Service Improvements: “Blog's the Word”

Blog's the word: B2C trade show blogs and "Duck House" community for service success

Cyber Coex online marketing team uses blogs, online trade shows to drive attendee numbers and improve customer service

While Facebook and Twitter have progressed in the Korean social 'net sphere, story-centric blogs remain the marketing tool of the masters in the country's unique internet structure. In 2011, Coex organized 20 trade shows, and created blogs and social hubs for 18 of them to promote exhibitors, popular items, and special events. The newly-established Cyber Coex trade show marketing team created the content, tying each show's content to the Cyber Coex online exhibition service, provided free to every potential event guest. Attendees can browse Coex exhibition products by category or show, deciding in advance whether they want to attend.

Cyber Coex campaigns and blogs have helped raised attendee numbers at all of Coex's shows since launch. Korea Food Expo, which was promoted through Cyber Coex, saw a 65% increase in registered attendees in 2011. Seoul International Bakery Fair, for which Cyber Coex conducted a viral baked-goods giveaway campaign in Seoul's arts district, saw 43% of its total ticket sales come in through Cyber Coex's website and ticket selling partner sites, when last year all sales were offline. Both shows were regarded as major domestic and international successes.

Blogs have been used for Coex's internal efforts as well. Early in 2011, a task force of the center's most creative employees was formed to find and fix returning customer issues in every aspect of the center's businesses, from consulting to shopping, exhibiting to parking. The "Duck House", armed with cameras and named for the Korean association of ducks with diligence, walks the sprawling center grounds to d0cument possible hang-ups in service. Issues and proposed solutions are posted on group blog, with contributors commenting and illustrating their ideas with images. So far, the group has modernized public lighting design, streamlined cleaning schedules, improved weathered flooring, replaced outdating meeting furnishings, and more.

Along with Cyber Coex, the Duck House's detailed, innovative work was one of the main qualifiers for the KMAC Customer Service Prize that Coex received in October.

Find out more @ Coex Wins Top Management Prize for Customer Service