Tuesday, 24 September 2013
Brand Engagement
Marketers aim to manage brands effectively, but what exactly does that mean? Surely successful brands manage themselves? Do customers not decide the terms of a relationship with specific brands? In answer to these two questions: yes and yes. At least that is how successful marketers make it appear. This is all achieved by excelling at brand engagement.
Encouraging repeat or new customers to engage with a brand is not as straightforward as it may seem, but there are a number of techniques marketers can employ to stir interest in a service or product. Some methods are extremely obvious and others take are more subtle approach. The idea is to find what works best for a particular brand and continue with that method.
Brand engagement describes how a relationship begins, continues to grow and how it keeps the relationship going between an individual and a brand. Though different in a number of ways, engagement can occur through advertising directly, such as when marketers make a conscious effort to repeat a message to consumers. That message could be designed to administer a certain thought or discussion among your target market, such that a shared perception of the brand takes shape.
When a company, product, service or brand has had a strong image established, sentiment can be manipulated with a great deal of ease in a specific direction; for example, Sainsbury's has established itself as the UK's premium supermarket, when compared with ASDA, Tesco and other budget-driven stores. But Sainsbury's is in fact no different from any other supermarket in the UK; it sells pretty much the same goods, but the environment given off in the shop whilst customers are shopping gives a completely different experience compared to he other supermarkets. There is a perception of the quality of goods among customers being better. Sales can then become driven by choice, not price. Meaning customers are not thinking about the Value but more the quality. Sainsbury's is a typical supermarket where customers interact in a way with the stores brand in which the store is perceived to be of better quality than it competitors, therefore allowing Sainsbury's to sell the same goods as it competitors at higher prices, although it may no do on every product.
Engagement with brands can generate and emphasise awareness. And awareness is what governs exactly what a brand is able to achieve and what is not possible. Again using Sainsbury's as an example, in the late 1990's Sainsbury's entered a price war with Tesco's meaning it tried to convince its customers it had become a value driven supermarket, hey even enlisted the help of John Cleese in a failed attempt to convince its customers. Of course, they hadn't Sainsbury's made the mistake of trying to advertise its brand in a completely different direction to how its customers perceived it. A lesson Sainsbury's quickly learnt.
Going by Sainsbury's example, brand engagement can not only act as a catalyst for success it can also be a restraint to businesses. Peoples perceptions and attitudes are at times impossible to control, however they can be manipulated for example, an online business could attempt to offer a more relaxed and welcoming environment for its customers by doing something as simple as offering games, competitions and engaging content. Providing the changes are not only subtle but also relevant over time the way people view that company is likely to have improved.
The service-profit chain is another aspect of engagement that should not be overlooked, it governs the relationship between satisfaction and profitability (customers) and loyalty and productivity (employees). Basically meaning the better treatment your staff receive the better experience you customer will receive which will mean an increase in the input and output of a company.
Sunday, 22 September 2013
The Undeniable Power of Your Brand: The Secret Tool to Create Competitive Advantage
A few weeks ago, my husband and I signed up to ride in a cycling event in our local community. Great event, gorgeous ride, fun people, and a terrific cause: raising money for disadvantaged youth. Yes, this was a win/win all the way around, and a good way to invest our time and energy.
The morning of the ride, we showed up early, eager to sign in and get all of our free goodies and our t-shirts. Immediately, I noticed a former client of mine was sponsoring the event. I was thrilled; for them, this was the perfect fit, and a perfect way to spend their marketing resources expanding their brand.
Let me backup and explain. I have worked with this client, one of my favorites, on and off for years doing several keynote speaking engagements, coaching of high potentials, and some consulting. Their goal in everything has been to grow and expand market share through raising awareness of their brand and using brand awareness as a way to create competitive advantage. They were/are in an overcrowded market place (like so many of us) and creating a strong bond was a key way to distinguish themselves from their competition.
I was thrilled to see them as a sponsor and even more excited to see they had an entire team (wearing their company jerseys) riding in the event and working the crowd. Why? Why was this such a big deal, and why did what they chose to sponsor and invest their resources in matter? Because in today's economy, in the Trust and Value Economy, your brand is important, as it says volumes about who you are and what you stand for. These are the first things customers and prospects are looking for when they begin to "size" you up as a potential business partner. Remember, times have changed and the consumer is in control, what we sell has become a commodity, and how we sell it has become our competitive advantage. Customers are looking for both a reason to and not to choose us, and the first place they look is to whether our actions match our words. Does what you say, what you promise, match your actions?
Again, let me explain. My client is a healthcare organization committed to helping people live long and healthy lives. Their goal is to teach people about their health (body, mind, and spirit) and to empower them to take charge of their health. When we first started working together, many of their employees were terribly out of shape, their cafeteria served unhealthy food, and their marketing dollars were often spent on events that did not promote physical activity and one's that served unhealthy food choices.
Now, you ask what is wrong with that? You don't see anything wrong with a company promoting a little fried chicken and french fries. I mean we all like that now and then. Well sure we do, but when you are a company promoting health, in effect "selling" healthy habits, and pouring valuable resources and assets into telling people that the value of working with you is that they will gain the knowledge, skills, and promise of proactive health, then all of your actions suggest differently, well, you confuse your customers and create a lack of trust. It leaves them with uncertainty. Yes, it is subtle, but it is powerful.
However, if you are mindful of your brand, mindful of your actions, you will actually proactively create trust, and that trust (emotional bond) will differentiate you from your competition in the mind of your customer. Again, subtle but powerful.
The reason I was so happy to see my former customer sponsoring this event was that it said volumes about the changes they'd made and their level of commitment to their beliefs. This one event was a strong statement about who they are and what they stand for. Not only did they invest dollars to support the event, but their healthy team of fit riders also participated by cycling the century, working the crowd, and showing the community just how committed they are to a proactive, healthy lifestyle.
In addition, they have created and enrolled almost all of their employees in a wellness program and replaced their not so healthy cafeteria food with much healthier and fresher choices. Now, when you hear their name, you not only hear the promise of health, you see it, and you experience it.
This is an overcrowded market place, and consumers are overwhelmed with choice. What we sell has become a commodity, but how we sell it is our competitive advantage. The only thing making you stand out is how much your customers and prospects trust you and how much they believe you can add value. That all begins with the power of your brand; your true competitive advantage.
The Best Advice On Being A Logo Designer
1) LISTEN TO YOUR CUSTOMERS.
Consumers of a brand may discuss the brand and associate it with particular characteristics that can be incorporated into the design. For example, the logo of a technology company that aims to be cutting edge but is considered user friendly by consumers should cater to the views of the consumer and create a logo that is vibrant and colourful signifying user friendly technology.
The essence of logo design is for better brand recognition, when consumers begin to relate a brand to a particular feature then using that feature for the basis of a logo design would be the most effective thing to do.
2) DETERMINE THE BUDGET FOR LOGO DESIGN.
The cost incurred to a company while commissioning a project for logo design does not only include the costs incurred when relegating the task to a professional but also includes the costs incurred while printing the logo onto various marketing products. Highly successful logo designers will be able to determine if designs can be easily printed onto marketing products or if the costs of printing would be too high. This should be an important consideration for start ups which may not be able to spend too much on marketing.
3) DO NOT BE OVER SPECIFIC.
The logo design for any company should be a little broad based and not be too specific to the current business of the company. This is because a lot of companies, over time, broaden their business domain or change businesses. This will result in the logo becoming outdated.
A logo specifically designed to represent a particular business may have been great to start with but as businesses change, you will be forced to change the logo as it does not signify your current business. This might leave you at the cross roads as people may strongly connect the logo with your company and changing that might affect your brand identity.
4) PEOPLE SHOULD RELATE TO THE LOGO.
For a lasting and effective logo, the design of the logo should be such that it relates to the consumer and engages them. There should be a remarkable angle added to the logo that a consumer can associate with. A logo design company with a pulse on market trends will design logos that appeal to the common man without it being too difficult to comprehend. A logo design that is too complex for the layman will never become as popular as you would want it to be. The best way to ensure that your company gets a great logo is to entrust the job to a highly recommended graphic design company that would carry out intense market research before assigning a winning logo.
Max Chohan is a highly experienced web designer and graphic designer working for a leading graphic design company in Dubai.
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