DEC 2007 - From Where I'm Standing
By Keith Norris
As published in DLB #69 November/December 2007 Issue
I hear a lot of talk about brands. In fact, whenever I mention that I’m in marketing, people will nod their heads sagely and quickly reveal that they know all about iconic global brands like McDonald’s and Coca-Cola. When questioned as to how they know about these companies, their response is usually conditioned by the amount of television they watch, because to the average Joe in the street, a product is actually a brand and products are sold by advertising. Well, that may be so for major international organisations, but it’s not the case for 95% of New Zealand companies who have neither the budget nor the target market that warrants this sort of exposure.
But as a professional marketer, you know perfectly well that a brand is more than a product. A brand is a perception. It’s the way you feel about an organisation. It’s whether you inherently trust them. It’s whether you’d buy from them time and time again. And what are the factors that influence these feelings? Yes, advertising is one of them, but there are a lot of small elements which come into play when you’re subconsciously making up your mind about a brand. Things like buildings and shop fronts, customer communications, bills and statements, and increasingly, environmental ‘friendliness’ all lead to what can be packaged as the “customer experience”.
Do you really understand the incredible influence of the first contact a customer has with your organisation? What is that contact point? Is it a sales brochure, an invoice, a helpdesk enquiry, or the head office receptionist? Whatever it is, it will condition the way that customer feels about you, your products and your organisation – for better or worse. If you agree with that, then you should examine the structure of your company. Does the marketing department control the helpdesk? Does the receptionist report to the marketing manager? And do marketers have any influence at all about the content of invoices and statements?
But I’d like to focus on one very important ingredient in creating a brand impression….. people! “Our people are our greatest asset” - how many times have you seen that on a poster proudly mounted on the wall in the reception area? Yet how many companies live by this philosophy? Do the people in your organisation have the faintest idea what brand values you are trying to convey to your public? Do you give them regular opportunities to understand the image you want to convey? Does anyone outside the marketing department have any input into the culture of your organisation? They should, because all these things will be conveyed in every interaction they have with their family, their friends, your customers and your potential customers.
Increasingly, the world is becoming the arena for one-to-one communication and this issue of DLB is loaded with ideas on engaging with your staff and turning them into your best advocates.
Food for thought over the festive season. Best wishes for Christmas and a fruitful 2008!
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