Cloud CRM Software Forum

The de-evolution of Social CRM (courtesy of Devo)

One of my favorite bands is Devo. They're the ultimate insider's band; most people know them for their herky-jerky rhythms, bizarre videos and various weird new-wave personas, but if you pay attention to what they're saying you'll see some incisive social critics at work. They indict consumer culture, superficial status-seeking and human laziness in a cutting, almost misanthropic way. They're so effective at it that even when they sell out – like letting a beer company use their song "Freedom of Choice" or Target use "Beautiful World" in commercials—they still deliver a sting, because the points of the songs are the exact opposite of what the companies think they're communicating. (It's called irony, people. Check the dictionary.)

Now, Devo is turning its sights directly on the Social CRM concept of consumer input into product creation. As always, the band isn't skewering the concept itself; it's skewering the way business tends to take the hot concepts of the day and apply them nonsensically.

The band's first album in 20 years will be guided entirely by focus groups, from instrumentation to their costuming, according to Greg Scholl, the "CEO" of Devo Inc.

"In the spirit of trying to bring the best possible content to a world that seems to be reaching a boiling point, Devo wants to know what you, the hairy content consumers, really think," explained Scholl in a rather funny video, which you can see the social content video here."[We have] initiated a series of studies to help the band determine every decision it makes regarding its body coverage, its brand color, its graphic icons and even its choice of vocal, style and instrumentation on any given song."

The band will be doing this "focus group" at the Coachella Music Festival, giving them a chance to spoof this process in several ways (the band certainly won't offer options it doesn't want to show up on the album; it will surely skewer the notion of bogus "focus grouping" that's really not-so-well-disguised guerilla marketing, etc.) while also conducting a genuine relationship-building experiment.

In a second social media video, Scholl demonstrates that the band is conducting social media monitoring – and reacting to what it hears in completely ineffective ways. "JohnnyLovelyOffice wrote, 'lol wtf This guy doesn't sound like he means it,'" reads Scholl. "'He just sounds like he's some random guy reading this.' In response to this, I've decided to read the communiqués with more passion and drive. I hope this gusto in tone improves the experience for all of you." Scholl then introduces some user-generated content in the form of a home-made Olympics-themed music video.

The genius of this is that the band is using these CRM ideas to its benefit while at the same time poking fun at them – and that they're mocking these ideas before they've really reached the mainstream of business is pretty fascinating. They're anticipating the widespread mis-use of these concepts, and only time will tell how prescient they may be.