With its stylish and comfortable shoes and bags made out of recycled plastic water bottles, Rothy's bridges the gap between fashion and sustainability. But it has also tapped into the holy grail of customer experience: word-of-mouth marketing. Rothy's shoes were originally designed for women on the go who needed comfortable shoes that were still stylish. Many Rothy's customers share similar stories of trying different types of shoes before finding Rothy's and jumping into a sustainable brand that helps them look and feel good. Rothy's customers are fiercely loyal to the brand and often become brand advocates as they share their excitement for the products and brand with family and friends. Elie Donahue, Senior Vice President of Marketing at Rothy's, says there are three elements to turning customers into brand advocates. First is the product itself. Word-of-mouth marketing doesn't happen unless there is a product people love and truly want to tell their friends about. Rothy's innovative and sustainable manufacturing practices are matched with comfort and durability that resonates with customers. Second is the customer-to-customer connection. Because Rothy's customers love the product so much, they automatically feel a connection to other Rothy's wearers. If a woman sees someone on the street or in an elevator also wearing Rothy's, Donahue says those customers instantly feel a special bond. Loyal Rothy's customers have organically created huge online communities, which have expanded to real-life meetups at Rothy's stores. Customers want to advocate for Rothy's because of their passion for the brand and what it stands for. The last element of creating brand advocates is how the brand connects with its customers. Rothy's aims to create brand moments people can connect with. That means regularly sharing its founding values via email and social media to create shareable content. Rothy's also involves customers in many events, such as its Vote It Back program where customers vote to bring back a discontinued style. Donahue points to the recent launch of Rothy's recycling program when the brand invited customers to bring their old Rothy's shoes and bags to stores to be recycled into thread. Involving customers in the brand process and showing they are part of something bigger makes customers feel valued and gives them something to tell their family and friends. By turning its customers into loyal brand advocates, Rothy's has created a strong community that stands by the company's values. Delivering a high-quality product and building relationships strengthens all aspects of the customer experience. *This episode is sponsored by Quiq. Quiq is a leading conversational AI platform that drives two-way conversations to deliver a better experience for people and brands. Quiq enables enterprises to connect and engage in two-way conversations with their customers across varied messaging channels — including Facebook Messenger — in more than 170 languages. Quiq is the future of business-to-consumer messaging; it's the wingman every brand and CX'er needs. _______________ Blake Morgan is a customer experience futurist, keynote speaker, and author of the bestselling book The Customer Of The Future. For regular updates on customer experience, sign up for her weekly newsletter here. Join the new Customer Experience Community here.

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