Real Marketing: The Power of Customer Delight

When you were a child, you probably didn't like it much when your mother made you vacuum around the house. You probably still don't much like vacuuming - it's a thankless, seemingly never-ending task. But there's one group of people who don't mind vacuuming at all. In fact, they're absolutely delighted about it. They are the folks who own an iRobot Roomba, the cute little robotic vacuum that zips around rooms, avoiding furniture and other obstacles, tirelessly sniffing up dirt, dust, and dog hair.

People love their little Roombas. They name them, talk to them, and even buy a second Roomba so that the first one won't be lonely. Many Roomba owners, spend more time watching their little petlike robots than they would spend vacuuming a room themselves. Recognizing the strong attachments that many Roomba owners have to these personable little machines, iRobot does all it can to involve its customers in everything from product development to technical support, turning them into an army of Roomba consumer evangelists and marketing partners. 

iRobot began in the 1990s, building serv devices for the U.S. military small robots called Packbots are now used to diffuse improvised explosive devices ( IEDs ) in Iraq or explore caves in Afghanistan. Based on this advanced technology, the company introduced its first Roomba in 2002. Made up of more than 100 plastic parts, motors, controllers, sensors, brushes, and a dustbin, the 10 - pound Roomba uses a sophisticated algorithm to scoot around a room, even going under tables, chairs, sofas, and beds. When it runs into obstacles, it figures out how to clean around them. And when its rechargeable battery begins to lose its charge, the Roomba finds its way to its home base unit, plugs itself in, and recharges automatically. Owners can even program more expensive models to clean at certain times of the day or days of the week, even when no one is home.

In the summer of 2002, iRobot negotiated distribution deals with Brookstone and Sharper Image, and Roomba sales took off. " Spon, the company began getting calls from major chains such as Target, Kohls, and Linens in Things. 

iRobot's factory churned out 50,000 units just to meet that year's holiday demand. Then the real fun began. As iRobot received Roombas back for servicing, customer service reps noted that many owners were customizing and humanizing their little robotic assistants. Rather than selling just a high-tech household appliance, it seems that iRobot had invented a new kind of family pet .. Reps reported that owners were often painting their Roombas and referring to them by name and gender. The most popular name was Rosie after the robotic maid on the classic animated TV series, The Jetsons. Before long, delighted Roomba owners became iRobot's best marketing partners.

An independent Web site sprang up, myRoomBud.com, offered RoomBud costumes that transform a Roomba from " just a naked vacuum " into a lovable character such as " Roobit the Frog, " " Moomba the Cow, " or " RoomBette La French Maid. " The site even lets Roomba enthusiasts print out official-looking birth certificates for their newly adopted robotic pets.

Smitten Roomba Owners by the hundreds began posting video clips of their Roombas in action on Youtube. One mounted a camera on his Roomba to create a RoombaCam. Other Roomba customers created the Roomba review website (www.roombareview.com) which features news, chats, product reviews, and hacker information.

Billed as the official Roomba lover's forum, Roomba Review is loaded with posts and comments on everything from shared Roomba experiences and adventures to information on differences between models, tips on finding a Roomba at a good price, and tech support questions and answers - all supplied by customers. A disclaimer at the bottom notes that the Web site " is not affiliated with iRobot Corporation ( We're just really big fans of the Roomba vacuum ! ) " Noting all of this customer enthusiasm and delight, iRobot developed programs to strengthen and organize the growing sense of community among Roomba owners. For example, it opened its programmatic interface, encouraging owners, amateur robotics enthusiasts, and others to develop their own programs and use the Roomba It also set up an iRobot Create Web site ( www.irobot.com / create ); where customers could show off their latest inventions. These actions turned Roomba owners into a community of amateur tinkerers and hobbyists.

Customers themselves began to develop improved features that IRobot would later adopt. By monitoring interactions with and among enthusiastic Roomba customers, iRobot was able to discover product problems and additional customer needs. Complaints that animal hair often clogged the machines led the company to introduce the Roomba for Pets model, featuring easy-to-clean brushes that make removing pet hair easier. For customers who wanted a robotic " floor mopper, " iRobot introduced the Scooba floor washer, another personable little gizmo that preps, washes, scrubs, and squeegees tile, linoleum, and hardwood floors " so that you don't have to " For customers who complained about cleaning gutters, iRobot developed the Loo ] Gutter Cleaning Robot. The Verro Pool. Cleaning Robot " gets pools deep down clean from floor to waterline - just drop it in and let go!" Customers are now clamoring for a Roomba lawn mower!