Connections to key lifestyle interests invoke openness to engagement

By Robert Wheatley

“The problem with communication is the illusion that it has been accomplished.” — George Bernard Shaw

Business growth opportunities abound for brands that fully understand the conditions and events that set in motion openness to communication – as in “I’m listening.” Much of the time consumers are not. The presence of brand communication at any given moment is not nearly as important as the audience’s willingness to pay attention. That may feel a bit like saying water is wet. But hear us out: lifestyle interests and events drive the readiness to listen. There’s an optimal time and place when consumers will be primed to engage.

Our point: brand communication gains a whole lot more traction when it occurs in tandem with relevant consumer behavior than it does randomly. Yet all too often, brand outreach is showered broadly as a form of messaging rain, timed to coincide with retail distribution or promotion period considerations more so than consumer lifestyle connection. In effect, brands remain ever hopeful that consumers will simply collide with the message storm or will be magically lured into engagement through its ubiquity, entertainment value or sheer novelty.

Lifestyle events prime the pump of openness…

Brand communication and PR strategies anchored to a foundation of real insight about the consumer’s relevant lifestyle concerns and passions will help crack open the door to hyper-targeted communication that conveys the right thing at the right time to the right person.

Getting Alignment With Target Audience Interests

Here’s a living example — Nesties – as defined by market research firm OTX and on-line retailer The Knot – are a unique segment of 25 to 32 year old female consumers. They represent the low hanging fruit for an array of household and lifestyle products. When these women become engaged to be married it triggers a period of three to five years devoted to wedding planning, new household creation and starting a family. These events in turn motivate an array of purchases.

It is the events and changing conditions in their lives that activate a behavioral response. Collectively Nesties are long-range “planners” who feel they have primary responsibility in setting up their new households and take responsibility for decorating, cooking, social activities, household chores, caring for children and pets.

This group shows evidence of predictable purchase behavior. And offers brands an audience already receptive to establishing a relationship that could continue beyond these formative years. So investments should be made in carefully crafted dialogue focused on this unique tribe — and grounded in positioning the brand as helpful and involved with her changing lifestyle needs, concerns and aspirations. This will lead to business growth.

Finding The Optimal Moment

Strategic timing and location of communication can also yield added engagement value. Meaning if it occurs when a person is actively doing something germane. A simple example of this is what we call leveraging a food brand’s kitchen footprint or in effect building its “share-of-countertop.” There is increased receptivity to brand messaging when the delivery timing coincides with related consumer’s behavior – in this case when working in the kitchen space. An obvious starter is to provide useful meal ideas, entertaining suggestions, tabletop recommendations, recipe preparation hints and serving suggestion guidance. It is an optimal environment for having a conversation — because the consumer is naturally open to it and their brain is switched on to the subject matter.

Nailing The Best Message

Messaging gains power when it is configured around the consumer’s lifestyle interests. Finding this sweet spot of alignment is what we call identifying a brand’s Higher Purpose. When the brand positions itself as an enabler, facilitator and supporter of a consumer’s personal passion, you’re able to forge powerful outreach tactics from this base. Consider the strategic possibilities that could fall out of sharpening your focus on consumer groups devoted to specific lifestyle interests such as fashion, travel, music, art, pet care, food enjoyment, cooking, child rearing, fitness, sports, home decorating or improvement, self-improvement, gardening, outdoor recreation, entertainment, entertaining, relationships and socializing. We could go on. The point is: the days of the hard sell, transactional style relationship are over and that form of messaging is out the window with it. So you want the consumer to understand some of the unique functional benefits in your product. Ok. And the path to getting their ears switched on springs from your willingness to be generous and unselfish — and thus play a role in their passions. It’s a richer, deeper and more personal relationship you want to construct.

The end result will be increased brand relevance, preference and sales.

Trading Up Fuels Pet Business Results…

By Robert Wheatley

This just out from Packaged Facts: pet product and service sales are up 5% in 2009 to $53 billion. And the forecast going forward is rosier yet, despite the lingering impact of the economic downturn. According to Don Montouri of Packaged Facts, a reason for this stellar industry performance is, “the human/animal bond… and ‘pet parent’ sentiment has never been higher.”

The upper end of the pet food market was once the province of pet specialty retail stores. Now the larger chains like Petco and PetSmart have added natural and organic brand aisles to take advantage of the upswing as consumers continue to pursue higher quality diets. The super premium business is about 8% of the pet food overall and is growing at double digits.

What is the underlying condition that shores up and protects the pet products business while others reel from consumer spending cutbacks? For one it’s the rise of pets to family member status. The emotional bonds continue to grow stronger and take on added importance to consumers. This over-arching condition seems to get lost, however, at the shelf and in some super premium brand communications.

I’m Natural… Oh Yeah, Well I’m More Natural!!!

Despite the laudable fundamental conditions in the pet food market, pet brand competition these days is focused in many cases on a form of natural and organic one-upmanship. You can see the tell-tale signs of ingredient story specsmanship and analytical selling propositions, made especially evident in package communications and other forms of outreach at shelf, as well as what appears in consumer-facing media.

Seems logical enough if you have the high quality proteins, fruits and vegetables, and it is food after all, shouldn’t you be taking credit for bringing “human grade” nutrition to Fido’s bowl? On the one hand you can understand why this becomes the center of brand/pet parent communication especially via product packaging at the store level. But the decision isn’t in the tapioca or the real chicken meat, it’s in the feelings consumers have about the brand and about the relationship they have with their animal.

Bottom line: brand decisions are made based on feelings more than facts. For sure strong brand value propositions are holistic combinations of financial and functional benefits — and certainly nutritional excellence and food quality factor in. But the most powerful tool of all is in the emotional bonds that can be created when pet brands start examining how they can enable pet parenting experiences and communities.

Consumers are not fact-based analytical decision making machines.

Pet parents, if anything, are driven by their emotional relationship with their pets and the desire to express their love for the animal by providing a better quality of life (diet is absolutely connected to this goal).

So the call to action: high quality nutrition is important but it doesn’t super-cede the need to meet consumers where their hearts are invested. The brands that dial this in will create opportunities to accelerate their growth in what is already a favorable business environment.

Those that get this right will be the big winners as the pet food business continues to gain momentum in the year ahead.

Self-interests can no longer be served through selfishness….

By Robert Wheatley

Image c/o Philip and Karen Smith

With all of the conversation and discussion about the explosion of social media, and the era of two-way engagement and conversation that shift ushers in, you’d think businesses must be falling to their collective knees in a sort of Road-to-Damascus epiphany about discovering a new path to building brands. Have we seen the light?

Has a new marketing and communications religion taken hold? Apparently it’s still a work in progress. We learn that the vast majority of marketing spending still flows down the hide-bound and intractable pipe of interruption media and its embedded agenda to disrupt, persuade and imprint messages.

Oscar Wilde once quipped, “I can resist anything except temptation,” and so the addiction to push media solutions rolls on. Like a massive electric motor bolted to the floor of an industrial age power plant, the tradition-bound backbone of brand marketing built from an interruptive model continues to spin on its own inertia.

• Consumers are not walking wallets merely to be sold. If anything there’s a refined “selling detector” that’s emerged as consumer’s turn away from and avoid or ignore blatant pitches in favor or more interesting and helpful forms of brand interaction.

We’ve institutionalized a legacy over time of brand narcissism that should evolve. It’s not all about us anymore. Yes, the fundamental goal of a business organization is to sell more stuff more often and more profitably.

But if the tone, tenor and manner in which we go about achieving business objectives flows from a view that consumers are merely walking wallets, then we’ve failed to grasp the fundamental changes that impact how great brands are built in the age of consumer control. Behaviors that reinforce customer relationships as transactions-to-sweep-in only lack understanding that consumers now control brand interaction. And so we must move from push to engage, from tell to listen, from imprint to co-create.

Brand narcissism is a systemic problem. It emanates from deep-seated behaviors that suggest company’s can compel consumers into favorable purchase behavior at will. Years of pushing messages and other tactics at consumers continues, whether openly acknowledged or not, to flow from a belief that the one-size fits-all consumer will do what we tell them to do.

Not so.

What’s needed…?

1. Enduring brand relationships are now built from a foundation of mutual respect, interest and caring.

2. Brands must earn permission for a relationship with core customers by aligning themselves with their unique lifestyle passions and interests.

3. A form of brand selflessness must authentically take root — such that all points of contact reverberate with the same level of reverence for consumers as friends of the brand, not just targets to target.

The change here is more attitudinal than anything else. Once consideration is given towards how a brand can mine a “higher purpose” built around reciprocity, then we have room to move to refine strategies that will help effectively build a foundation of trust. And let’s be clear, trust is the fabric that binds brands to consumers.

It is the absence of meaning, compelling value and trust that turns businesses into commodities…

Social media by the way is a partner in all of this, not a stand-alone panacea. Engagement media gets interesting and valuable when it is integrated as a component part of all forms of outreach.

We’ll examine more of media integration piece tomorrow. What do you think?

Never underestimate the need for equity-building efforts

By Robert Wheatley

I love my car. It’s a 2003 Mercedes G 500. If you’ve seen one it’s a retro looking angular box on wheels. Mercedes version of a Hummer-esque off roader gussied up with amenities (best auto sound system I’ve ever had). It’s a truck and drives like one but I really enjoy it. In my advanced age I prefer using Kiehl’s skin care products because they work and I like the story behind the brand. At the end of a rough day (I have plenty of those) I re-orient with a cold Corona beer (yes they’re a client but I liked the product before hand). The vacation-in-a-bottle beach thing is a mental aspiration.

As a passionate home cook I have standards about what I will use. It’s Barilla pasta or I’m not making the recipe. If you put a bag of Cheetos in front of me, it’s gone. Same with Blue Diamond Smokehouse almonds – can’t live without ‘em. My dentist was forever lecturing me about my teeth. He persuaded me to get a Sonic Care toothbrush. Wow, what a difference in the check-ups. I’m sold. I’m a pet fanatic, and have been my entire life. And I’m brand loyal — I have a Newfoundland dog, here he is.

His name is Goliath – appropriate don’t you think, given he weighs 170 pounds? I have been a Newf fan for 15 years. Best dog breed on the planet. I could talk for hours about them. My soup is Campbell’s, and my tissue is Kleenex . My computer is an Apple and I’ve been a diehard for over 20 years. Honestly the Apple reflects my non-conforming outlook on life and career devotion to a creative business. I appreciate design esthetics so Apple gets major props for that.

Sure the economy has created trade-offs for my family and me. We do less of some things like travel. We’ve cut way back on home improvements. We’re not replacing things that are getting a little shop worn. But brands that matter still do and they’re not falling off the menu. Why? Because so much of how we define ourselves is expressed in our likes and interests, and brands play a real big role there.

A recent Harris Interactive Equi-Trend study suggests that in the current economic hurricane, as Warren Buffet describes it, we tighten our grip around brands we enjoy. Marketing Daily ran a piece about the study. Says Harris: “Brand equity does not lose potency when money is tight.” Interestingly comfort foods and staples got the highest brand equity scores – Hershey’s, Crayola, even Arm & Hammer baking soda. In categories like airlines, Southwest got high marks. It was Sony in electronics and Grey Goose in spirits.

The prevailing view is that brand loyalty goes out the window with the budget bath water in a recession. NOT SO. It is entirely conditional. Loyalty’s core essence is grounded in value to the user. Wes brown, an analyst with Iceology in LA says people tend to stick with what they know and while a cheaper alternative may exist, they are hesitant to risk failure from something they don’t know as well.

So for any organization considering cutbacks and diminished investments in brand building, think twice. And for those who in a state of panic reach for steep price reductions, be careful lest you dilute your equity. Remember that people love their brands and investments in building those relationships are not playing fast and loose with available assets. If anything its vital to your future. Brands that plow ahead in the storm, by far and away, come out healthier than their conservative brethren.

I’m “gripping,” are you? What do you think?

Natural communication is more appealing

By Robert Wheatley

Do you want consumers who engage on-line to visit your Web site, consume information on your brand and follow-through to buy your product? According to a recent article at eMarketer, the best route to victory may not be through the advertising path.

A recent poll by Opinion Research Corporation finds that brand mentions in on-line articles are more likely to engage their intended audience and cause them to act, versus banner and pop-up ads, email offers and sponsored links. Once again there is mounting evidence this PR-driven form of communication holds court over push messaging in ads and offers.

The advice to marketers: don’t undercut your investments in PR communication in the on-line world, in favor of paid ad outreach.

What is it about articles?

Articles at once carry the demeanor of authorship and therefore the investment and credibility of its writer. People intrinsically respect articles as a reliable source of education and knowledge. Information and ideas are presented in a conversational fashion that allows the reader to consume, judge and form their own conclusions. They feel in control of the process. And conversely they don’t feel like they’re being overtly sold and thus manipulated by a third party.

We seek out and collect information because it makes us feel good to be knowledgeable. We have an innate thirst for understanding and so articles quench the desire to be aware and in touch.

Study sponsor ARAnet President, Scott Stevenson reports, “More than two-thirds of the respondents between 18 and 34 said they conduct Internet searches for products or services they read about in on-line articles either frequently or somewhat frequently.”

The channels of effective communication are changing. The arena for engagement is fast becoming digital to be sure. But the basic drivers behind the human desire for information and ideas remains a constant. Content is king. Challenge your PR team to devote more of their energy and attention to securing coverage in on-line venues. Optimize your spending to make sure you’re not leaving on-line coverage opportunities on the table. And remember, brands are now content creators so you don’t need to rely solely on other voices to tell your story.

The form, style and context of the message will matter as much as the message itself. What do you think?

By Robert Wheatley

Does the over-arching preoccupation with pocketbook issues mean that emotion is taking the back seat to a more analytical point of view about things we buy? Is the mass move to frugality and pragmatism wringing out the value and power of emotionally driven communications?

NO…

The organism now walking the aisles of stores and supermarkets remains connected to the same brain that still makes much of its assessment about brand value and meaning on an emotional level. If anything, many of the root problems in the economy emanate from unrelenting emotional cues. Conditions today pour out of feelings of fear, uneasiness and discomfort that foster a behavior aimed at making real efforts to conserve and reign in profligate spending habits.

This conversation is vital because much is at stake for how brands present themselves in what is arguably one of the most challenging marketplaces to appear in the last 20 years.

We believe the right path doesn’t abandon what neuroscientists have already confirmed about how we make decisions on brands and purchases. Rather fine-tuning and modification of the strategic menu is in order.

It is probably obvious to all that emotional triggers pulled from strategies that worked in the previous era of abundance and asset wealth are no longer appropriate, such as:

Hedonism
Luxury
Indulgence
Consumption
Exclusivity
Prestige
Cutting edge
In-the-know

More effective in this time is a focus towards drivers cross the divide from indulgence to assurance:

Home
Hearth
Family
Security
Dependability
Practical
Smart
In-control

Value remains a major priority as brands navigate the difficult course around the prevailing desire to cut back and spend less. So brand messaging must balance between emotional and logical reasons for purchase. Just don’t make the mistake of letting this pendulum swing too far to the right and knock out the emotional components of outreach that are respectful of how we humans operate.

Peter Rogovin of Next Level Strategic Marketing has an insightful column on the subject in BrandWeek entitled “Why Spock Needs Kirk.” Worth a read!!

What do you think?

Culture of materialism drives business…

Towards the conclusion of Rob Walker’s delightful new book Buying In that explores among other things, consumer behavior and our relationship to the things we consume, he locks onto something very revealing about Read More»

Mexican Beer? What brand is first in your head?

For many it would be Corona, the leading Mexican import and share leader of the entire import beer category. People buy categories first and the top of mind brands within those mental brackets. Energy drink: it’s Red Bull. Heavy motorcycles: it’s Harley. European style coffee drinks: it’s Starbucks. And so on. In the February 19th edition of AdAge, marketing guru, Al Ries, has a wonderful column on category creation and its central role in successful brand and business strategy. His example is Nintendo’s runaway success with Wii – not a better or more powerful video-game console, a different one that represents development of a new category in the digital gaming battle.

“There is no best auto company, there is no best car. You’re really competing now to be unique. One can still be a large company by meeting a very well chosen set of needs. Whole Foods is not trying to be a great food retailer. It is trying to meet the needs of a certain set of customers. Those customers view the 183-store chain’s eco-friendly ethos as representative of a healthy, socially responsible lifestyle they want to identify with.” Michael Porter, Harvard Business School.

The driving force behind uniqueness can be best expressed as the search for different. The outcome of that search most certainly can be the launch of a new category where a brand rightfully claims its innovation and leadership mantle. As Ries said in his column: “Marketing is a battle of categories…Creating a category and then branding that category in such a way that your brand is perceived as the innovator and leader is the essence of marketing today…The brand is only a marker for the category itself.”

So often the conversation in branding circles is about being better. Who is going to argue with continuous improvement, right? But the battleground has changed with product proliferation (too many products chasing too few consumers) and commoditization forces working to turn brands into blands. The first order of business these days is no longer just differentiation — it’s radical differentiation. And the end game is the development of new categories that a brand can be number one in.

This is the ultimate re-definition of thinking outside the box — by creating new boxes that in turn become the mental shorthand for consumer brand selection and preference.