Super Balls have a lot in common with igniting word of mouth

Posted on December 29th, 2010 by Geno and currently 3 commenting.

Did you ever play with a Super Ball as a kid? It was a simple rubber ball that exploded in uncontrollable motion. A brief but I think an interesting history lesson: Super Ball was invented in 1965, and manufactured by Wham-O. It is an extremely elastic ball made of Zectron. The “surprising motions” of the Super Ball have led physics teachers to “use it as a counter-example to usual models of impacts. In the late 1960s Wham-O made a “giant” superball, roughly the size of a bowling ball, as a promotional stunt. It fell from the 23rd story window of an Australian hotel (or some reports say, from the roof) and destroyed a parked convertible car on the 2nd bounce.

Now back to my story, at first I would play with my Super Ball in a controlled situation, like my house, but after knocking over things and causing a lot of commotion my Mom eventually made me take it outside.

And there I would be standing on the driveway with my Super Ball, with one thought racing through my head. Do I dare rare-back and slam the ball against the concrete? Oh yes! One of the selling points was that it could bounce over a three story building. In my case, the thrill was not knowing where it was going to go. And then trying to follow the ball bouncing and darting for what seemed like miles.

The super ball analogy popped into my head in a meeting before the holidays. The one question that always comes up did, “what if people say saying things we can’t control?” I usually answer this question with words like, “people are already saying things, some you don’t like.” Still those words can hold an empty feeling of security for a company treading its way through the waters of engaging employees and customers in public conversations.

That’s when my Super Ball memories bounced in… you could walk right outside, slam that sucker on your driveway and chances are you’re never going to see that ball again. On the other hand, you can start in a more controlled way in a room like the living room, or if you’re lucky a basement. Where you can watch and learn the way it bounces and how it darts in uncontrollable angles. When you do take your prized ball of energy outside you know that all hell is going to break loose, and you better be ready to run and catch it. Sooner or later I would lose my prized Super Ball only to see the neighbor-kid down the street playing with his new-found Super Ball days afterward. Which didn’t really bother me, I guess I never felt true final ownership of something as powerful as the Super Ball.

Fast forward to today, here we are trying to get our clients to give up ownership of their super ball; word of mouth about their brand or products.

The lesson of the Super Ball teaches us to start slow, walking and talking with your customers to find out where you fit in their lives. Discovering how you can add value, and show them that you want to listen, not just do the talking.

And the final but in some ways most important Super Ball lesson, it’s going to be hard to keep that Super Ball of WOM once you let it loose, don’t be afraid. Enjoy watching those conversations bounce and dart, take those opportunities to join in the sharing.

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