Companies That Get It – Pandora
This is the first post of our “Companies that get it” series that works to highlight businesses that are on forefront of social media using creative and effective uses of emerging technologies to run and improve their business.
Company - Pandora
Description – Pandora is an automated music recommendation and Internet radio service created by the Music Genome Project. Users enter a song or artist that they enjoy, and the service responds by playing selections that are musically similar. Users provide feedback on the individual song choices — approval or disapproval — which Pandora takes into account for future selections.
Social Media Usage – Blogging, Event Planning, Conversation Monitoring, Video, Flickr, Facebook, MySpace and Twitter.
How They Stand Out – Pandora understands the opportunities that a passionate user base can create. If you have a comment about the service (good or bad) and Twitter about it odds are you will get a response quickly with a note of appreciation for feedback or an attempt to correct a problem. All of their mediums for communication remind the user of the value they put in the feedback that is provided.
I+A stresses the importance of being genuine in your social media efforts and this is reflected in the honest and transparent ways in which Pandora communicates with its users. You get the feeling that the employees love what they do and believe in the company which really draws people in. Everyone is very accessible.
Pandora has also leveraged the interest of its users to host events hosted all over the country from listening parties to meetups. To add another element of connectivity there is a good deal of video giving you inside glimpses into some of the processes and happenings of the company.
Pandora’s communications team has built up the trust of its user base with honest and effective connections. Practices like this have undoubtedly gone a long way to make Pandora the popular service it is today.
Know of a company that you think “gets” it? Drop us a line at ideasandangles [at] gmail [dot] com.
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Tags: Companies That Get It, Examples, Ideas And Angles, Pandora, Social Media, Whole Foods
Sep 03, 2008
Great post Zach. I love Pandora and all that they do. That is probably why I tell everyone I know that uses a computer about them and how much I love them. They reached me and I have turned into an evangelist for them. Social Media marketing efforts exactly how they should be. Props to you for the post and props to Pandora for their outstanding work and transparency.
Sep 03, 2008
Wow, thanks so much for the compliments, Zach! (and Chris)
I’m honored that you find our work creative and effective.
You’re right, we do love and believe in Pandora, and I’m glad that comes across.
Your post put a smile on my face. : )
Thank you,
Lucia Willow
Pandora
Sep 09, 2008
I don’t want to sound like one of those “I have been listening to pandora since before everyone else” kind of guys, but I have been a fan for a while now and it really is an amazing service. I truly hope that they will remain in opperation as the lisencing cost continue to go up.