Jaded consumers yearn for service and care from brands. With mobile technology, brands can offer relevant services to customers anywhere, anytime. It is important for brands to transform into a service and act as a "brand butler" that is discreetly there when customers want, and surprisingly there when they don't expect it, both online and offline. Some ways brands can act as a butler include helping customers save money, providing eco-friendly assistance to green behaviors, and offering practical online and offline tools and spaces to help solve problems and find comfort. While seeming tactical, brand butlers transforms marketing into a true service and is an important branding trend.

1. “Why serving is the new selling”

2.  Jaded, time-poor,
pragmatic
consumers yearn
for service and
care, while the
mobile online
makes it possible
to offer uber-
relevant services
to consumers
anywhere,
anytime.
It has never been more important to
turn your brandinto a service!!

3.  The resulting, ideal ‘BRAND BUTLER
OMNIPRESENCE' would be a mix of (discreetly) being
there when customers want you to be there, and
pleasantly surprising them with your presence when
they least expect it.
Online

4.  In the 'real' world, brands obviously can’t be
everywhere all the time. By default, they will be more
expensive to execute as well. So 'offline' BRAND
BUTLER services need to be prioritized by utter
relevance and/or surprise.
Offline

6.  Now here’s a
BRAND
BUTLER idea:
why not go out
of your way to
help your
customers save
money in their
daily lives:

7.  Going above and beyond what is now expected from
every corporate site, manual or brochure. Needless to say
that anything ‘mobile’ wins hands down in this category,
as it’s all about being available anywhere, anytime.

8.  While (too) many B2C brands are setting up their own
social networking services, we wanted to include this
category…The free service allows members to share travel
knowledge, thoughts and photos, and access real time
updates about destination events and information.

9.  Skills, knowledge, manners: they're the new status
symbols, and thus helping consumers acquire those
skills and insights (closely linked to your brand
essence of course) is a sure win.

10.  What trend these
days doesn’t come
with an avalanche
of eco-examples?
Check out what
others came up
with to assist
customers in
greening their
behavior (and
sometimes saving
some money in the
process, too):

11.  In this category,
things get truly
practical: all kinds of
online & offline tools,
spaces and amenities
to assist consumers in
their search for
comfort and
problem-solving.
Please note that some
of the information-
based services in this
category differ from
those mentioned in
the ‘Finding’ category.

12.  Don't be fooled:
despite its perhaps
somewhat tactical
feel, BRAND
BUTLERS is about
turning marketing
into a service, and
thus it is one of the
most important
branding trends
currently out there.