marketing communications inside out

8/9/2019 Marketing Communications Inside Out

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Digital has changed all the rules of marketing.

ARE YOU READY TO PLAY?

interakta full service communications company

Sponsored by

Communications inside outTM


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Does your companys behaviour match

your brand promise and image?

COMMUNICATIONS INSIDE OUTTM

Its no longer enough to simply assert who you

are. Today, you must live it inside and out.Customers expect the brand promise you make today to bethe promise you keep tomorrow. And we, at Interakt, can helpyou do just that by making sure your brand message worksharder and better than ever - from inside out.

Interakt with us and rediscover how communications reallyworks when we make it work for you.

Contact us at [email protected].


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Its a mantra we hear over

and over again. Digital is forever

changing the world of marketing.

Brands are being debated and

engaged with online like never be-

fore. New technologies are bring-

ing more challenges and oppor-

tunities to the industry at a scary

speed.

Despite this being widely

noted and accepted, few compa-

nies and agencies are success-

fully adapting to the sweeping

change.

Building a brand these days

may be tougher, but it is denitely

an interesting and exciting ride.

Digitals ascension means that

brands are now more in touch

with their consumers thoughts

and feelings feedback is instant,criticism can be dehabilitating but

ultimately helpful, and success

can be greater. Today the power of

word of mouth is stronger than any

other time in history, and digital

has helped word of mouth reach

the four corners of the globe at

lightening speeds.

Just as it is important to get

your external communications

right, and your use of new media

channels, its crucial to have your

internal message on track. The

private and public faces of com-

panies must be in synch, other-

wise real problems can emerge.

In this Marketing 101 we

hear from Interakt, a new breed

of marketing agency which is

nding real success in the evolv-

ing landscape. Interakt shares

its expertise on the changing

world of marketing communica-

tions, using real case studies

from different brands and differ-

ent markets. The company, which

was born and bred in Singapore,

has quickly expanded across the

world and has a philosophy that

marketing messages should becarried not only through the mar-

keting department but through-

out the entire company.

Living and breathing the

brand promise these days is a

must. In this special supplement

Interakt outlines how that can be

done, why it is an imperative and

why measurement is vital.

John Davidson, Editor

[email protected]

Copyright & Reprints: All material printed in Marketing 101 is protected under the copyright act. All rights reserved. No material may be reproduced in part

or in whole without the prior written consent of the publisher and copyright holder. Permission may be requested through the Hong Kong ofce. Lighthouse

Independent Media Ltd Room 1502, 8 Des Vouex Rd West, Hong Kong Tel: +852 2861 1882 Fax: +852 2861 1336

Commun ica t ions ins ide out 1101

Letter rom the Editor


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Much has been written

and said about building endur-

ing brands. Some of it has been

read, debated, and practiced.

Some remains conceptual the-

ory. What I have to say is not

hypothesis. Its simply the living

truth.

Digital technology has made

branding a two-way street. Justas we can see our customers

with more clarity, they can see

brands with equal or even great-

er clarity.

Traditionally, external brand

communications has consumed

the lions share of resources.

Little or perhaps none is left for

internal brand communications.

In the digital age, balance must

be achieved.

If you, your employees,

partners, and allies do not un-

derstand your brand promise,

behave according to it, and de-

liver on it consistent with con-

sumers expectations, the world

can know about it in an instant

as the word slips and slides from

one digital device to another,

picking up speed and volume

along the way.

This dynamic has created a

new imperative: a brand organi-

zation must tolerate no gaps in

how its products, its customer

service and sales representa-

tives, its store personnel, even

its advertising promises line upwith customer experiences.

We call this Communica-

tions inside out

We founded Interakt to help

brand organizations realize the

full potential of communicating

inside out. We are the rst global

digital network focused on doing

this consistently and always by:

Redicka Subrammanian

Chairperson & CEO Internally enabling the org-

anization and its employees

to recognize and respond to

customers expectations.

Externally positioning the

products, service, or cam-

paign only in ways the brand

can actually deliver.

2 Commun ica t ions ins ide out101

Note rom sponsor


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Advertising that shouts butnever listens no longer playsin the digital marketplace.Its not just who you sayyou are. Its who you prove

you are that counts.

Todays audience must be engaged in

constructive dialog. That dialog will happen with

or without you, so you must listen beore you

speak, and then only in relevant, meaningul

ways.

Its no longer enough to simply tell your brands

story and expect the audience to believe and

embrace it. The audience is now too close to

the source, too knowledgeable, too street-smart

to simply accept a brand promise made only

in words. More than a message, they seek an

encompassing brand experience.

When the brand experience is not what the

company delivers or the promise is broken,

trouble ollows. The customer switches brands,

sales suer, prots diminish, jobs are lost, stock

prices decline, and the top management iseventually replaced.

How did the customer get so much o power

and control? Digital gave it to them and in doing

so has redened and magnied the scale and

power o brand building.

About 70% of customersbuying decisions arebased on positive humaninteractions with sales

staff. The bottom lineis that people buy frompeople, not companies.

- Lee J. Colan


The time or selling by telling has passed


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This is the age o dialog a dialog enabledby a stunning convergence o traditional and digital

medianew channels, new players, and new

technology.

The dialog can make or break you and can become

as pervasive as viral communication can get. This

presents both opportunities and risks, which you

must careully monitor. Thanks to digital media,

everyone is empowered.

Your customers and prospects have access to all the

inormation they care to gatherinormation about

your company, your products, your employees, your

social responsibility. They can and do make inormed

choices based on that inormation.

You as a brand organization must know your

audienceswhoever and wherever they are

intimately, to ensure you know what touches their

emotions. To know how to trigger the right desire. To

satisy their needs. To drive their behavior.

Because transparency is no longer an option, you

must live your brand promise inside out with:

External communications that clearly articulate the

brand promise, engage the audiences, inspire them

to action, and sustain long-term relationships.

Internal communications that connect employees with

the brand, ensure they understand its ull meaning,

and help them protect and enhance its value.

4 Commun icat ions ins ide out101

Digital has changed all the rules


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ORThe industries and situations may dier, but the

eelings these experiences generate are universal.

The banks advertisement and website oer a

corporate credit card, but the customer representative

fatly tells you, Sorry we dont have corporate creditcards. Then ater some checking sheepishly admits,

Youre right. We do. Would you like to apply? Now

honestly, would you?

Or what about calling to request a reund or a

cancelled airline fight and speaking to ve customer

representatives, each o whom says thats not their job

and passes you along to another. Makes you wonder

i thats the way the airline handles saety checks,

doesnt it?

When words and deeds dont match, the people

aectedwhether customers, prospects, or

employeesdont just go away and sulk. In the digital

world they not only have an easily accessible platorm

or expressing discontent and anger, but their voices

can also be heard loud and clear around the world.

Some companies and people just get it right rom the

start.

Like when you walk into a store, that promises to

create a better everyday lie, wanting to return a

damaged item you bought two weeks ago, and it

gets replaced immediatelywith a smile. Or you

encounter a revenue tax employee who breaks the

bureaucratic stereotype and goes out o her way to

help you solve a tax problem or avoid a penalty and

really provide the integrity.service.excellence that

the department guarantees. These are true brand

experiences rom the inside out.

Digital communications on its own certainly cant add

any more truth to a brand. It is what is it. But when the

brand promise is authentic inside out, the power o

digital is unsurpassed in enabling the truth to shine.

Conversely, digital brings into harsh light the reality

o a brand that ails to deliver on its promise.

BREAK YOU.

68% of customers defectbecause of the attitude orindifference of a companyemployee. / Journal of Marketing

MAKE YOU.


The rules can...


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can stand up to scrutiny

under any light and hold

true under any circum-

stance. Why? Because

they begin from within

every employee and

channel partner working

in alignment, delivering

value, and delighting the

customer. Thats what

builds lasting relation-

ships and sustainable

brands.

Thestrongest brands

ARTICULATE //Clearly estab-

lish your brand truth so it can be

communicated consistently at

every appropriate touchpoint, at

every level o your enterprise.

LEAD // Persuade audiences

to embrace your brand through

strategic communication and

dialog

Dene the core brand

promise and dierentiators

Stress personal responsibility

or protecting and enhancing

brand value

Understand the customers

you serve and the best

channels to reach them

Give your people reason to be

passionate about your brand

Map a specic journey rom

understanding the brand to

advocating or it

Give them the tools and

inormation they need

Position and dierentiate

your brand through clearly

articulated messages

Explore all the touchpoints

that best suit your brands

value propositions

Maintain message consis-

tency across all communica-

tions and channels

Engage customers in a con-

tinuous two-way dialog

Actively listen to their

changing needs and wants

INTERNAL // INTERNAL //

EXTERNAL // EXTERNAL //


A.L.I.G.N.

AARTICULATE

01

LLEAD

02


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INSPIRE // Create engaging

experiences to build the oun-

dation or a lasting relationship.

Give them reason to be passion-

ate about your brand

GROW // Deliver consistently

rewarding experiences at every

touchpoint to achieve brand

advocacy

NURTURE // Prove that you

value loyalty and long-term

relationships

Motivate and inspire them to

deliver the brand promise

Devote all the resources nec-

essary to create rewarding

experiences or all

Emphasize the rewards o

building customer relation-

ships

Enable smooth, continuous

communication across all

touchpoints

Acknowledge and address

issues and problems directly

Reinorce the importance o

customer service to sustain

customer loyalty

Identiy and ocus on the

most critical actors in cus-

tomer satisaction, loyalty,

and retention

Continuously measure loy-

alty and adapt to changes in

the evolving relationship

Guide and motivate cus-

tomers in their journey rom

non-awareness to brand ad-

vocacy

Deliver distinctive experienc-

es at each stage

Continuously tailor commu-

nication to t the individual

Arm the value o the rela-

tionship and oer meaning-

ul rewards or loyalty

Go the extra mile to address

their problems and issues

Motivate customers through

incentives and rewards to

become brand ambassa-

dors

Empower them with tools

and programs to carry your

messages to others

INTERNAL // INTERNAL // INTERNAL //

EXTERNAL // EXTERNAL // EXTERNAL //


I G NINSPIRE GROW NURTURE

03 04 05


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Location. Location. Location.

Internal Communications // A series ointernal communications were executed,

titled New York! New York! that eatured

a continuing storylinea take-o on a

Broadway musical to uniy their understanding

o the citys brand and to solidiy their sense

o ownership in delivering a consistent

experience across the various customer

digital touch points. Irresistible entertainment

value and high-level creativity delivered thekey internal messages in musical acts over

a our-week run.

External Communications // A world-classaward winning website. Thanks to easy

navigation, an interactive and dynamic fash-

based map advanced search and clear

content, users can now take care o business

on the site in a New York minute.

Businesses can also interact and transact

with the government agency on projectbids and compliance ulllment through the

website, powered by a Microsot technology

collaborative platorm.

Location. Location. Location. Thats what New York City Economic Development Corporation- NYCEDC is

all about. The city agency works nonstop to sustain the economic vibrancy o New York by increasing

investments in its many industry sectors and building a broader tax and employment base.

Traditionally, NYCEDC had promoted their services only through newspaper advertising. Recognizing

the power o digital, they turned to Interakt to develop a strong inside out communication program that

made access to compelling business planning inormation easy or prospects and ensured that all internalstakeholders had a clear understanding o the brand promise and their role in ullling it.


New York City EconomicDevelopment CorporationCASE STUDY 1


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Internal Communications // Multi-channelinternal communicationsemail, microsites,

ofine workshops and sales kitsensured

that channel partners understood the brand

promise and campaign messaging. It also

equipped them with inormation and tools

to respond appropriately to the high level o

inquiries and leads the external campaign

would generate. All communications

reinorced the overall theme o the secreto powerul customer relations.

External Communications // The externalcommunications campaign was a prime

example o living the brand promise by

leveraging target-specic inormation about

prospects marketing, sales, customer

service, technology, and the C-suiteto

address their unique customer relations pain

points. To deliver on the concept, a mystical,

digitally empowered CRM guru magically

appeared at key points in the campaign,luring them into sequential interactions with

the promise o revealing the secret to strong

customer relationships.

Master the power o customer relationships.Microsot DynamicsTM designed its versatile new CRM solution version 4.0 to meet the needs o key individuals

who play a signicant role in building and sustaining powerul customer relations within mid- to large-size

organizations.

For the product launch, Interakt developed a campaign program which was a heady mix o interactivity

and engagement under the umbrella o Your Secret Revealed. This magical internal and external

communications campaign delivered the message that the real secret to strong customer relationships isaccess to the right inormation at precisely the right time.


Microsot DynamicsTMCASE STUDY 2


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Smart technology or customer intelligenceMotorolas strategy was to engage its highly valued youth market in constant dialog and eventually convert

them into brand ambassadors. They also knew this involved a relationship continuum, not just a single sale.

Recognizing that traditional channels were denitely not right or relationship building with this audience,

Motorola decided to delve deeper into digital as the communication channel o choice. Beore charging

ahead, however, the company wanted to make sure that all its marketing managers across its high growth

market regionrom New Zealand to Turkeyunderstood how to exploit the capabilities o the medium.

Internal Communications // To intro-duce and educate the marketing managers

on the capabilities o digital, Interakt created

a communication program called Go Fish-

ing using the ocean as a metaphor or the

marketplace. Dierent types o sh were

designated as the target audience groups

and marketing managers were given a tackle

box with tools and hooks to land their catchor the day.

External Communications // Using aseries o continuous digital communication

initiatives to connect, hook and engage its

audience, Motorola was able to build a strong

global consumer database refecting the

needs, desires and purchasing patterns o its

consumers. As a specic example, Motorola

identied customers who were likely to invest

in iconic phones and targeted them with high-ly personalized communications each time a

new phone model was launched.


MotorolaCASE STUDY 3


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Metrics.Everyone talks about their importance.

Yet quantiying and measuring eectiveness, impact, and return on investment are among the most elusive

aspects o brand communication.

Digital may very well change all that too with its inherent measurability.

Its true, organizations have all kinds o ormulae and processes to measure various discreet parameters o their

communications. Most o these work in silos, providing a view o a certain aspect o the communication.

However, Interakt has developed what we eel is a truly reliable, accurate way o measuring the ull value o

the communications continuumthe true return on investment rom the inside out. In the ormula below, this

is denoted by the n actor. But, we preer to call it the inside out or IO actor.

Without going into extraordinary detail about the actual components o the calculation, n or the IO actor is thenet total o the increase in revenue and the decrease in marketing cost. This IO actor applied as a multiple to

the communication ROI, gives the true measure o the eectiveness o Communications inside outTM.

It may not be as easy as 1+1=2, but taking the time to learn more about it and its application to your brand

communications is denitely time well spent.

Revenue from new customers+ Revenue from loyalty

Cost of external communication

+ Cost of internal communication

+ Support cost X Communication ROIn IO Factor

Commun ica t ions ins ide out 1 1101

Measurement


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New York, USA

London, UK

Dubai, UAE Mumbai, India

Chennai, India

Singapore

Headquartered in Singapore with ofcesin New York, London, Dubai and India to supportour operations, we are a team o over 120 peoplecurrently, servicing Fortune 500 companies, top

tier local corporations, as well as small and mediumenterprises across all vertical markets.


Interakt Profle


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From our very beginnings, Interakt has been all about interactive communication - using insight, knowledge,

creativity, and technology to inspire users to act in a way that will deliver measurable and expected results.

Interakt is a ull service communications company and our our core practice areasdigital marketing,

engaged learning, user experience, and technologyleverage the virtually unlimited potential o interactive

communication in all its orms to achieve your brand, marketing, and business goals.



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A full service communications company

For enquiries, kindly contact Ashish Bhalla at

+65 6238 8995

[email protected]

www.interaktco.com

marketing communications inside out

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