Collaborative Consumption
What’s Mine is Yours by Rachel Botsman and Roo Rogers tackles the topic of collaborative consumption -- specifically, the creative ways in which some brands are appealing to consumers’ need for connection and a sense of community. Among the more interesting examples:
- How peer influence (“Join fellow guests in helping save the environment”) encouraged a hotel’s guests to re-use towels.
- How the Netflix model of sharing has been applied to toys (BabyPlays.com) and assorted unwanted stuff (freecycle.org).
- How a used clothing site, thredUP.com, has improved on eBay’s rating system, incorporating ratings for quality, style, and speed of delivery.
- Even big companies have caught on. Nike is not spending nearly as much on traditional advertising and celebrity endorsements as it did ten years ago. Instead it is investing in social hubs like Nikeplus, which is a community for runners.
- How Brainwash has made doing laundry a fun communal experience.
If you don't have time to read the book right now, we suggest you invest 15 minutes in Rachel Botsman's fascinating Ted Talk on collaborative consumption.