10 Marketing Trends for 2013

•  Consumers have more control in shopping and buying than ever. Now they’re looking

for more relevancy, shared values and personalized communications. They associate the overall brand experience with the value of the brand, especially how it creates an emotional connection and enhances their everyday lifestyle.

•  Consumer distrust of brands has reached an all-time high, and consumers often value transparency more than competency.

•  Use of the mobile web is growing at a rate 14X that of desktop access. •  Smartphone and tablet use continues to grow at a high rate. Nearly half of all online

adults globally will connect to the Internet from multiple devices at different times of the day in 2013.

•  Consumers have a high demand for immediacy and are looking for ways to simplify and have more control over their lifestyle.

•  Consumers are creating new routes to purchase through finding and sharing images in social media and new options for social commerce. Social commerce is taking off through highly visual sites and applications like Pinterest, Fancy, Wanelo, and Facebook Collections.

•  Context is still king. Consumers respond to products and services when brought to life in context of how they can use them every day.

Based on these insights, following are 10 marketing trends to watch in 2013….

Marketing continues to change rapidly as consumers adopt new behaviors and attitudes:

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1.  Experience Matters 2.  Going Beyond the Brand Matters Even More 3.  The Physical and Digital Worlds Have Merged 4.  Mobile First is Now a Must

5.  Going Frictionless Fast 6.  The Sharing of Everything 7.  The Internet of Things

8.  Full Transparency 9.  Extreme Personalization 10. Context is King

2013 Marketing Trends

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Consumers are firmly in control of the shopping process with complete information and shopping comparison tools available at any time. The world is more transparent and its become more difficult to differentiate on price and product alone. Since consumers now interact with brands through multiple platforms in the digital and physical worlds, they have made the customer experience the battlefield of differentiation. Customers now expect the kind of exceptional experiences they get from Apple, Amazon, Starbucks and Zappos from all companies they do business with. If they don’t have a great experience across all touch points, they’re quick to share and switch.

•  86% of consumers will pay more for a better customer experience (Oracle) •  89% of consumers began doing business with a competitor following a poor

customer experience (Oracle) •  70% of respondents said poor web experiences would make them less likely to

purchase from that company in the future (Compuware) •  82% of people surveyed described their customer experiences as “taking too

much effort” – includes waiting on the phone, waiting for websites to load, taking too long to find information on websites and lack of integration (Oracle)

•  Improvements in customer experience can increase annual revenues for the wireless industry by $900 million and $792 million for the hotel sector (Forrester)

Experience Matters

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A multichannel customer experience makeover transformed the multichannel experience for Kay Jewelers and Jared customers and resulted in a year-over-year increase of 49% in online sales as reported in the company's recently announced holiday sales for fiscal 2013.

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Implications for marketers: •  Always take a user-centered view – understand customer needs, behaviors and

preferences across touch points. Understand how competitors serve them. Know their most important tasks and ensure a simple, straightforward and high-value experience for those tasks, regardless of platform or device.

•  Look for opportunities to deliver brand clues that differentiate the experience and strengthen the unique value of your brand.

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Nike, Weight Watchers and The North Face are engaging consumers by bringing their passions to life. The next frontier in brand differentiation is to go beyond the brand and integrate it seamlessly into consumer lifestyles. Brands are leveraging their core brand values and keying into other macro trends to create experiences that make the brand an integral part of their customers’ lives. •  Today, delivering on the “rational” reasons to buy a brand – good or superior quality

and value for the price – is just the “door opener.” (Brand Keys) •  Brand experience is closely tied to value, but depends heavily on the “delight” factor:

To what degree the brand exceeds baseline expectations by delivering benefits or an emotional connection that enhances the consumer’s day-to-day life in small or significant ways. (Brand Keys)

•  75% of consumers globally say “if a brand wants to get my attention, it has to do something special.” (Jack Morton Worldwide)

•  Nike now has 7 million users of Nike+ FuelBand

Going Beyond the Brand Matters Even More

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Nike launched the Nike+ FuelBand, a program and device that athletes wear to track all daily activity and help them reach their goals. As a result, Nike has transformed the category and delivered on its brand promises – for the athlete in all of us. Users set targets and share their results with others. Now with 7 million users who connect, share and reach their goals in a community of like users, Nike plans to extend the idea and build Nike+ Basketball (specific for basketball players) and create additional training apps.  

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Knowing that consumers make more than 200 decisions per day on food temptations, Weight Watchers knew they had to do more to deliver their value promise of losing weight. In addition to tracking your food intake, the new 360 program offers tips and digital tools to better manage food choices and help you resist food temptations throughout the day.

The North Face knew runners’ biggest issues include staying motivated and achieving their goals. In addition, they felt that they weren’t getting the support they needed. To establish The North Face in the Endurance Running category and launch their running shoe line in a credible and relevant way, the brand launched The Endurance Challenge series, a long-course trail-running race series event that provides an access point for runners of all abilities to explore their endurance limits. The North Face running products now rank in the top 10 selling SKUs in the outdoor class of trade. The Series Championship is now viewed as the premier race for international and domestic ultra-marathon elites and is entering its sixth year.      

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Implications for marketers: •  Build experiences that solve problems for

consumers based on a deep understanding of customer needs.

•  Look beyond the brand to build experiences that integrate into customers’ daily lives, are authentic and real, and communicate the brand’s core values and promises.

•  Create innovative new ways for consumers to interact with the brand that differentiate it from competitors.

•  Consumers will reward brands that offer a unique experience.

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Multitasking on multiple screens and platforms is now the norm, and it’s no longer acceptable to deliver programs through a single channel. Savvy marketers engage their consumers where they are, providing content that is consumable in whatever form and with whichever device the consumer chooses. Marketers who extend the viewing experience of their campaign across multiple screens and integrate traditional media benefit from greater incremental reach and exposure, and drive higher response. Campaigns must consist of traditional and digital channels: •  U.S. in-store retail sales influenced by digital media will reach $1.4 trillion by 2014 and

account for 45% of total U.S. retail sales (Forrester) •  Half of U.S. consumers exposed to a TV ad featuring a sports sedan recalled viewing

the advertisement, but when consumers were exposed to the ad across multiple screens (their TV, computer, mobile phone and tablet), that percentage jumped to 74%, providing a 48% lift in ad recall (Nielsen)

•  Traditional print publications have gone multi-platform – digital and mobile. Nearly 40% of tablet owners read digital newspapers or magazines, 10% of them daily (comScore)

The Physical and Digital Worlds Have Merged

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Oreo launched an integrated campaign that asked the consumer what they think is the best part of an Oreo: creme or cookie? Super Bowl spots, in-store marketing and social media content encouraged fans to vote by submitting a photo on Instagram for a chance to win up to $100,000. If fans texted to vote while shopping at a grocery store, they had a chance to win a prize from the participating grocery store. Oreo went from having 2,000 Instagram followers pre-game to 36,000, with more than 16,000 pictures submitted by consumers as votes for “Cookie” or “Creme,” tying to their Super Bowl ad-spurred, seven-week contest for the best part of the Oreo.

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In September 2012, Burberry’s Regent Street store in London launched a digital makeover, allowing customers to seamlessly travel between physical and digital worlds. Using RFID tags, customers can flash clothes in front of interactive screens to see how they’re worn on the runway or how they were made. Full-length screens wrap the store, creating a sensory overload as you lose track of when the transition between audio-visual content displays start or stop, with a clever combination of live-streaming hubs and mirrors. More buyers are browsing online, then coming into the stores to make their purchases, so the two platforms have the same stock organized in the same way.

To compete in a multichannel world, traditional print publications are moving to a multimedia experience with embedded 360-degree interactive video, on-camera interviews and audio. The New York Times published a unique digital experience on The Avalanche at Tunnel Creek, including full-screen 360 video, embedded video interviews, interactive maps and more in an effort to compete with the highly visual video content that is all over the web today. Visit: http://www.nytimes.com/projects/2012/snow-fall/#/?part=tunnel-creek

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The New York Times has a compelling view of the future of traditional print publications in how readers consume and interact with content. Projects like Project Reveal and Ricochet offer new ways for marketers to engage consumers with content and interactivity.

h-p://www.adweek.com/news/technology/old-­‐media-­‐new-­‐tricks-­‐145367?page=1  

Implications for marketers: •  Make the most of both digital and physical worlds by looking for ways to bridge them

together. •  Look for opportunities to leverage consumers’ multiscreen behavior by linking media options

and creating a seamless cross-channel experience. •  Understand the new purchase funnel and how your customers make brand decisions with

todays information and tools. •  See http://hbr.org/web/ideas-in-practice/aligning-with-the-consumer-decision-journey for

more information on interpreting consumer decisions in the digital world. 14  

A concerted marketing strategy that prioritizes mobile is no longer optional. In 2013, it will be essential for business success:

•  A mobile-friendly site makes consumers 67% more likely to buy/try a product/service, while an unfriendly site makes consumers 61% more likely to leave (Forrester)

•  1 in 4 customers use their tablet in conjunction with their PC for product researching and buying, and nearly 1 in 5 used their mobile phone and tablet together to shop.

•  Retail mCommerce sales shot up 81% to nearly $25 billion in 2012. In 2013, a further increase of 55.7% in sales is expected, and mobile sales will account for 15% of all retail e-commerce

•  8 in 10 smartphone shoppers researched and browsed for products on their phone, up 15% from 2011 (Gfk Roper)

•  Time consumers spend with mobile web is growing at 14x that of traditional web •  Consumers have a growing number of digital tools to help them establish availability,

pricing options and optimal time to buy – online or in store •  In 2012, showrooming moved mainstream, with no signs of stopping •  Smart-device shoppers have high expectations and limited patience

•  Half of 18-to-34-year-olds said their phones were a faster resource for assessing information than asking a retail associate (Motorola Solutions)

Mobile First is Now a Must

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The Boston Globe (www.bostonglobe.com) uses responsive design to make it extremely simple for consumers to access their stories and breaking news. The Boston Globe can get its important content in front of the tablet or smartphone user without the user having to do any horizontal scrolling. The experience is scaled down on a smartphone as you click on sections or use the search function. Other great attributes to The Boston Globe's responsive web design are that sub-pages such as the subscribe page are responsive, making it easy for the user to sign up regardless of the device that they are accessing the site from.  

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As consumers rely heavily on their smartphones for information and directions, Starbucks (www.starbucks.com) redesigned their website to make it mobile-friendly. Starbucks launched a touch-friendly, image-based navigable site that is integrated with mobile services such as Foursquare. They also launched a mobile app that allows consumers to pay for products with their mobile device. Since the launch, Starbucks has conducted more than 26 million mobile transactions.

Grey Goose (www.GreyGoose.com) used responsive design to strengthen their brand positioning and made their site easy to use and attractive on any device. Integrated video is maintained on different screen resolutions. Grey Goose features beautiful photography and is considered best-in-class for intuitive navigation. The site features a scalable menu system and a searchable cocktail recipe list. In addition, the site is integrated with social tools, so the company can post images and videos from recent events and fans can share product information with their friends.  

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Implications for marketers: •  Consider alternatives for making digital experiences mobile friendly based on the needs of your

users and the economics of your business. •  Design mobile-friendly experiences by identifying what’s most important to consumers on the

go. Brands may lose customers if they replicate their entire website on the mobile screen. •  To optimize the mobile experience on a website, brands should focus on readability on all

mobile devices as well as on a desktop. For example, if you have lengthy content on a web page, the site may not fit proportionally on a smartphone screen, causing users to scroll down continuously on their device.

•  One solution today that is getting a lot of attention is responsive design, the practice of using fluid grids, flexible images and media queries to progressively enhance a web page and email design for different viewing contexts. It is a design and development approach in which solutions are crafted to provide an optimal user experience – readability and usability – across a wide range of platforms and devices.

•  Smartphones have minimal support for merchandising or visualization.

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Busy, time-strapped, on-the-go consumers are turning to smartphones and tablets for guidance, looking for what’s nearby (stores, restaurants) and/or mobile coupons, ordering menu items or booking appointments/reservations, making bank transactions and refilling prescription drugs. Smartphone users have a high demand for immediacy to take the friction of daily tasks and experiences. Brands are launching mobile apps and programs to streamline the experience and make it easier for customers to do business with them. Consumers are relying more on their phones: •  63% of female smartphone respondents and 73% of male respondents don’t go an hour

without checking their phone (Harris Interactive, June 2012) •  Location-finding is the leading usage among 45% of smartphone and tablet owners

(Sandelman & Associates, June 2012 xAd and Telmetrics study) •  The most popular activity for mobile users searching for restaurant information is finding a

place to eat nearby, but many users also go beyond that •  A majority of restaurant searchers (51%) were in their cars when looking and nearly two-thirds

(64%) purchased their meal within an hour of their search. 84% of smartphone users eventually converted

•  Nearly 25% of smartphone and tablet users ordered ahead via a quick-service or fast-casual restaurant mobile app. More than 6 in 10 respondents said ordering ahead of time improved their dining experience

•  Cisco Systems predicts the number of location-based users worldwide will nearly triple between 2012 and 2016

Going Frictionless

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Walgreens is driving more prescription refills through their mobile app, which allows customers to refill their prescriptions by photographing a barcode on the empty bottle with their mobile phones or typing in the prescription code. In addition, customers can quickly have photos printed, create cards, create shopping lists and check their Walgreens loyalty rewards balance. Their app keeps customers happy because it saves them valuable time and annoyance.  

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Ritz-Carlton launched a mobile app that allows customers to check in just by scanning their mobile phone, look at nearby restaurants and activities, order room service, speak to a live concierge agent, check rewards status and book a room reservation.

Five Guys is generating additional revenue and building loyalty through their mobile app. Their new app can locate the nearest restaurant, place an order and view a menu from any particular location. “For every 1,000 computer orders, we’ll get 500 mobile orders, including text. We’re in the process of implementing a wallet strategy at the store level, and we’re also looking to integrate [mobile payments in] our apps.” – Steve Teller, project manager, Five Guys Burgers.  

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Implications for marketers: •  Brands that find ways to make the

lives of their customers easier and make it simpler to do business with them with less friction will win and keep more customers.

•  It’s all about saving time, adding value and eliminating hassle, from even the most everyday tasks.

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More than a year ago, Mark Zuckerberg said social commerce was the next big thing, and more recently, “Every year we are sharing double the content we shared a year ago.” The sharing is occurring naturally with social sharing apps in all major networks. New tools, like Facebook’s Social Graph Search, will drive deeper engagement between customers and brands as a result of the sharing, make word-of-mouth even more powerful and further push social shopping. Now you can search your friends’ social graphs to find their favorite products and services. Brands are already jumping on social sharing and commerce: •  91% of online adults use social media regularly •  684,478 pieces of content are shared daily on Facebook •  YouTube users watch more than 3 billion hours of video per month •  53% of active adult social networkers follow a brand •  An average of 3.2 billion likes and comments are posted every day •  32% of online buyers in North America made a purchase after seeing a picture on sites

like Pinterest, Fancy or Juxtapost (2012 BizRate Insights) •  By 2015, social commerce sales are expected to bring in $30 billion each year, with

50% of web sales to come through social media (Gartner) •  Facebook drives 26% of referral traffic to business websites, and those numbers are

expected to increase. About 20% of shoppers already prefer buying products through a brand’s Facebook page rather than on their website (Gartner)

Sharing Everything

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Facebook Collections lets users interact with products via image tagging. Users can put an item on their Wishlist, add a product-specific comment and click to purchase an item from the respective retailer. Users who engage with products through Facebook Collections will also share the items on their news feed. Retailers can also add “Want” or “Need” buttons to product photos on news feed posts. Pottery Barn is now sharing Collection posts to generate viral click-throughs to their product pages by making things more relevant and discoverable through Facebook fans sharing with friends.  

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Facebook launched Graph Search, which allows users to search for people, brands, places and interests in their Facebook network. This will drive powerful word-of-mouth recommendations from friends and help companies recruit new employees. Furthermore, the additional personal data available will help companies fine-tune their targeting efforts, creating more personalized messages.

With consumers learning about new products through social networks, American Express launched a new program, “Twitter Offers,” that lets you purchase a product on Twitter with a hashtag. The program is an extension of AmexSync, which allows card users to link their cards to their Twitter account to receive special discounts and offers. “Twitter Offers launched last year, and the response has been pretty fantastic. We want to bring the new technology that we have to life in a most dramatic way, which we think Twitter is ripe for.” – Leslie Berland, SVP of digital partnerships and development, American Express  

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Pinterest competitors, Fancy and Wanelo, are transforming social commerce by allowing users to gather and post photos of favorites, but also purchase them. Although Fancy’s fan base of 250,000 is smaller than Pinterest’s 10 million+, their fans shared more than 1 million product photos that were collected over one week using tablets, smartphones and PCs. Merchants and brands are able to upload their own images and associated deals, or they can tap into the demand for their products generated by the site.    

As The North Face has discovered, along with Nike, Weight Watchers and other brands, consumers struggle to stay motivated. Yog and Aherk! created innovative social sharing tools to help people accomplish their goals. Aherk!’s social app forces consumers to complete their goals or be humiliated among their friends through social media. If the user did not meet the goal, an embarrassing photo of themselves is posted to their Facebook page for all to see. Yog feels that others just need to be with like-minded people to stay motivated. Their app allows runners to connect with others to run together in real-time anywhere in the world. Users can schedule runs, distances and times. During the run, on-screen visualizations simulate the experience of running with a friend as well as tracking the performance.

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Brands are using social sharing to drive new brand advocacy through Instagram and Pinterest. Jaguar North America is encouraging fans to submit photos on Instagram that capture the true essence of the brand for a chance to win a new F-Type model. Fans are encouraged to share their photos with the hashtag #CaptureAJag with as many friends as possible for a better chance to win. All the entries are then put on display via a Facebook app showcasing the new F-Type model. The campaign carrying the tagline “Your picture. Your Chance. Your Turn.” is promoted through Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Instagram.  

Implications for marketers: •  Understand the unique social behavior of your customers – which sites they live on,

how they share content, what they share and how to engage them with your products and services.

•  Understand the link between online visibility and social activity, in tandem with content strategy and search.

•  Since the average consumer is linked to 11 brands and follows seven brands actively, focus on delivering relevant, compelling that is on-brand and drives consumers to follow you.

•  Test social efforts continuously and be flexible in using new social tools, such as Facebook’s new Facebook Collections, to drive engagement.

•  Keep an eye on new and changing tools like Facebook Social Graph and Social Graph Search. 27  

Internet-enabled home appliances and devices are becoming mainstream as consumers look to become more energy-efficient, save money and have more control over everyday tasks. Companies like GE, Whirlpool and IBM are helping us actually become a “Smarter Planet” by enabling everyone to control and track their daily activities, household appliances and devices from our smartphones.

Consumers’ attitudes and awareness have changed their purchasing habits:

•  The U.S. officially has a larger population of Internet-connected devices than it has people. The U.S. has a population of around 315 million people, but surprisingly has 425 million devices connected to the Internet. This makes the U.S. the most connected society in the world (NPD)

•  There will be about 15 billion devices connected by 2015, and around 40 billion by 2020. But despite all the connections, more than 99 percent of all physical objects that may one day join the network are currently still unconnected(Cisco)

•  60% of consumers are concerned about the high cost of their energy use and their electric bills (CEA study)

•  Consumers indicated they would prefer to use a device in the home (41%), an online portal (41%) or a mobile device (32%) to monitor energy use (CEA study)

•  Today’s consumer wants a simplified, sustained lifestyle (HBR, EuroRSCG)

The Internet of Things

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Tony Fadell, an Apple executive who created the iPhone and iPad, knew that eventually people would form attachments that controlled all household devices and appliances from their smartphone device. Fadell’s ultimate goal is to create the ultimate efficient dream home. He believed that a computerized thermostat could significantly reduce power consumption, so he teamed up with Matt Rogers, another Apple executive, to cofound Nest. The company’s first thermostat, “The Learning Thermostat,” learns the household user’s behavior and then programs itself to adjust the house temperature accordingly. In addition, a person can program a thermostat’s schedule from their smartphone so the house is more energy efficient.

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GE, like Nest, is jumping on making household appliances smarter, more high-tech, more convenient and more energy efficient. The intelligence of the appliance can transmit data to a person’s smartphone, sending them service and maintenance alerts and energy consumption, and a person can adjust the appliance’s settings remotely – giving them more control. New models will have hands-free autofill features so people don’t have to wait and stand while a container is being filled. Their new GE Café refrigerator has a PreciseFill feature that will dispense filtered water in accurate measurements and at the desired temperature. It’s also the first refrigerator to dispense hot water.    

More companies are coming out with new consumer hardware gadgets that allow consumers to better manage everyday tasks. At the CES show, start-up Slow Control launched the HapiFork, which monitors, records and transmits data on a person’s calorie intake and how fast they eat and will vibrate if the person surpasses their pre-set calorie intake. Based on the notion that it takes 20 minutes for the body to feel full, the HapiFork allows consumers to consciously watch the speed that they are eating.    

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SmartThings is a startup focused on building devices that make it easy to connect things in the everyday world to the internet. They allow customers to control everyday things like lights, fans, heaters & discos balls all from mobile device.

Implications for marketers: •  Think of every new

interaction with smart technology, smart homes and appliances as a new opportunity to engage consumers in a relevant way.

•  Look for ways to enhance the experience on devices with added value of other relevant products and services, to link refrigerators with refilling or purchasing supplies, and find ways to link products and services to simplifying your consumers’ lives.

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In the age of instant access to information from thousands of sources and easy access to peer comments in social media, consumers expect greater accountability and reassurance from the companies they choose to do business with.

Today, transparency may be more important to consumers than brand appeal: •  The percentage of global consumers who trust businesses to do what is right fell from

56% in 2011 to 53% in 2012 and is now at just 14% in 2013 (Edelman) •  Consumer brand trust has dropped 50% over the last decade and perception of brand

quality has declined by 24% over the last 13 years (Brand Bubble) •  In some categories, consumers value transparency more than competency.

Consumers want more information, and they are very skeptical when they can’t find it. Using storytelling to demonstrate the company’s shared values is three to five times more important than sharing lots of facts and data (International Food Information Council’s Food and Health 2012 survey)

•  Online consumer reviews are the second most trusted form of advertising with 70% of global consumers surveyed online indicating they trust this platform, an increase of 15% in four years (Nielsen)

•  Only 8% of people in European markets say brands are making a notable positive contribution to their lives; 5% in the U.S. Comparable figures in China and Latin America are 57% and 30% respectively (Havas, February 2012)

•  69% of U.S. consumers said they are more likely to buy from a brand that talks publicly about its CSR results (Cone Communications, October 2012)

•  Only 44% of Americans trust companies’ green claims (Cone Inc., March 2012)

Full Transparency

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Citi has long had trust issues dating back to the financial crisis. Recently, they launched the Every Step of the Way integrated campaign to build trust and engage consumers in a more meaningful way. The campaign demonstrates how Citibank simplifies consumers’ lives with their innovative digital products. In addition, the campaign highlights Citibank’s sponsorship of the U.S. Olympic Team and Paralympic Games, expressing how proud and committed they are to support customers from ambition to achievement. Citi also created digital experiences that reinforced their commitment and values.

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In September 2012 McDonald’s began publishing calorie information on all its restaurant menus and drive-through windows in the US, and they also began promoting its ‘Favorites Under 400 Calories’ menu which includes lighter dishes such as the Filet-O-Fish and the Egg McMuffin.

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Implications for marketers: •  Look for your brand “why.” Have a clear and inspiring purpose for your brand that

goes beyond products and services and makes a real difference in people’s lives. •  Establish a human voice in your social media presence to establish authenticity. •  Make it easy for consumers to access information they need to make a confident

purchase decision. •  Consumers are looking for more personalization, relevancy and shared values.

Brands can focus on more storytelling through multiple platforms to demonstrate their relevancy and shared values with consumers.

•  Drive deeper engagement with consumers by garnering customer feedback, identify their needs and what they are unhappy about, and then start an honest dialogue with them by addressing their needs.

•  Inspire connections and focus on creating experiences. Use every touch point to reinforce your brand’s purpose and personality.

As technology advances, consumers are becoming more comfortable with personalized shopping experiences and are willing to share details about themselves to educate their favorite brands on how, when and where to approach them. Effective marketing is still about the right message to the right person at the right time through the right channel: •  Forrester predicts by 2014 consumers will receive an average of 9,000 email

messages annually. Brands that can capture personalized communications will be the most successful in engagement

•  Personalized emails improve click-through rates by 14%, and conversion rates by 10% (Aberdeen)

•  The majority of tablet owners want personalized ads and the ability to buy products directly (GfK MRI panel study)

•  80% of mobile Internet users prefer ads that are relevant to them locally (JWire) •  Of more than 28,000 consumers surveyed, three out of four respondents would tell

retailers about their media usage, 73% were willing to share demographic information, 61% would give out their names and addresses, and 59% would provide lifestyle information in exchange for more targeted and smarter shopping experiences (IBM)

•  A high-impact recommendation from a trusted friend conveying a relevant message is up to 50 times more likely to trigger a purchase than a low-impact recommendation (McKinsey)

Extreme Personalization

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Walt Disney launched MyMagic+, a collection of tools that gives guests a more personalized experience. The tools include a new My Disney Experience website, a smartphone app and magic wristbands to wear throughout the park that contain each guest’s ID number, which is linked to their credit card and any additional information they provide to make the Disney experience more customized. For example, Snow White or Goofy will automatically know the names of children who come up to them and whether or not it is their birthday. In addition, consumers will be able to be in the front of the line for their favorite rides. Walt Disney is working on having park characters strike personal conversations with guests.

 

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Microsoft just launched one of the largest interactive, digital, out-of-home campaigns by encouraging consumers to become famous by personalizing the Windows Start Screen on the interactive billboard. Digital touch screens in malls allow users to personalize a Microsoft Windows phone by using photos and their first names.  

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Implications for marketers: •  Establish a sense of trust and get permission from customers in using customer data

to develop future relevant offers and communications. Make customer data-use practices transparent.

•  Leverage web analytical data to identify key shopping behaviors and preferences. •  Manipulate customer data across multiple channels and purchase history to drive

extremely targeted messaging and offers. Segment your customers and align content and offers to their profiles.

•  Smart brands are putting technology to work to ensure that each marketing message targets the right audience and each experience is precisely relevant.

Consumers want to know how products and services can add value to their lifestyle, driving companies to move from product-focused advertising and putting their products and services into context – focusing on location, needs, lifestyle – to demonstrate their relevancy. Putting products and services into context has driven stronger engagement and sales: •  The greater number of relevant interactions, the stronger a consumer’s relationship with the

brand and the more likely the customer is to shop and make purchases (Accenture) •  62% of women say contextual video ads made them feel more favorably toward a brand,

and 70% said they ignore online ads that are contextually irrelevant to the website they are on, indicating that relevance is extremely important to them (Dynamic Logic)

•  Consumers discover brands on Facebook and then search for them by name (Forrester) •  Nearly half of all online adults globally will connect to the Internet from multiple devices at

different times of the day in 2013, making contextually relevant and personalized digital ads a must (Forrester)

Context is King

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BMW is using mobile technologies, including an accelerometer as well as Google Maps and Street View, to add relevancy as well as educating drivers on the new features of their I Concept vehicles. Mobile ads direct users to a website where they can take a virtual test drive around their own city and learn more about the vehicle. BMW deepens customer engagement by focusing on the most important aspect to luxury consumers – the journey – and brands it in a compelling way.

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With the complexity of financial products, more banks are discovering that the best way to engage consumers is by putting their products in context and showing how their financial products fit their needs. Chase and USAA have launched auto-buying and home-buying mobile apps to simplify the process of finding and purchasing homes and cars as well as demonstrating how their financial products can help them.

     

Cartier creates an online video based on a customer’s true love story to bring their products to life. The seven-minute online film features an emotional true love story of a couple in Paris, demonstrating in a storybook fashion that love and fate are attainable. When the man realizes he has fallen in love, he rushes to the Cartier store to pick out an engagement ring. The trailer for the short film on YouTube has received more than 3 million views in just the first two weeks. Cartier has continued their storytelling approach since 2012 as their “Winter Tale” video has been viewed more than 6 million times.

       

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Implications for marketers: •  Connect with consumers in the context of

their daily lives, when they are most likely to be thinking about your product or considering a solution.

•  Make communications all about the customer, not just about the product.

•  Use communications, retail store displays, catalogs, and digital and traditional advertising to help customers visualize how products are put into use and how they are beneficial to them in their natural, everyday surroundings.

•  Create functional, everyday-use apps to help customers understand how a brand’s products and services apply to their lifestyle.

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We create extraordinary experiences that matter.

Integrated. Digital. Agency. We create extraordinary experiences for clients and their customers using insight, analytics and innovation to develop ideas that drive brand affinity and business success. Through social, mobile, digital, event and direct channels, we help clients inspire action to accelerate brand growth.

We don’t talk at people. We engage them with breakthrough experiences in the right channel at the right time with the right message in the right context. We help you figure out who your consumers are, what they value, where they look for it and how they prefer it to be offered. Using integrated digital capabilities and creative solutions that drive results, we inspire your customers to act by clicking, tapping, emailing, texting, calling, participating in an event, joining the conversation, making a purchase through digital channels or going to a brick-and-mortar store. And, we measure everything to give you the results you need.

For additional insights or help with your marketing strategy and to find new ways to engage your audiences, email us or give us a call.

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

About hawkeye

John Tedstrom jtedstrom@hawkeyeww.com Managing Director, Insight & Strategy 970-376-0269  

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