“IF CUSTOMERS ARE successful, brands are successful too.”
As customers we have more buying power at our fingertips than ever. We can source details of ten different SUV models and trim levels in a few minutes via Google, rather than spending a week visiting car showrooms.
We can watch Instagram videos of make-up artists across the globe trialling the mascara we’re interested in buying, and then purchase it, without leaving our couch.
We know what our options are, we know where the best deals are, and we already know what everyone else is buying.
So, in a world where information is that easily accessible, how do brands succeed in singling themselves out and – most importantly – how do they get us to spend money on them?
It’s all about knowing your customer, says Eva Perez, programme director for the Irish Management Institute’s Diploma in Marketing and Digital Strategy.
Brands need to remember that customers no longer have patience for products that don’t serve them well. Apple for instance is a brand that really, really understands its customers. Apple developers come up with products they believe customers will need and want, and the company has built a reputation on that.
Much of Apple’s success comes from its focus on simplicity. According to research by CEB Global, customers are 86% more likely to choose a brand that simplifies the decision making process. And those brands are 115% more likely to be recommended, too.
Walk into an Apple Store and you won’t see piles of boxes or aisles upon aisles packed with shelves. You’ll see plaza-like spaces, with tables, chairs and Apple products you can hold, touch and use.
That open approach to design is no coincidence. Steve Jobs prided himself on keeping the Apple customer journey “really simple”, from the advertising to the packaging to the purchasing, and it’s a tactic that still works today.
“If you can put people in a happy mood and make things smooth and quick for them, they’ll be more receptive and be more likely to spend money,” says Eva.
If the process takes too long or gets stressful, you’ll have more time to think about the product you’re buying and you might change your mind.
Of course, a great purchase experience is fairly useless if you haven’t managed to get a customer to consider your brand in the first place, and with the growth of digital, it’s no longer enough to write a catchy TV jingle, stick a few billboard ads up and hope for the best.
Eva singles out Penneys (or Primark, if you’re out foreign) as one brand that has leveraged social media to make customers feel like VIPs. The Irish retail giant has 290 stores across Ireland, the UK, Europe and the US, and over 6 million followers on Instagram.
Like many clothing brands, Primark relies heavily on collaborations with influencers and fashion bloggers to put its clothing in front of a wider audience and ensure new pieces pop up regularly on customers’ feeds.
But its website also features a completely user-generated section called Primania, where customers can upload photos of themselves wearing their budget buys for other customers to check out and award “PriMarks” to.
Primark regularly offers prizes to contributors, and users can filter photos by style or trend, be it “black is the new black” or “everyday denim”.
Right now, the Ireland/UK section of Primania features over 16,000 images, all uploaded by real customers. On Instagram itself, the #primania hashtag currently has around 70,000 posts, and Primark regularly re-posts the photos to its own followers. Eva says it’s a win-win tactic for the brand:
On one hand, Primania is a research tool for Primark, so the company can follow trends. On the other, it’s a way of really engaging with the customer, making shoppers feel like they’re being noticed. They feel the brand knows them and understands them, so they’re more likely to spend money.
While you might be more likely to buy a product if you see a photo of it posted on your Instagram feed, that doesn’t mean your overall perception of the brand is going to change.
That’s why marketers and advertisers still rely so much on emotive campaigns that get customers engaging with their brand on a deeper level. Eva singles out Procter and Gamble’s Proud Sponsor Of Mums 2011 ad as one great example of the power of human connection.
The idea was really simple and featured family photos of employees, celebrating the unseen role of mothers. It really touched on the emotional side of customers and was a great example of positive brand awareness.
As customers, we want to feel like we’re making decisions of our own free will. The role of a great marketer, as Eva notes, is to help facilitate that journey.
Smart brands will try to think like their customers and anticipate what they might want. If your customers are not happy, you won’t have a business. It’s as simple as that.
Want to take your marketing skills to the next level? Learn from the industry experts with a professional diploma in Marketing and Digital Strategy from the Irish Management Institute. Applications for the autumn programme are open right now. Find out more here.
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