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Author Archives: Katie P
The "Holy Grail" of Marketing
Who Do You Support?
So today I had a little chat with my roommates about social causes and nonprofits and which ones they support the most. Not surprisingly, they each chose very well known organizations that they have been involved with throughout their collegiate years at Elon. The organizations they found most meaningful to them were Habitat for Humanity, Autism Speaks, and Children’s Miracle Network. When I asked them to tell me why they were advocates for each organization individually, their responses were all very similar: the organizations were large, they all had very strong values, and the changes that they accomplished were very measurable. One of them stressed the importance of not feeling like she was just throwing money at a nonprofit to “do her part.” She loves that Habitat for Humanity is very hands on and she can see and be a part of what she is doing for other people.
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| Source: http://www.habitat.org/ |
So…What’s the Point?
Well, besides the fact that each of my roommates could name a nonprofit social cause that they supported and why, each of them had some sort of connection to the particular one that they chose. Not only did they support what these organizations were doing but they also connected with them on an emotional level. The one who chose Children’s Miracle Network also happens to be on the Elonthon Executive Board and mentioned that her brother spent a large portion of his childhood in the hospital. So in a way, she is both giving thanks to those that helped her brother and supporting those that need help currently.
The Importance of Emotional Branding
So, the moral of the story here is that emotional branding=success. In our reading for this week I learned that emotional branding is, according to Marc Gobé,
“the means and methodology for connecting products to the consumer in an emotionally profound way. It focuses on the most compelling aspect of human character; the desire to transcend material satisfaction, and experience emotional fulfillment. A brand is uniquely situated to achieve this because it can tap into the aspirational drives which underlie human motivation.”
Being able to use your brand to reach individuals on an emotional level creates a sense of shared experiences and personalization to your customers that will keep them coming back. They become so involved in your brand that the “product” may not necessarily be the reason that they keep coming back for more.
Columnist Steve Goldner gives more insight on the importance of emotional branding when he states in his article The Six Stages of Branding, that
“creating an emotional connection between customers and a brand is probably the Holy Grail of marketing…brands strive for this by being the pinnacle of something and then reinforcing that position at every touchpoint.”
He uses the brand of Joe Paterno for Penn State and how even after the whole scandal, Penn Staters still stand by the brand defending it and loving it no matter what. Penn State has created a bond so strong and so emotionally binding, that a majority of supporters will stand by the brand through thick and thin. Whatever your opinion is on that whole situation, the takeaway here is emotional branding success!
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| Source: http://nesncom.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/6a0115709f071f970b017743a40fcc970d.jpe |
Goldner also gives us six stages of success in emotional branding to think about:
Emotional Stage 1 – How you get someone interested?
Emotional Stage 2 – How do you get someone to consider a purchase?
Emotional Stage 3 – How do you continually reinforce that their purchase decision was absolutely the right decision, the “winning” decision?
Emotional Stage 4 – How do you create a loyal customer such that they want to continue to buy your product and/or are most receptive to cross selling and value add purchases?
Emotional Stage 5 – How do you create a brand ritual (www.brandrituals.net) so that your brand becomes part of your customer’s life?
Emotional Stage 6 – How do you get your audience to be your cheerleader?
It’s Time to Get Engaged…And No I Don’t Mean With a Ring
Time to get talking
Gone are the days of market-driven companies seeking to force their products down our throats. The consumers have finally spoken, and they are making it loud and clear that they want personalization. As consumers we want to design our own cars, clothing, foods, and accessories. We are looking for the brands that will let us do the talking. And so are born the days of customer-driven companies seeking to engage their customers. According to Hans Willems in his article Customer Driven Online Engagement,
“Customer engagement is the process of being involved with your (prospective) customers by interacting with them through relevant dialogues and experiences, in order to optimally support your customers and their networks in their buying decisions.”
But How Do We Engage Our Customers?
Well, that is the big question companies are asking themselves and the best ones are finding the answers. Engaging the customer can be done on a variety of different levels, it is just a matter of creating what works best for you and your company. Referring back to Willems again, we find that engagement includes the following:
1. Process
1. Process
2 2. Being involved with your customers
3 3. Interaction through relevant dialogues and experiences
4 4. Supporting your customers in their buying decisions
5 5. Looking after a network of people
Who is getting engaged?
Through their online website, Skittles has done a great job of engaging the consumers. Upon entry to the website you are invited to “experience the rainbow” through a variety of different interactive social media features. The whole page is an experience in itself as your scroll down and uncover tweets and have the opportunity to watch and share videos and like things on Facebook.
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What Do I Think?
In my opinion, everyone should jump on the customer engagement bandwagon. I think it is a great new way to establish customer and brand loyalty. It keeps the customers happy and makes them feel like they have a say in what they are ultimately buying for themselves. So to all those companies out there looking for that extra edge, its time to get engaged!
Works Cited
Willems, Hans (2011). “White Paper: Customer Driven Online Engagement”. GX Software.
Schultz, Don; Heidi Schultz (2004). “Creating Customer and Marketplace Value”. IMC: The Next Generation. New York: McGraw Hill, p. 115-123, 131.
Skittles Image: http://azr4el.deviantart.com/art/Skittles-272726644
A Little About Me!
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| Competing at a show on Simon photo taken August 2012 |
My name is Katie. I am a senior marketing major at Elon University just trying to enjoy my last few months before I become a part of the “real” world. I am a member of Alpha Chi Omega and president of the Elon Club Dressage Team.
I enjoy having a good time with friends, being active, and am a sucker for a trip to the beach. I am the middle child of 9 and spend a lot of my extra time with my huge and growing family. My passion is horse back riding and my dream job would be to incorporate marketing into something with horses such as therapeutic riding. Most of my free time is spent riding and taking care of my two horses Degen and Simon or hanging out with my friends and family.
This is my first experience with blogging, so bear with me as I learn the ropes!
A Little About Me!
|
| Competing at a show on Simon photo taken August 2012 |
My name is Katie. I am a senior marketing major at Elon University just trying to enjoy my last few months before I become a part of the “real” world. I am a member of Alpha Chi Omega and president of the Elon Club Dressage Team.
I enjoy having a good time with friends, being active, and am a sucker for a trip to the beach. I am the middle child of 9 and spend a lot of my extra time with my huge and growing family. My passion is horse back riding and my dream job would be to incorporate marketing into something with horses such as therapeutic riding. Most of my free time is spent riding and taking care of my two horses Degen and Simon or hanging out with my friends and family.
This is my first experience with blogging, so bear with me as I learn the ropes!