of Rugby Union, teamwork and communication are fundamental to success on the field. But also increasingly it is the cohesion and strength of the entire organisation behind that team, all the way down to the 5 year old touch rugby player, that provides that edge to keep the national teams winning again and again. With Rugby Link, the ARU has secured an Unfair Advantage in that international contest.

It can help them get to the final… but didn’t stop them against the mighty All Blacks

AddUp data in Grass roots activation

data pulse#21

Sierra Club is the USA’s largest grassroots environmental organisation, operating at national and chapter level, with more than 2 million members.

AddUp is Sierra Club’s digital platform, combining grassroots campaigning with the power of big data, predictive recommendations and integrated social sharing to encourage activism and demonstrate collective impact. It is a tool to move members through the defined ‘’engagement ladder’ to deliver the organisational commercial imperatives .

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The AddUp homepage shows petitions to sign, social media actions to take, events to attend and ways to recruit friends. With AddUp it is easy to see the difference that each action makes over time. Through real-time updates, campaigners can see how their involvement is driving the cause forward incrementally, and the chain reaction that follows.

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E.g. Thanks for engaging to support Dolphins in Florida. 155,000 people supported the petition (2550 in your state) and we forced the governor to change his mind about introducing a new law on fishing that would have destroyed Dolphin environment. Thank you. Would you now like to support this cause: stop introduction of pesticides that will kill Bees.

A predictive recommendation engine suggests campaigns to each user based on what is trending, location, personal interests and, most importantly, previous actions. By integrating across platforms, Sierra Club can track online and offline donations, petition signatures, membership, household groupings, account management, and participation in Sierra Club outings, pulling all of this data together to build a complete view of each member – allowing the user to see their cumulative impact, and Sierra Club to deliver more relevant, targeted comms.

a very female community

data pulse #43

sweaty betty founder.jpg

Sweaty Betty is a British retailer specialising in active wear for women, featuring in 30 UK stores and 2 new ones in New York and selling significantly digitally. Sweaty Betty aims to ‘inspire women to find empowerment through fitness’.

sweaty betty 2

Sweaty Betty distinguish themselves from the competition by moving beyond traditional retail practices to focus on building an active community. This is achieved through regular Sweaty Betty fitness classes that are actively promoted to its customers. These classes range from yoga, run clubs and boot camps right through to Pilates, and are held in Sweaty Betty stores around the world. For those who can’t attend in person, there are also online fitness classes.

sweaty betty 1