FUTURELAB
A Little Less Conversation,
A Little More Action
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From the conference brochure
The central theme for Marktplein DM is Marktplein 2.0: A little less
action, a little more conversation. A theme that comes from the
current developments in DM and online. The consumer is ever
more in charge. Only he seldomly talks with the companies he buys
from. And ever more with others about the brands he buys. Positive
and negative.
During Marktplein 2.0: A little less action, a little more conversation you
will hear stories from companies who recognise this new situation
and act upon it.
FUTURELAB

1955 1967 1983 2001 2007
Word-of-mouth is 7x more effective than newspaper
advertising, 5x stronger than a personal sales pitch and 2x
as effective as radio advertising
Marketing Science Institute, 2006
FUTURELAB

After 52 years of facts and research stating that WOM is key
… do marketers still need to learn how to deal with it
FUTURELAB

WE FOCUS ON THE WE DON’T GIVE PEOPLE WE PREFER A ONE NIGHT
SYMPTOMS, RATHER THAN SOMETHING ENOUGH TO STAND OVER A COMMITTED
THE DISEASE TALK “ABOUT” RELATIONSHIP
FUTURELAB

WE FOCUS ON THE WE DON’T GIVE PEOPLE WE PREFER A ONE NIGHT
SYMPTOMS, RATHER THAN SOMETHING ENOUGH TO STAND OVER A COMMITTED
THE DISEASE TALK “ABOUT” RELATIONSHIP
FUTURELAB

What drives conversations?
FUTURELAB

EXPERIENCE – EMOTION – WOM

“44% of consumers say the majority of their Customer Experiences are “bland”
Customer Satisfaction Averages, New Zealand, 2006
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
Travel Agent
Health Service
Building Society
Local Council
Insurer
Car Manufacturer
Phone Provider
Electricity Provider
Mobile Provider
Web based company
Supermarket
Gas Provider
Water provider
Bank
Book Shop
Source: SRD Group, Customer Satisfaction Averages, New Zealand, 2006

And most wouldn’t recommend a brand
Telecom Europe = - 48%
Profusion, 2005
BTW: The same often applies to the people working for the brand themselves

80% of CEO’s believe their brand
provides a superior customer
experience
8 % of their customers agree
(Bain & Company)
FUTURELAB

Do you talk about brands that leave you indifferent?
FUTURELAB

Does your brand systematically delight customers?
TO AFFECT THE CONVERSATION
DON’T FOCUS ON WOM AS A SYMPTOM
YET START DELIGHTING CUSTOMERS
FUTURELAB

WE FOCUS ON THE WE DON’T GIVE PEOPLE WE PREFER A ONE NIGHT
SYMPTOMS, RATHER THAN SOMETHING ENOUGH TO STAND OVER A COMMITTED
THE DISEASE TALK “ABOUT” RELATIONSHIP
FUTURELAB

In a million channel world,
brands whose consumers
tell the best stories, win
FUTURELAB

Don’t Just Tell Me Anything
Tell me stories
that make my conversations
more interesting

FEATURES - BENEFITS
VALUES - PROPOSITIONS
WHERE ARE THE
STORIES ???
FUTURELAB

Brands must become storytellers
So it is possible for customers to talk about them.
FUTURELAB

THE GREATEST MARKETING STORY EVER

Origins
Pope Innocent III
Fourth Lateran Council (1215)
Birthstones

BUT WHY THE DIAMONDS?

FUTURELAB
1938: Harry Oppenheimer meets Gerold M. Lauk of N.W.Ayer

Cullinan IX
Europe
1938 1948 1953 1990s
Cullinan III & IV
FUTURELAB

Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0FDGnAIWpk
FUTURELAB

Stories replace 1,500 years tradition
1967 The Beers Goes Japan (occasional)
1972 Diamonds = 27%
1981 Diamonds = 60%
2007 Second largest diamond market (after US)

Hemingway
Van Gogh
Chabrol
Sartre
...

What is the story of your brand?
TO AFFECT THE CONVERSATION
TELL STORIES WHICH CUSTOMERS CAN
AND WANT TO TALK ABOUT
FUTURELAB

WE FOCUS ON THE WE DON’T GIVE PEOPLE WE PREFER A ONE NIGHT
SYMPTOMS, RATHER THAN SOMETHING ENOUGH TO STAND OVER A COMMITTED
THE DISEASE TALK “ABOUT” RELATIONSHIP
FUTURELAB

Are You a One Night Brand?
Renault vs. SonyStyle

How often do you really talk to your customers?

Do you keep your promises?
http://www.youtube.co
We show that we value our customers by serving them m/watch?v=xaaAYVU
WP0I
well, putting their needs and interests at the center of
everything we do. (AOL mission statement)

TO AFFECT THE CONVERSATION
YOU WANT ME TO CARE
If you want me to care …
Call me
Write me
Buy me flowers
But don’t dare take me for granted
FUTURELAB

FOCUS ON THE TELL STORIES SO PEOPLE IF YOU WANT CUSTOMERS
DISEASE, BY MAKING ACTUALLY HAVE SOMETHING TO COMMIT TO YOU,
THE TOTAL EXPERIENCE TO TALK ABOUT SHOW SOME COMMITMENT
UNIQUE FIRST
FUTURELAB

FUTURELAB
But I’m just a marketer
That is not my department …

YES IT IS …
Your brand communicates every time
it touches a customer.
As a marketer you need to manage
this communication.
This makes you responsible for each
“moment of truth”
FUTURELAB

Consider Each Moment of Truth as a Brand Expression
1. Identify every touchpoint of
your brand
2. Prioritise it’s (emotional)
importance to the customer
3. Determine what your brand
promise means at this
touchpoint
4. Enlist support of your
colleagues, retailers, …
5. Measure and manage
Source: DAVIS S., LONGORIA T., “Harmonising Your Touchpoints”, Brand Packaging, Jan/Feb 2003
FUTURELAB

TO MANAGE WORD-OF-MOUTH
YOU NEED TO MANAGE THE EMOTION
TO MANAGE THE EMOTION, YOU NEED TO TAKE
CONTROL OF THE EXPERIENCE
THIS MEANS GETTING INVOLVED IN EVERYTHING
YOUR BUSINESS DOES
FUTURELAB

FUTURELAB
A Little Less Conversation,
A Little More Action
Feel free to re-use or mash-up this
presentation under Creative Commons
2.0 licence (non-commercial, attribution)