Showing posts with label Brand Engagement. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brand Engagement. Show all posts

5.6.10

Walmart Testing New "Virtual Mirror"

Blog_virtualmirror_060410
Walmart is now testing a new technology system called a 'virtual mirror' to aid in sales of cosmetics.  The mirror uses a digital camera and screen to help the shopper test makeup.  The hope is that this mirror will increase sales, reduce loss on having to throw away tester products.  Ten Walmarts are currently testing the technology, with four mirrors in each store.


30.5.10

The Philippine Consulate Dubai | Disaster


The Philippine Consulate Dubai | Disaster
Advertising Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi, Dubai
Executive Creative Director: 
Marc Lineveldt
Copywriter: 
Neil Harrison
Advertiser's Supervisor: 
Robert Ramos
Account Manager: 
Hema Patel
Account Supervisor: 
Lisa-Marie Anders
Art Director: 
Hussain Moloobhoy
Photographer: 
Ziad Oakes, Hussain Moloobhoy

28.5.10

Kaiak| scented banners


Scented-banners

Everyone loves a cool ad execution, but some are clearly advertising for advertising people. This is particularly true during award-show season. The video below, getting some passalong among the adverpeople of Twitter, shows a Brazilian campaign by ID/TBWA for a fragrance brand Kaiak. Kaiak came up with a reformulated scent for its cologne, but it's only sold door to door. (I had no idea that door-to-door sales were still popular in Brazil.) How to sell it online? The Brazilian shop outfitted computers at 15 Internet cafés with machines that produce scented samples when users click on a banner on the café homepage offering a sniff. Cue the hidden-camera footage showing the shock and delight of the samplers. Kaiak says it got a 17 percent click-through rate and distributed 10,000 strips in a weekend. Color me skeptical, but that's a long walk for a small beer. Oh well, you can probably expect it to take home a bunch of Lions next month in Cannes. 




Challenge“Kaiak” is the best-selling men’s fragrance in Brazil. Working-class men are its target market. It is sold door-to-door exclusively. The client wanted to make an online campaign to announce that the product had changed — but not much more than that. We couldn’t show the new fragrance on the internet … Unless we could find a way to put the scent on the banner! And that is what we did!
SolutionFirst we made an agreement with more than 15 Internet cafés, which are used mostly by young working men who do not have computers in their homes. Then we created a plug-in that inserted the banner on the Internet cafés’ internet start page. The banner read “The best selling men’s fragrance in the country just changed. Want to try it? Click this banner. It’s scented.” After the click the banner went out of the computer screen at the same time a custom hardware developed by us, ejected a paper version of the banner with the scent sample.
Results
The scented banner had a click-through rate of 17.2% — That is 43 times higher than the global average. 10,000 scented banners were distributed in just one weekend.

Advertising Agency: ID\TBWA, São Paulo, Brazil
Concept: Domenico Massareto
Creative Director: Domenico Massareto
Planner: Igor Puga
Production: Natalia
Gouvea
On Air: May 2010

24.5.10

Chevrolet - Test Drive experience

McCann Bangkok created this billboard to obtain phone numbers from young drivers to enable them to market the latest Chevrolet.








Client: Chevrolet
Agency: McCann Worldgroup Bangkok
Creatives:
Saharath Sawadatikom (Executive Creative Director)
keatnapin sobhinnon (Senior Art Director)
Chotika Ophaswongse (Art Director)
prayer trairatvorakul (Copywriter)
Anuwat Nitipanont (Art Director)
sukontha jantawong (Producer)
kongsuk pongsuradate (Flash Designer)
thitirat tantirittisak (Senior Account Director)
parinya jankrajang (Account manager)
Country: Thailand
Other Credits: Technology Consultant: Wichian Yungmeesuk

23.5.10

Mc Donald's - Playland


For kids, McDonalds is a fun, exciting place. They wanted to bring that feeling back to adults. So they did something only Macca’s could. They built an adult-sized Playland in the middle of Sydney. It wasn’t your average Monday Morning. Grown-ups engaged with McDonald’s in a way they hadn’t for years. People see “I’m lovin it” in all their ads. This time they felt it.


Agency: DDB Sydney, Australia.

16.5.10

KLM Airlines| Suitcase Art Project




IDEA/Challenge: How to communicate the most attractive prices of KLM when people are bored from tactical campaigns and they are ignoring price communication. Instead of an AD let’s give people ART!


Strategy/execution: Hungary’s most talented young artists created several artworks inspired by our destinations, and we turned the whole city into an urban gallery. This is how a tactical campaign turned into a cultural event.


Results:
• More than 500.000 people visited the exhibition during the campaign.
• More than 80.000 Euro free PR was produced
• And we almost doubled the sales requirements.



KLM Airlines: Suitcase Art Project


Advertising Agency: Leo Burnett, Budapest, Hungary
Creative Director: Vilmos Farkas
Art Director: Peter Vagvolgyi
Copywriter: Gergely Horvath
Account dir: Krisztina Szabo
Account executive: Dora Horvath
Account assistant: Kata Filep
PR manager: Emese Juhasz
Print prod manager: Katalin Dengelegi
Web developer: Roland Izso
Published: September 2009

13.5.10

Ferrero|Tic Tac “Fresh Entertainment”

Tic Tac, Mumbrella





Ferrero is launching the second phase of its Tic Tac “Fresh Entertainment” campaign which will see consumers’ faces used in banner ads on websites including Ninemsn, YouTube, MySpace and Sensis.
The Fresh Entertainment microsite,  allows  users to play a game which is similar the Tic Tac “Bounce” TV ad. The faces of the top three scorers every day will then feature in display ads on websites the following day. Visitors will also be able to customise their character, invite friends via Facebook Connect and make them additional characters in the game.
Tic Tac, Mumbrella


Deniz Nalbantoglu, Webling Interactive director, said: “The idea is to help Tic Tac grow brand awareness and loyalty among its key target audience. This extends our earlier work to reach and build relationships with consumers and involve them in the promotion of the brand.”

The microsite also includes Webling’s Tic Tac Shake & Share iPhone app which has so far had over 1.2 million downloads worldwide. The app allows users to share digital Tic Tacs with other iPhone users via Bluetooth.
Ferrero also owns brands including Nutella, Ferrero Rocher, Kinder Surprise and Kinder Bueno.

24.2.10

Cadbury’s Australia| It’s no Picnic | Consumer generated advertising[ engagement]

Picnic Consumers go on a Picnic   create hundreds of commercials



Cadbury’s Australia launched a campaign recently for it’s Picnic Bar.  Picnic chocolate bar is made of nuts, wafer, chocolate, rice crisps and caramel – quite a mouthful.  George Patterson Y&R, challenged its audience to eat a Picnic in the space of a :30 commercial break. People filmed themselves using mobile phones, webcams and handycams and then created their own TV ads using the website, It’s no Picnic.
The number of responses is usually linked to ease of participation, the equity of the brand and the fun aspect of the ‘act’ involved. This contest was made fun and easy by letting contestants choose one of 50 pre-recorded voice overs. Personalization was made possible by inserting your own name (they had a database of 1400 – in India one would have to a tad more than that!). Hence, the final product looks like a finished, professional TV commercial rather than an amateur home video. And importantly, the approved commercials were dispatched as and when they were created, with every ad airing once – creating a campaign of hundreds of individual spots.
Post image for Consumers go on a Picnic – create hundreds of commercialsConsumer creation of ads is not new. Doritos, Tide 2 Go and several others (Indica Xeta in India) have all done it. But the ease of creating and airing this campaign makes it appealing. Not to mention the excitement of consumers seeing themselves on national TV. A straight jacketed :30 spot will soon go out of fashion.

22.9.09

Wispa Gold Bar::: For the love of Wispa

We’ve decided to give our advertising space to you guys as a thank you for all the love you’ve shown to Wispa. We've bought thousands of billboards all over the UK and Ireland so that you can share your special messages with the world. Yes that’s right, you let us know your special message and if it gets selected we will post it on a real billboard in the location of your choice.So whether you just want to say 'hi' to a special friend who lives in a different city, or wish your Mum Happy 60th Birthday, now is your chance. All you have to do is submit your special ‘gold’ standard message along with an explanation of why it is so special, and let us know which city you would like your billboard to appear in. We will do the rest.So what are you waiting for? Make sure you submit your message by 3rd October 2009 to be in with a chance of winning.

Talk Talk:::Put-Pocketing

Londoners tend to expect the worst when they see somebody loitering near their bag, and usually they would be right to. But telecoms operator, Talk Talk, has launched a campaign employing ex-pickpockets to distribute cash to people in London without them even realising.

Certain factions, including those that have previously been pick-pocketed, have taken issue with the idea. But the campaign has been given the blessing of the Metropolitan police and each ‘put-pocket’ – as they are being called – carries ID, in case he is caught in the act, and is watched by a minder.


20 put-pockets roamed around the traditional pick-pocketing heartlands including Leicester Square, Oxford Circus and Covent Garden as well as on the tube network. Once they had found a ‘mark’, they would approach and slip a crisp £20 note onto their person, along with a branded Talk Talk card. The telecoms company plans to distribute over £100,000 in this way. Strategically placed signs, reading ‘Rejoice! Put-pockets operating in this area’, warn the public of the put-pockets presence.


A YouTube video showing the operation in action has turned into a very successful viral. The scheme has been in operation since July and so far none of the put-pockets have been rumbled.





BRAND: Talk Talk

BRAND OWNER: Carphone Warehouse

CATEGORY: Telecoms/ Mobile

REGION: UK

DATE: Jul 2009 - Oct 2009

AGENCY: In House

MEDIA CHANNEL

Ambient

18.9.09

New Balance:::The 574 Clips Campaign



New Balance, based in Boston, MA, continues its tradition of premium footwear. Designed for both men and women, New Balance footwear features the finest construction and quality. Ranging from all-time classic favorites to reinvented modern silhouettes, each Lifestyle shoe features innovative materials and technologies that keep the New Balance brand as relevant and sought after today as it was 100 years ago. Celebrating heritage, craftsmanship, innovation and imagination, New Balance Lifestyle fuses classic designs from the past with bold ideas from the future.
The New Balance 574 Clips offers up a rather unique buying experience which has each shoe in the 480 pair run correspond with a series of videos on www.574clips.com where buyers of the 574 can find their specific video and will then have your name at the end of the clip when claimed. The “Clips” name also comes from the shoe’s usage of salvaged materials from the company’s Lawrence, Massachusetts factory

480 Shoes, 480 Experiences

BOSTON (September 15, 2009) -- From the heritage of the 574, New Balance introduces the 574 Clips Collection. This staple New Balance silhouette is crafted into a new innovative style, which continues to inspire the blend of design with function. While the 574 silhouette's heritage will remain, New Balance will debut an innovative campaign to support the launch of the 574 Clips Collection which will mark the first campaign from New Balance Lifestyle's agency of record, Mother New York.

The 574 Clips Collection

574 Clips is a collection constructed from leftover materials salvaged from New Balance's Lawrence, MA factory. Made in the US, the upper of each shoe is first constructed and then assembled in Massachusetts. To show pride in New Balance's continued dedication to domestic manufacturing, "USA"will be stitched on the heel and tongue of every shoe within this collection.

574 Clips stays true to the 574's premium design and comfort technologies, but acquires its name from being constructed of leftover clips of materials from other New Balance "Made in the USA"silhouettes, specifically the 993 and 996. Typically constructed of cow suede, the evolved 574 will feature supple grey pig suede, which comes from the leftover materials of the 993 stitched together with one of four different colored surplus meshes from the construction of the 996.

"Of all the shoes produced by New Balance, we're especially proud of the 574. It's a perfect demonstration of our core values of heritage, craftsmanship, innovation and imagination, as well as our deeply held belief that ‘grey is beautiful,'"says product manager Luis Navarro. This collection will follow the standards that all past 574 collections have embodied: the synergy of beautiful design and function. All content created for the 574 Clips campaign will also be inspired by heritage, craftsmanship, innovation and imagination, New Balance Lifestyle's core values.

The 574 Clips Campaign
The collection name, "574 Clips"has a dual meaning: The first stems from the leftover material clippings used to construct each shoe; the second from the video clips used in the marketing campaign supporting this collection's launch, designed by New Balance Lifestyle's agency of record, Mother New York.

The 574 Clips marketing campaign will target sneaker connoisseurs - one of a growing number of enthusiasts who collect, critique, discuss, analyze, obsess about, display, sell, and sometimes even wear the sneakers they buy. New Balance will be able to provide these tastemakers with a shoe that no one else has with a unique experiential story specific to that shoe.

The 574 Clips Campaign was designed to highlight the individualistic nature of each shoe. The campaign will be centered around a website that will feature 480 short videos, www.574Clips.com. 480 video clips were recorded of each of the shoes' unique experience before reaching the consumer. These videos were shot at locations throughout the US including Los Angeles, New York City and Lawrence, Massachusetts, where the shoes are manufactured.

To compliment the 480 short films, a Polaroid photo has been taken of the shoe's experience and placed in the corresponding shoe box, conveying a trading card collector feel. The back of each Polaroid will indicate the shoe's limited edition number (example: 017/480), size and color. A find tab will list the ten retail locations where the collection can be purchased.

Consumers can then visit the 574 Clips website and search for the exclusive video created specifically for their shoe. Once the consumer has found their "clip”, they can watch the short video featuring their pair. After the video is finished playing, the Polaroid will flip over and the owner has the option to "claim"their shoe by entering a unique 5 digit code and their name. Once clips are claimed, they can still be viewed, but the owner's name will be shown at the end of the short. Enthusiasm of purchasing and finding each shoe on the website will translate into a desire for the owner to share with their friends. If a user elects to share their new pair of 574's unique experience with friends, they are presented with several social media options including: Facebook, MySpace,

Delicious and Tumblr.

"We took the iconic 574 and evolved the world around it,"said Paul Malmstrom and Linus Karlsson, Creative Directors and Partners at Mother New York. "We wanted to find a way to make each shoe extra special. We did this by creating 480 stories for 480 shoes, shooting people and places across the country. We were there for 443/480's entrance into the world. We screamed with 298/480 throughout its first roller coaster. We held 016/480's laces as it raced in an ambulance. We even had to chase a zebra to get 002/480 back."

The 574 Clips Collection shares various technologies with the 2010 re-engineered 574, such as removal of unnecessary foams in the tongue and collar to reduce heat and bulk and added rubber durometers to yield shoe flexibility and a softer feel. It also features a PU insert for ultimate, plush comfort and a microdenier lining taken from the 993 to create a luxurious feel.

The 574 Clips Collection will be available in September 2009, in four rich colorways: grey/blue, grey/green, grey/orange and grey/burgundy. There will be 120 pair per color available, limiting the total production to 480 pairs. 574 Clips will retail at $75.00 at ten top U.S. retailers including Reed Space in NYC, Undefeated in LA, Bodega in Boston and Goods in Seattle, among others.

The 574 Clips Campaign was designed to highlight the individualistic nature of each shoe. The campaign will be centered around a website that will feature 480 short videos. 480 video clips were recorded of each of the shoes’ unique experience before reaching the consumer. These videos were shot at locations throughout the US including Los Angeles, New York City and Lawrence, Massachusetts, where the shoes are manufactured.To compliment the 480 short films, a Polaroid photo has been taken of the shoe’s experience and placed in the corresponding shoe box, conveying a trading card collector feel. The back of each Polaroid will indicate the shoe’s limited edition number (example: 017/480), size, and color.

Consumers can then visit the 574 Clips website and search for the exclusive video created specifically for their shoe. Once the consumer has found their “clip”, they can watch the short video featuring their pair. After the video is finished playing, the Polaroid will flip over and the owner has the option to “claim” their shoe by entering a unique 5 digit code and their name. Once clips are claimed, they can still be viewed, but the owner’s name will be shown at the end of the short.

Enthusiasm of purchasing and finding each shoe on the website will translate into a desire for the owner to share with their friends. If a user elects to share their new pair of 574’s unique experience with friends, they are presented with several social media options including: Facebook, MySpace, Delicious and Tumblr.“We took the iconic 574 and evolved the world around it,” said Paul Malmstrom and Linus Karlsson, Creative Directors and Partners at Mother New York. “We wanted to find a way to make each shoe extra special. We did this by creating 480 stories for 480 shoes, shooting people and places across the country. We were there for 443/480’s entrance into the world. We screamed with 298/480 throughout its first roller coaster. We held 016/480’s laces as it raced in an ambulance. We even had to chase a zebra to get 002/480 back.”

Campaign credits;

Creative Director(s): Linus Karlsson & Paul Malmstrom
Art Director (s): Jed Grossman & Mark Aver
Copywriter (s): Ben Hughes & Jon Lancaric
Creative Technologist: Rey Peralta
Designer: Derrick Lee
Producer (creative): Imogen Bailey
Assistant Producer: Bryan Reisberg
Art Producer: Amita Sehgal
Production Company: Greencard Pictures
Executive Producer (s): Nick Kadner & Emily Wiedemann
Producer: Max Knies
Post Supervisor: Mike Sobo
Interactive Agency: Almighty
Studio Director: Paul Larrow
Senior Flash Developer: Marc Leuchner
Technology Manager: Jeff Wilder
Account Director (interactive): Emily Daniel

28.8.09

Pepsi Joy It Forward

Pepsi’s digital strategy in Canada is centered on www.joyitforward.ca, a web site that encourages people to participate and spread the positive culture and energy of the brand online.

Pepsi Joy It Forward

On the site, visitors can explore “Joy Meters” which aggregate content to measure what people are doing online to spread the feeling of joy. Joy Meters include Mentions of Joy on Twitter, Results for Joy on Google, Joyous Word of the Day, and Bundles of Joy Born today.

Joygles, Joy-filled games, include Bubble Blaster, Make an Old Man Smile, Staring Contest, Dance Party Dino, and the most recently added game 3 Card Pepsi.

The Pepsi Facebook Fan Page, with over 91,000 fans in the first three weeks, provides a discussion forum on all things Pepsi and another place to play the Joygles. Pepsi Canada’s Twitter feed (@PepsiCanada) provides a steady stream of conversation around the feeling of joy.

Equally impressive, is that in the usually quiet world of corporate fan page Walls, Pepsi fans have been tremendously engaged with the brand with over 9000 interactions to date on the Facebook fan page.

Credits

The Joy It Forward campaign was developed at BBDO and Proximity Canada by creative director John Gagne, associate creative director Dave Stevenson, copywriter Jeff Middleton, art director Theo Gibson, project manager Karan Deepak, Flash developer Jeff Vermeersch, technical developers Addictive Mobility, account managers Tim Welsh, Stephanie Wall and Paul Lin, engagement planner Dino Demopoulos.

19.8.09

Vodafone:::Who Killed Summer 2009


Vodafone are bringing together 6 music lovers from around Europe to embark on an extreme summer of festivals, gigs and parties. Following them will be a TV crew, capturing every moment on their incredible journey.

But at the end of the summer, one of our six will be dead and one will be a killer...

Who Killed Summer? is a groundbreaking multi-platform drama set against the backdrop of an online reality show.

Vodafone wanted to put across the idea that a mobile phone is more than just a functional device, that it contains a world of intimate details about the owner’s life. Its solution was to commission the world’s first truly-interactive soap opera.

Who Killed Summer 09 follows six beautiful young things through a summer of love – and death – around Europe’s top music festivals. Professionally written, the series is formed of 20 short (3 to 4 minute) episodes screened over a two month period. Six additional pieces of footage – or B-rolls – accompany each episode and provide a backdrop to the group’s adventures.

The B-rolls sometimes feature members of the group or can be footage of one of the real-life music acts at the festivals. The advantage of the latter is that those short music videos are then seeded onto Vodafone’s own music site, as well as websites such as You Tube, and provide an alternative route into the drama for viewers.

Fans of the series are able to watch episodes and B-rolls online and on their mobiles as well as read blogs written by each of the six characters and the production team. A Vodafone application gives users constant updates, telling them when an event has taken place or new footage has been added online.

BRAND:Vodafone

BRAND OWNER:Vodafone

CATEGORY:Telecoms/ Mobile

REGION:UK

DATE:Aug 2009 - Sep 2009

AGENCY: Mworks,Bigballs Films

MEDIA CHANNEL

Mobile or InternetAmbient

27.7.09

Mark Malkoff ( AirTran +Ikea) brand engagement cases

Ikea


live on an AirTran plan


Now that AirTran Airways has become the first major airline to outfit its entire fleet with WiFi, the airline and its longtime agency of record Cramer-Krasselt/Chicago are offering passengers a few do's and don't's. For example: Tip #134: The lavatory is not your personal conference room.
Internetiquette – A Guide to Keeping Everyone In-Line, While They’re Online – is a part of the humorous new marketing campaign focused on in-flight WiFi etiquette. And, who better to give the etiquette tutorial than the foremost authority on all things air travel: Peter Graves. Featured in three webisodes, Graves discusses the rules of surfing in the sky such as not auctioning fellow passengers' belongings and making sure photos in your online gallery are SFF (Suitable for Flights).

internetiquette.jpg


markonair.jpg


PAYPAL::: EVERYWHERE

paypalchangehowwepay.jpg

PayPal is opening its Platform to Third Party Developers. How will you change the way we pay? Submit your ideas via Twitter with hashtag #changehowwepay and view responses at www.changehowwepay.com.

15.4.09

Engaging Today's Fickle Customers: How to Become 'Their Brand'

Published on April 14, 2009

Marketers today understand that consumers think, feel, and react in ways different from June Cleaver some 50 years ago. We use descriptors like fickle, indecisive, and disloyal to describe the modern consumer.

Just what do these terms mean? Mainly, they mean that consumers have too many choices—multiple brands, brand extensions, and sub-brands—and too much stimulation, especially online, making it nearly impossible to predict their next move.

And yet, marketers continue to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on segmentation analysis and other research, hoping to understand and predict the behavior of these fickle consumers.

Rather than predicting a consumer's next move—which is not only imprecise but also impractical—marketers should focus on forming meaningful brand relationships by listening to and actively engaging consumers as they negotiate the major changes in society and their lives.
Identity Crisis
That no two consumers are exactly alike is a given in marketing. And now, marketers are starting to realize that individual consumers bring with them a whole new set of complexities:


Each person has several identities that shift with context. They may, for example, represent themselves one way in the LinkedIn business network, and another, very different way on Facebook with friends.

Each of those identities has its own idiosyncrasies and behaviors, so when they are in one context—e.g., a busy mom chatting on onechicmama.com—they're more receptive to some brands, perhaps recipes from Kraft, and totally closed to others that don't appeal to that persona.

Let's consider the busy mom further. A typical mom has sub-personas that may include "household manager," concerned with efficiency and convenience, and "gracious homemaker," focused on entertaining friends in Martha Stewart style. These two personas—efficient manager and elegant homemaker—can and must coexist dynamically, even though they may clash on a daily basis. And those are just two of many personas a busy mom might have.

So what's the secret to understanding our modern June Cleaver, she of multiple personas, morphing from context to context? The answer is simple: Listen to her.

Listening is critical for a more meaningful relationship between brands and consumers. First, however, brands must embrace today's epic cultural shift toward more open, flexible, and adaptive communications across the social Web.

What Won't Work
Traditional research—what may have once helped identify, segment, and target June Cleaver—just isn't well-suited to understanding and engaging consumers on the open, flexible Web. To build relationships with ever-evolving, persona-shifting consumers, marketers need new strategies and approaches that are built around listening. Not just once, but continuously and programmatically.

For companies getting started, it pays to rethink how and when to approach consumers. The short answer is continuously. But how can a company sustain continuous connections to customers? Would a purpose-built social network or public online community work? What about an integrated marketing campaign that uses state-of the-art Web and site analytics along with newsletters and customized email?

While those approaches have merit and can be part of a larger marketing effort, they can't help brands truly understand, engage, and sustain long-term relationships with today's dynamic, multi-contextual consumer.

What Does Work
If you want to understand, engage, and sustain, you'll need to embrace three tenets of new consumerism: listening, relationship-building, and empowerment.

Relationship-building, as a process, is misunderstood by many marketers. Too often we confuse willingness to buy as evidence of a relationship. It's not. Brands must earn the right to have meaningful relationships with their consumers, and that isn't accomplished by special offers and personalization alone. Like personal relationships, brand relationships are built on trust that is earned over multiple exchanges and eventually feels natural instead of contrived.

If all you're doing with customers is surveying them periodically, you'll never build trust or a relationship. But if you establish some intimacy with your customers—providing an ongoing, intimate forum to dig deeper and share the many facets of their different personas—you're entitled to ask more of the relationship. You've earned that.

Listening—real listening—is one of the most powerful and often misunderstood "disciplines" of marketing. Social-media monitoring, for example, is a great early warning system, but it isn't really listening. Effective listening can't be keyword-driven alone; it must be done with sensitivity to nuances and with a finely tuned ear for discovering unexpected insights.

One way to effectively listen to customers is through private online communities where brands can begin to understand how customers negotiate changes in their lives. Through communities, brands have the means—like never before—to be with consumers over time, building relationships and being present so that they can really listen. The trick is to isolate the multidimensional voices of the consumer, nurture them individually, and channel what you're hearing into meaningful changes that send a clear message: "We're listening."

Empowerment is the final, misunderstood tenet of new consumerism. Giving consumers a public forum to voice, vent, or vindicate—perhaps a public social network or your blog—seems like empowerment, but it's not. When you master listening and build a relationship with a consumer, you owe them something in return. And, contrary to conventional wisdom, what they want isn't coupons, free stuff, or other remuneration; they want to see the impact they're having on your brand and hear their own voices in new products and promotion. That's real empowerment for today's consumer.

In the end, consumers are most engaged when they realize that a brand—perhaps yours—is actively helping them negotiate the changes in their complex lives, from how and where they communicate to what they consume. Give them that, and they'll be empowered to dig deeper and explore more on your behalf. Moreover, eventually you'll offer more than simply a product or service to them: You'll become "their brand."

7 Skills for a Post-Pandemic Marketer

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