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c h a p t e r10: SOCIAL OBJECTS■Finally, I asked Andrew about the growth of Found Animals’ Pet Club and
its further plans to continue building its programs around the care and concern for
animals.
“Let me preface this by saying in most cities once you adopt a pet and
leave the animal care facility you’re on your own. Your vet is available by
appointment and for a fee. Your friends, family, and neighbors who have
pet experience are available as well, when you can get their attention.
Generally, there is no single, centralized resource with trusted informa-
tion and a knowledge base built on personal experiences of thousands
of pet owners. The goal of Found Animals and our Pet Club is to serve
that need. Through social media, we’ve listened to our community and
they have clearly expressed a desire for a tool like this that is not linked
to an exclusive commercial product or line of products or a corporation
with commercial goals. Our Pet Club will be a living, breathing and very
personal online experience that will rely upon medical and professional
experts, as well as the expertise of pet owners like you and me.”
What is particularly impressive about Found Animals is the way in which they
have naturally integrated social-media-based marketing and community participation
(both online and off) into the operational design and marketing of the foundation.
Carrying this further, by listening carefully to their customers and community stake-
holders, Found Animals has identified a clear need and a larger, more-valued service
offering that it is now building into. That’s social business, in action.Identify Existing Social Objects
Existing social objects—the things that audiences are already organizing around—are
generally centered on lifestyles, passions, and causes—the things that people think
about frequently during the day or are involved with.Lifestyles
Lifestyles make great social objects: People naturally tend to associate based on life-
style choices—values, preferences, care, and concerns, and the ways in which these
personal choices are made visible. Lifestyle is closely related to things like personal
identity and culture: The Catalan culture in Spain, the Sikh traditions in India, the
Cajun culture of Louisiana, the historical interests that power the Daughters of the
American Revolution, or the surf lifestyle (complete with Dick Dale’s Lebanese-
inspired surf sound) of California...are all at the centers of powerful, compelling, and
long-standing communities. Can your brand compete with these, or would it better to
join into them and bring some unique benefits that connect the participants in commu-
nities like these to your business or organization?