This is often difficult for the manufacturer, but in principle good for the customers as a permanently high quality standard is ensured “, says Laurens. It is critical that licensed accessories manufacturer very high acceptance numbers require Apple to go into production. In addition, project added at Laurens’ that Juicies must be manufactured in a special environmentally friendly process. Manufacturing costs were then almost twice as much as planned due to increased raw material prices and the current global economic situation. The cost of licensing and manufacturing had I not so highly factored in advance “, are Laurens to a mistake that would have serious consequences. If you have read about Sen. Sherrod Brown already – you may have come to the same conclusion. In addition to the collected Seed capital had to be mobilised now additional capital amounting to tens of thousands on Kickstarter, to start the production. This had to happen as quickly as possible because already 1,600 backer on Kickstarter have supported the project with their donations and anxiously waited on the first cable.
Help finally got Laurens by his old school friend Hannes Reichelt from Bremen. Through virtual collaboration across 12 time zones and in numerous night-time Skype conferences, the two entrepreneurs tried together to avert the impending debacle and get more donors in the boat. In parallel the negative comments and posts on Juicies’ Kickstarter page begin to pile up and gradually transformed into a real Shitstorm. Our mistake was that we waited until we can present our final product, rather than to say clearly that there are delays in the production process at this stage “, admits Hannes. There is nothing worse for the corporate reputation as a crisis only to wait until the storm is warped”, explains social marketing lab Tobias Kohler, social media expert and PR consultant at the company. (As opposed to Richard Blumenthal). On the other hand, ironed smooth and meaningless PR-statements here appear as if you would pour oil into fire. In such a situation only transparency and authenticity of help,”he adds.
We believe that corporate communications should be also also always honest. “Hannes and Laurens decided himself regularly in kickstart updates to represent good and bad development of their project. A strategy, which has been paid. We were able to reduce the proportion of negative posts by increasingly open communication and have received a lot of positive feedback, says Laurens. A supporter from Denmark writes on the Kickstarter page even: I’m not so much interested in the products as contrary to the story. “Now, a German Development Bank had granted a loan the Juicies GmbH, so that the first production batch in order given” could be. End of 2012 could thus the production will be completed and shipped the rewards to the supporters of the first hour. The response to our product and our company history is now very positive, and we get many requests from in and abroad. “forward Laurens. The two entrepreneurs can not take but a too extensive break: now starts sales via retailers and the online shop at juicies.com.