Getting the vibe on an innovative firm
Ballarat has a finalist in the Dell 2009 Australian Small to Medium Business Excellence Awards.
Village Vibe, based at Mt Helen, has been chosen as one of the country’s top 10 innovative businesses in the globally run competition.
The company, owned by William Saxton, Roger Lowe and Paul Rhodes, uses word-of-mouth marketing to promote and test brands.
Consumers sign up to an online database and are then linked with an appropriate product to test with a group of friends.
The feedback provided is then passed on to the creator or manufacturer, while the product’s reputation gets passed around by the testers through chat and recommendations.
“If you can engage people in dialogue, get a two-way conversation happening, you’ve got a very powerful thing,” Mr Saxton said.
Village Vibe has worked with a range of companies, including testing series two of Rush for Channel Ten, Masterfoods and Kodak cameras.
They find appropriate consumers by their profile, communication skills and social networks then link them with the item.
“It’s a totally new concept for companies who are so used to advertising on TV, radio and in magazines.”
If they win the competition’s Australian stage, the prize including $25,000 of new technology, will be considered in the Global competition among 13 countries.
“We’ve done really well to get this far; it’s a bonus that someone has recognised us,” Mr Lowe said.
The Courier, 27 June 2009.
