A recent article in baselinemag.com mentions the influential power the online community for InterContinental Hotels Group has — for example, in a “brainstorming” area of the site, this question was posed, “What do you do with your loyalty club card?” The answer from more than 50 percent of respondents was that it was such a hassle to carry around so many cards that they often left them at home, sometimes missing out on earning opportunities. So, within four weeks, members were mailed a rewards card with space on the back for numbers of other loyalty programs. And the online community had input into the design. Today, these special members of IHG Priority Club Rewards can go online and enter up to 10 loyalty program numbers to be printed on the back of their card. The article contends that the online community has virtually replaced the need for expensive focus groups — and the time it takes to make changes has been vastly reduced.