Your social media customer should be at the heart of everything you do as a brand marketer. The report The 7 Whiteboard Sessions Every Social Media Strategist Needs to Have in 2012 by Spredfast highlights the biggest areas for opportunity and resolution across the workplace.
Customer experience – it isn’t just for B2C companies anymore.
This article by Jennifer Barron, Jesse Purewal and Nancy Lu in January’s Marketing Daily discusses the bottom-line benefits traditional B2B companies like GE, Caterpillar and UPS have enjoyed by focusing on the customer experience.
Key take-away: The attributes that drive purchase and loyalty in B2B categories can be delivered as a customer experience for competitive advantage.
In today’s global marketplace, products and services will evolve and change, but the drivers of customer loyalty will remain the same. According to Barron, there is no better way to create this loyalty than to define, develop and deliver an experience that defines the brand and makes competitors irrelevant. Click here to read full story.
Out-Branding (Emirates)
We talked in the last newsletter about how marketers will be focusing on building an authentic voice in 2012. Emirates® is doing an exciting job of telling its imaginative story worldwide through its Hello TomorrowSM marketing campaign.
Hello Tomorrow tells the story of how Emirates airline unites people, places and cultures through business and personal exploration of other countries. Videos, digital content, social media, placement in outdoor, print, TV, radio and online sites all contribute to a fresh breath in the air.
Unapologetically luxurious, Emirates recalls the golden age of air travel when flying was an exciting adventure and you dressed up as if you were going to a special event. Pictures of sky lounges, shower suites, filet mignon dinners, stylish (and yet modest) hostesses and TVs and phones in every seat back make you think of the world’s finest hotels rather than an airline. Customer service and customer experience is the constant message of the brand.
The website Emirates.com is particularly effective at telling the brand story. From the neutral earth tones that convey desert sand in a chic way, to the exciting photography that draws you into the Emirates story of exotic locals, interesting people and the life-changing nature of foreign travel. The implication is clear: Flying with Emirates is an adventure – more like a cruise ship than the “bus” so many airlines are today.
Upcoming website features (you can register now) invite readers to contribute their adventures, music and pictures. “Harmony” will allow you to create your own global song with nine musicians. “Share a Smile” will let you send unique greetings to your friends from Emirates and “World Streets” will let you explore the great cities of the world online.
Even when talking about the basic in-flight services of the airline like menus and in-flight entertainment, the copy and photos are luxurious and draw you in. I found myself spending a lot of time reading about wine pairings for lobster dinners and spa lounges even though I’m not flying overseas any time soon!
The coordinated campaigns use the same colors and themes as found on the website and focus on what travel brings you – adventure, discovery, human connection, personal growth – rather than airplane features or one-time statistics.
Online ads and facebook campaigns encourage travelers to share their experiences traveling (with Emirates, of course) with pictures and conversations – including feedback on the ads. The focus on bringing the world together is consistent throughout with a wide diversity of actors and travel scenarios.
In one ad, a British and an Indian woman share shelter somewhere in India during a sudden rainstorm The ad says “Tomorrow Brings Us All Closer.” It is simple and compelling. It conveys culture, travel, adventure, and bonding experiences in one quick snapshot and there’s nary an airplane in sight. One facebook reader makes a joke about the Indian woman’s expression – which is the point. These aren’t typical actors smiling for the camera – it is a snapshot in time that you might take while traveling…if you worked for National Geographic and were a world-class photographer.
In conclusion, the Emirates brand campaign offers a true 1:1 customer experience – tailored to customers’ needs, dreams and imagination. Emirates makes you want to try an adventure for yourself. Always wanted to see Wimbledon? A live concert on the other side of the world? Cricket in India? Emirates will make it happen for you. The copy is brilliant in its simplicity and clarity. The brand prompts the imagination and makes me want to buy a ticket today!
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Brand Intelligence
Next year B2B marketers will see a lot of activity around branding and building an authentic “voice” for the brand – particularly online. These trends not only impact the look and feel of a brand, but also what it stands for and the story it tells to prospects, partners and investors. Recent 2012 trend presentations at the Web 2.0 Summit by Mary Meeker, Analyst at KCPB and Joanne Bradford, CMO of Demand Media highlighted the requirement for story authenticity and content differentiation in 2012.
In her “12 Trends” presentation, Meeker talks about “authentic identity,” and how, in the age of ubiquitous technology, it is becoming increasingly difficult for people–and companies–to hide. Every prospect, client and partner of your brand is weighing how much information to share–and what to hold back. What we say must be truthful, consistent and real. She observes that social networking is proving to be not just a powerful engagement model, but also a pervasive new wave of opportunity that spans the online experience.
Slides of particular interest include:
- 20-22: projected growth of mobile advertising
- 35-40: online and mobile advertising opportunities
- 42: content creation
- 51-52: authentic voice
Bradford talks about how to create a meaningful story that captures attention and differentiates you from the competition. “Every expert deserves to be followed,” she says. The old ways of content creation are antiquated and new media offers new ways to tell a story. New communications must be clear and simple.
What do these digital trends mean to a B2B brand marketer? To me it seems that a brand needs to create a story and own it. The brand must be uniquely positioned against the competition through its story across every platform – especially smartphones.
These web trends toward differentiated content and authentic identities also make me think about brand naming. In 2012, expect names to become conceptual, as there are more than one million names, taglines and logos registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Names that are coined, abstract, or arbitrary stand the greatest chance of clearing the multilayer of the naming process.
As abstract names become more common, storytelling will increase in prominence. More than ever, brands are increasingly accountable to a vocal and socially networked public, so the story and the name are even more mutually intertwined.
It is critical to take a holistic approach to the brand and look at it from every angle for consistency, authenticity and unique positioning. Happy 2012 planning!
Out-Branding
When it comes to digital marketing, Bell Helicopter really gets it. Their Your Mission campaign is one of the best I’ve seen for tying in digital communications, branding, web presence and a brand message that works. Each new piece of the digital puzzle fits seamlessly with the others and each piece focuses on customer needs.
I like the campaign because it elevates the “nuts and bolts” of helicopter operation to life-saving tools that serve a higher purpose. As part of its growing digital strategy, Bell Helicopter launched its redesigned www.bellhelicopter.com “internet presence” in order in March to reach new and prospective customers, helicopter enthusiasts and industry professionals and tell the story about its industry-leading aviation technology.
By showing the many mission critical uses for a Bell Helicopter, a brand story is communicated to customers, potential customers, investors and industry partners. Its “ripped from the headlines” approach brings in a sense of urgency and relevancy.
Everything on the new site is aimed at the customer experience rather than what Bell Helicopter wanted to tell customers, prospects and partners about itself, per se. One of the clever aspects of this site is its clean, user-friendly navigation, which helps visitors find information tailored to their interests – fast.
Over 90 percent of content displays in only two or three clicks. Visitors can explore owning a Bell Helicopter including mission solution overviews, commercial and military aircraft platforms, support and service offerings, enhanced supplier information, career opportunities and a blog from CEO John L. Garrison. In addition, Bell Helicopter uses the site to generate feedback, share success stories and highlight customer successes.
It invites a high level of interaction and transparency with its customers. While this approach encourages negative as well as positive communications, it is very authentic and sets Bell Helicopter apart from its aerospace peers.
In another unusual twist, Bell Helicopter took a holistic approach to the website and brought together teams from aircraft manufacturing, web design, information technology, advertising communications and public relations to provide input.
Perspective: Here’s the Skinny
http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/perspective-heres-skinny-136873
The “VeriThin” elegant watch makes a comeback!
Here’s How People Look at Your Facebook Profile – Literally
Here’s How People Look at Your Facebook Profile – Literally
There are great tips in the article regarding what people scan when reading your Facebook profile.
Guardian Mortgage Company, Inc.
Guardian Mortgage Company, Inc. is unique. It is large enough to provide the innovative, leadership services that are needed and yet small enough to give individual attention to each customer.
Haley Brand Intelligence recommends strategy + business
I like this article as it discusses how brands such as Coke “think global” and act local”. Visit this page to get more information.
Haley Brand Intelligence Launches New Website
Welcome to the new Haley Brand Intelligence website. Our goal for the site is to present you with samples of our ideas, thinking and work so you can see how we outthink, outmaneuver, and outperform on behalf of our clients’ and how Haley Brand Intelligence can do the same for your brand. Haley Brand Intelligence is the culmination of over 15 years of helping brands tell their stories through a wide variety of mediums and technologies. A journey that began as a film production company and developed into an entirely new model as providers of holistic thought leadership for an ever changing world. We hope you like the site and welcome your feedback.
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