How Ratings & Reviews Became the Most Valuable Brand Advice for 3M

ConnectedInfluence

A note for marketersFueled by rapid adoption of eCommerce models and social technologies, customer-led disruption will continue to arrive unexpectedly on 3M’s doorstep. Buyers want things faster, better, often cheaper and with a higher degree of service – and technology makes it possible for them to get what they want from any corner of the globe. Connections between buyers, consumers and manufactures through mobile devices have become ubiquitous. Buyers have more power than ever. With online product reviews and buyer ratings, 3M customers know more about our products, our service, our competitors, and pricing than we ever imagined.

3M’s Investment in Global eTransformation

In 2012, 3M embarked on a remarkable journey to take advantage of multiple sources of digital data around customers and markets to strengthen our connectivity to Buyers, and expand our channel coverage. With appropriate privacy safeguards, eTransformation programs like Product reviews and buyer ratings uses this customer intelligence to gain insight at scale, which leads to stronger engagement across multiple touch points.

Raj Rao, Vice President 3M Global eTransformation

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The Connected Economy: North America Edition

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Table of Contents

A note for marketers 1

The world in reviews 4

3M by the numbers 14

Why are ratings & reviews critical to my business? 18

3M case studies and successes 22

The emergence of global customer influence 38

About 3M 41

About Bazaarvoice 41

48k 4.35

145k 4.23

67k 4.08

10k 4.31

60k 4.2165k

3.9415k 4.06

3k 4.37

7k 4.18

6K 4.47

19K 4.3913K

4.39

43K 4.33

635K 4.33

1,070K 3.97

20K 4.36

<1K 4.02

<1K 4.48

<1K 4.69

<1K 4.09

<1K 4.62

<1K 4.62

1k 4.35

2K 4.28

63,941K 4.21

1,062K 4.19

53K 4.67

85K 4.47

97K 4.42

62K 3.64

2k 4.36

The world in reviewsThe blue map indicates the number of reviews collected and average star rating of those reviews on the Bazaarvoice platform globally as of December 2013.

The red overall shows the total number of reviews and average star rating that 3M has collected as of December 2013.

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2,695 4.63

6 4.20

617 2.50

87 4.50

442 4.49

4 5.00

27 4.08

61,594 4.65

1,455 4.94

381 4.86

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This is a great firestopping product, I have never had an Architect reject this product. Cleans up with water and meets the US Government’s Made in America requirements.

– Metalman16, St. Joseph, MO

In the construction industry which we

are a part of, this tape is recommended for barrier control. Dust

and dirt does not prevent the tape from

sticking and the color is warning to not enter.

– ICRA, Leesburg, FL

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3M™ Fire Barrier Sealant CP 25WB+, 2 gallon, Pail

3M™ Automotive Refinish Masking Tape, 06654, 36 mm x 55 m

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62.2% of surveyed B2B professionals read user Ratings & Reviews for business products or services. -- Business.com

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92% of consumers around the world say they trust earned media, such as WoM and recommendations from friends and family, above all other forms of advertising. -- Nielsen’s April 2012 Global Trust in Advertising Survey of more than 28,000 Internet respondents in 56 countries

I have tried several different headlight restoration products over the past few years, and this 3M restoration kit is by far the best. Most products don’t include the tools to remove deep scratches and yellowing. They basicly give you the buffing compound used in the final step with the 3M kit. This would probably work if your headlights only have mild hazing. But, the sanding discs included with the 3M kit makes it much easier to restore badly damaged headlamp covers back to new or almost new condition. I would highly recomment this product to anyone needing headlight restoration.

– AmyG, Downingtown, PA

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3M™ Headlight Lens Restoration System, 39008

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AVERAGE STAR RATING:

4.5

LANGUAGES10

TOTAL NUMBEROF REVIEWERS

46,000TOTAL NUMBER OF PRODUCTS WITH REVIEWS:

3,060BY THENUMBERS

54,000TOTAL REVIEWS

ACROSS ALL OF 3M

• 3M ESPE, US• Littmann, US & Canada (EN/FR)• Ace™ Brand, US• Command™ Brand UK, US, Australia, Argentina, Mexico, Singapore, Brazil• Filtrete™, US• Futuro™, US, Australia• Innovation Center, US HQ• Littmann, US & Canada• Nexcare™, US, Chile, Australia, Mexico• O-Cel-O™, US• Post-it® Brand US, Australia, Argentina, Chile, Columbia, Brazil• PostItTeachers, US• Scotch® Brand US, Chile, Indonesia, UK, Argentina

• Scotch-Brite™, US, Chile, Singapore, Mexico, Argentina, Indonesia, Korean, Portuguese,• Scotchblue™, US• Scotchgard™, US• Tekk, US• Window Film, US• Shop3M, US & UK• Pruven™ Pet Products, US• 3M Home Energy, US• 3M Animal Care, US• Scotch® Brand Mounting & Fastening, US• 3M DIY, US• Workspace Solutions, US• SkinAndWoundCare, US, UK

REVIEWS ARE CURRENTLY LIVE ON:

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Bazaarvoice Conversations Index Ratings & Reviews volume July 2012 – June 2013

Bazaarvoice Conversations Index Consumer Sentiment Performance July 2012 – June 2013

Why are ratings and reviews critical to business?

Convert more buyers. Review content increases online conversion & offline conversion during the Zero Moment of Truth.

Identify advocates & increase brand engagement. Grow consumer engagement and education as buyers seek information and interact with the brand and peer content.

Transform Media with buyer advocacy. Review content is media agnostic and can be used to re-market to buyers in Paid, Owned, & Earned Media.

Learn efficiently through direct buyer insights. Through an always-on focus group, gather feedback on products, usage, and brand benefits by buyer segment.

Improve SEO.

Use the consumer’s own language to be more findable in search.

88% of Business Technology Professionals use Social Media for Business Decision Making.

- Forrester, 201019

In the B2B world, reviews can be even more crucial {than in B2C} as buyers are tasked with buying higher volumes and often higher priced items while facing challenges like inventory turn and P&L. -Ecommerce Insights, 2012

3M allows two-way conversations between the brand and customer online.3M makes a point to open the door to two-way conversations.

All consumer brands respond publically and privately to reviews. The Consumer Business Group emails consumers directly for all one, two and three star reviews. All brands’ 1-2 star reviews receive both a private email to the consumer and a public response.

According to a recent Bazaarvoice research study, when a brand responds publicly to negative reviews, the purchase intent increases by as much as 186%.

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Scotch® Brand edits online product descriptions to more closely reflect the way consumers are using and describing the product features and benefits.

Originally, marketing copy focused on technical specs and lab benefits, with insights from reviews copy was enhanced to include different benefits that served the needs and use of the product.”

Scotch® Brand incorporated user-generated content to better communicate the different ways people were using their scissors.

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Original consumer sentiment from 3M (top), shown with the updated description on Scotchbrand.com (bottom).

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Continued, consumer-informed marketing led to sales growth.

Scotch® Brand monitored sales of two different scissors, The Scotch™ Precision Ultra Edge Non-stick Scissors which received a makeover with user-generated infused content and a similar product that did not get the new copy makeover.

The Scotch™ Precision Ultra Edge Non-stick Scissors immediately began building sales volume growth.

2.4

1.6

0.8

0.0

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Scotch-Brite™ improves a product using UGC and builds consumer trust.

Although overall sales of the Scotch-Brite dishwand were high, review ratings mysteriously began plummeting.

After investigating review content, 3M found that the words “leaky” and “button” were commonalities among the negative reviews. They were able to identify that a new button could result in leaks and worked with the supplier to quickly resolve the issue.

3M customer care was able to reach out to all the reviewers who had complained about the product leaking and offered a free replacement dishwand.

another back blue bought button buy defect design

disappointed falls first flaw handle leaks new one place

poor problem purchased redesign replaced rubber stay store time wand weeks works

years

3M ESPE confirms importance of dentist-to-dentist word of mouth.

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3M ESPE’s Director of Marketing, Keith Haig, wasn’t seeing the number of reviews he wanted on dental products. To help this, he enlisted the help of dentist input at the Dentaltown “Townie” meeting.

While at the conference, the company also conducted extensive interviews with attendees that confirmed what Haig already suspected: When dentists are making buying decisions, word of mouth in the form of reviews by other dentists is extremely influential.

Haig’s idea to engage dentists at the event generated a 200% increase in review volume for 3M ESPE during the conference. A post-event email appeal for ratings and reviews to the entire Dentaltown database – not just those at the meeting – caused another surge in reviews.

Ultimately, pre- and post-meeting communications to this key group generated 80% of all the reviews appearing on 3M ESPE’s website the week after the event.

I am a lunch lady at a local high school. Dishes are our middle name! The Doodlebug get the pans sparkling clean ASAP!! I actually get them from our custodian. I even started to buy them for my kitchen at home. No need for scour pads & SOS pads. Doodlebug’s are all you need to get your kitchen clean in a hurry! Thank YOU 3M!!

– pattycakes, Long Beach, CA

“I have been a fan of 3M Virtua Protective Eyewear for years. They are a most economical way to protect your sight not only from debris but the bright sun as well. The hard coat grey lenses are a blessing when working outdoors or in bright environments. And I love the fact that when you slip them on top of your head they won’t fall off. The wide temples and ear pieces make them super comfortable. Accept no lookalikes, buy 3M and you’ll enjoy the best in eye safety!

– Walter77, Orange County, NY

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3M™ Virtual™ Protective Eyewear AP, 11815-00000-20 Gray Hard Coat Lens

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3M™ Doodlebug™ Brown Scrub ‘n Strip Pad 8541, 4.625 in x 10 in

78% of B2B buyers go directly to vendors’ websites.- 2012 B2B Buyer Behavior Report, DemandGen

Put content where it counts.

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3M™ Finesse-it™ II Finishing Material-Machine Polish, 39003, 16 fl oz60440095168

I have been using this product for the last 15 years without fail. As a former professional detailer, I still use this product on my personal cars today. Its versatility is remarkable. I have only had a few instances where I needed to use a more abrasive product to complete the job. Properly applied, there is no swirl marks, gouges or other issues w/ this product.

– badbasic, Albemarle, NC

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50% of B2B buyers turn to social media/peer reviews.- 2012 B2B Buyer Behavior Report, DemandGen

3M™ Safety-Walk™ Slip-Resistant General Purpose Tapes and Treads 610, Black, 6 in x 24 in, Tread

This tape is a life saver in my dry clean plant and laundry area where moisture and chemicals can be a problem for anything sticky. It really is strong and stays put so I can rest assured my employees are in a safer work environment. – JoeM, Atlanta, GA

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THE EMERGENCE OF GLOBAL CUSTOMER INFLUENCE

TO DATE:

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32,000,000 IMPRESSIONS500,000 SYNDICATED REVIEWS

Since the first review hit 3M’s Scotch® Brand’s site in September 2009, nearly 5 years of 3M consumer reviews have turned up outstanding results. Today, all 5 business groups are collecting reviews, tracking across 12 countries in 10 languages.

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About BazaarvoiceBazaarvoice is a network that connects brands and retailers to the authentic voices of people where they shop. Each month, more than 400 million people view and share authentic opinions, questions and experiences about tens of millions of products in the Bazaarvoice network. The company’s technology platform amplifies these voices into the places that influence purchase decisions. Network analytics help marketers and advertisers provide more engaging experiences that drive brand awareness, consideration, sales and loyalty. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, Bazaarvoice has offices across North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific. For more information, visit www.bazaarvoice.com, read the blog at www.bazaarvoice.com/blog, and follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/bazaarvoice.

About 3M3M captures the spark of new ideas and transforms them into thousands of ingenious products. Our culture of creative collaboration inspires a never-ending stream of powerful technologies that make life better. 3M is the innovation company that never stops inventing. With $30 billion in sales, 3M employs 88,000 people worldwide and has operations in more than 70 countries.

For more information, visit www.3M.com or follow @3MNews on Twitter.

3M is a trademark of 3M Company.

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