3 Keys for Experiential Marketing Effectiveness

Article by Ernan Roman Featured on HuffingtonPost.com

Customers want their voices heard like never before. [Tweet this] They want to know that their concerns are acknowledged. They want to know that their wants are being met. And, they want to know that they are an active part of their chosen brands, digitally or physically.

Experiential marketing is the delivery method to meet these “wants.” It is a necessity because consumers demand to be “in” on what is going on or they are “out” and moving on to another avenue.

1. Listen & Communicate

There have been a few big stories on casual dining in the last few weeks that bring the strategy of engaging with customers to light.

Fast food chain Chipotle realized that the GMO issue was a hot button for their clientele. This spurred the chain to become the first to cut the controversial ingredients. And it seems that listening to their customers is paying off for Chipotle as its stock rose 1.65% with an upgrade to "outperform” status.

Another company putting customer experience front and center is Avis, with its, “What Drives You” Campaign, which tells the personal journey of 7 accomplished professionals. According to Jeannine Haas, Chief Marketing Officer,” [It] is a cutting-edge approach to advertising and brand-building that is right at the forefront of how leading companies are communicating with their customers today.”

The campaign also included a social element that let followers communicate by submitting their own personal achievement story for a chance to win a BMW and a mentoring session with two of the seven executives featured in the campaign.

2. Acknowledge Needs & Deliver Innovative Solutions

Amazon knew that its customers often ran out of needed products.

To acknowledge this need and offer a solution, the company recently launched “Dash” a Wi-Fi enabled physical button pre-programmed with a specific replenishment order for 18 major brands. One push transmits the order directly to Amazon. Talk about innovation!

3. Offer Opportunities for Involvement

Consumers like to be in charge of their own brand experience. And,Target gives consumers the opportunity to vote on available Cartwheel savings offers. Whether, as a tie in to holidays, or for its one year Cartwheel anniversary, Target has come up with ways for consumers to get in on the action by scrolling through a rolling banner and clicking on the vote button to make their opinions heard. The offer with the most votes becomes a valid cartwheel offer.

Since its launch, over 7.7 million users have used the app to save over $84 million. Additionally, its integration with Facebook enables users to share their favorite offers to with friends. Casey Carl, president of omni-channel at Target noted, “…we listen to feedback from guests and act on it to continually…”

3 TakeAways

1. Consumers have strongly felt concerns and opinions that can positively or negatively influence and impact perception of your brand. When you actively align with consumers and engage in open communication, you define your brand as responsive and caring.

2. Listen to your employee feedback and customer comments to fully grasp pain points so that you can develop value-based experiences that demonstrate you are listening.

3. Create ongoing strategies that enable you to react and respond in a timely manner with omnichannel updates or upgrades that provide customers with a high quality experiences in every channel of your business.

By listening, acknowledging and involving customers you are inviting them to incorporate your brand into their life. Mastering this critical type of engagement is the essential ingredient that sparks successful customer experiences.

Mercedes-Benz Marketing Exec Answers 4 Questions for Marketing Innovators

Article by Ernan Roman Featured on CMO.com

Dr. Jens Thiemer, Head of Marketing Communications at Mercedes-Benz will address these 4 questions;

1. What is one marketing topic that is most important to you as an innovator?
2. Why is this so important?
3. How will the customer experience be improved by this?
4. How will this improve the effectiveness of marketing?

Please send your feedback and ideas for people you would us to interview to ernan@erdm.com

Dr. Jens Thiemer is the Head of Marketing at Mercedes-Benz Cars. Before rejoining Daimler AG in 2013, he was an equity partner at CNC Communications & Network Consulting AG, where he was in charge of the firm's international rebranding and marketing communications. The automotive industry was one of the key areas of Jens' client portfolio. Prior to joining CNC AG, Jens worked for almost a decade in various management positions for what is now Daimler AG.

1. What is one marketing topic that is most important to you as an innovator?

We are always seeking new ways to inspire existing customers and attract new customers to our brand. That is why we provide customers with a one hub access into the world of Mercedes-Benz called Mercedes me. Mercedes me is a digital ecosystem, combining owned vehicle related solutions with lifestyle content, e.g. travel, music. etc. As Mercedes me revolves around the customer's personal needs, we even call it an ecosystem. This initiative is on the way to setting a new benchmark for customer engagement since having started in the spring of 2014.

2. Why is this so important?

Mercedes me allows customers to be part of the Mercedes-Benz community. It bundles innovative and customer-focused services, products and lifestyle offers from Mercedes-Benz, Daimler and partners that go beyond the "car" as a product and tailors them individually for the customers.

In this context, Mercedes me opens up various service worlds and stands for "The best for me". Our goal is to engage people in their living environment with tailor-made offerings and make their lives easier. Mercedes me addresses existing and future Mercedes-Benz customers primarily via a digital, dynamically growing platform, but also via physical touchpoints, like the Mercedes me Stores.

3. How will the customer experience be improved by this?

The Mercedes ID provides the user with access to tailor made, personalized and pre-filtered information and services, which makes it easier for customers to access and administer their accounts. The new dialogue options further optimise support, mutual exchange and interaction.

4. How will this improve the effectiveness of marketing?

With customized content we increase the retention period of customers using Mercedes me. It is our goal to provide relevant content that makes life more convenient, never mind whether a customer is about to buy or has already afforded a Mercedes-Benz. We want to give our customers the Best Customer Experience thinkable.

What is your favorite activity outside of work?

I am a passionate G-Class driver. I am married and have two sons.

Other favorite activities are long-distance running and classic car rallies.

3 Websites That Are Winning With Consumers

Article by Ernan Roman Featured on Forbes.com

Results from Voice of Customer (VoC) research our firm has conducted for major brands among 25 to 55 year old shoppers indicate just how important website experiences are to customers and prospects today. Additionally, per the research findings, consumers continue to be disappointed by web experiences. A major reason is lack of a truly personalized experience.

Findings from hundreds of hours of research interviews also indicate that companies which view certain customer segments as "mobile customers" are often not correct, as those customers indicated that their time is divided between mobile and web, often with a preference for web over mobile. Therefore, the important research-based message for CMOs is: do not overlook the power and importance of the web experience for millennials and older shoppers.

According to Adobe’s The Power of Websites in Influencing Consumer Purchasing Behavior 62% of respondents said they would either stop gathering information or not buy a product if the website didn’t meet their needs. “This makes it clear that there are major risks in losing sales opportunities if websites do not deliver the appropriate experience to visitors.”

Here are 3 customer focused websites that illustrate key learnings from the VoC research;

1. Make it Easy to Engage

Bass Pro Shops
Much has been written about Bass Pro shops’ ability to engage customers in store. But the experiential retailer had to get down to grass roots in order to translate that same level of engagement to their website.
In order to do this, each location managed its own local web page which was a forum for employees, who are local outdoor enthusiasts, to share their experiences personal tips and personal videos.

2. Design a Multichannel Experience

In the same Adobe report it was noted that 88% of consumers gather information on websites after becoming interested in a product introduced on television, magazines and newspapers.

Twining’s Tea recently won Site of the Year for a website that showcases their product line with stunning photography that carries through a responsive, mobile experience which ensures a compelling experience across devices. The company recently launched a TV campaign that ties into images on their site.

According to Heather Hartridge, marketing director, the brand is seeking to develop a “highly distinctive, ownable and emotionally engaging [experience]… that is built on clear consumer insight…to drive awareness and engagement.” Nielsen figures show that Twinings was outperforming the category, growing by 9.4% compared to market growth of 0.4%.

3. Deliver a Personalized Experience Based on Preferences

Caribou Coffee offers visitors the opportunity to complete a questionnaire in their online profile in exchange for rewards such as a free beverage. Fans receive unexpected rewards via the device/medium of their choice.

Per Mike Tattersfield, president and CEO of Caribou Coffee, "Our guests are extremely loyal and passionate about our product offerings, and so we are thrilled to be able to reward them for simply being our fans.”

VoC Research-Based Takeaways:

“Make your site a destination I want to return to!” - Through constantly refreshed content and relevant incentives, provide visitors with reasons to keep returning to your website so they feel a part of your brand.

“Make it a fun experience" - Provide content that is interesting to visitors so they feel the site is a fun and exciting place to seek information.

“Make your brand multichannel” - Your customer is multichannel and multidevice. Integrate all channels so it's effortless for customers to engage via their channels of choice. And promote the benefits of visiting your site in all media promotions and advertising to drive traffic and encourage sales.