What Jones is Doing Well

Authenticity: Jones is seen as an authentic company. What helps cultivate this feeling is the small size of the company. I believe it is easier for consumers to trust smaller companies as opposed to large corporations like Apple and Microsoft. The small size of Jones allows them to establish more personal relationships with their fans. Also, Jones does a good job with responding to questions/comments/concerns through Twitter and Facebook. This aids in solidifying an authentic and trustworthy reputation among consumers.

Cultivate Relationships: Going along with this idea of authenticity is the process of cultivating positive relationships with your customers. Once consumers trust you it is essential to build relationships with them. This is done by responding to customer feedback, which Jones does well, and creating campaigns that foster consumer interaction. Jones fulfills this second requirement by offering video contests (i.e. Whoopass advertisement), trivia contests using Facebook, and continuing the policy that requires every bottle to have a fan-submitted photo on it. All three of these actions develop positive relationships with customers as well as build the desire to be a part of Jones Soda's "inner circle."

What Jones Could be Doing Better

No Digital Litter: Let me start by saying that Jones has done a quality job with their website. However, there is always room for improvement, and cleaning up the website would be a start. It is artistic, enjoyable, and reflects the company perfectly. Nevertheless, it is somewhat cluttered. There are far too many pull-down menus, and it can be overwhelming when you are looking for a specific piece of information. The homepage looks great, but the second you want to browse the rest of the site, you get lost. Jones should start by deleting several of the pull-down menu options, thereby allowing individuals to more easily navigate and find what they are looking for. This is the only area that immediately stands out as a weakness. Other than that, Jones is doing everything right and my hope is that they continue to build their brand in the global marketplace.