Brand Matters : Are You Listening?
What makes for a great branding conversation
February 2008 By Andrea Syverson
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What does your brand say to customers? Is it a lot of meaningless yada yada yada, or is it a truly productive conversation with your valued customers? Is it a monologue or a dialogue? What’s the flavor of the conversation: lighthearted and playful, serious and informative, whimsical and humorous? More importantly, does the tone and voice match your brand positioning?
Your brand is a series of intimate and not-so-intimate conversations with customers. These conversations occur through your printed word, online presence, the customer service experience you offer and word-of-mouth among customers. Are these conversations compelling? Do they entice your customers to want to pay attention to what you have to say?
If you haven’t done so already, conduct a thorough analysis of your brand conversations during the past six months. Try to remain unbiased about the results. Evaluate your message pattern from both your own perspective and that of your customers’.
Here are some branding strategies used by those who excel at the task.
Right on the Money
Financial services firm Charles Schwab Corp. took the idea of brand conversations literally. Its award-winning and long-running “Talk to Chuck” ad campaign is a series of talk bubbles that mirror real customer conversations.
According to Becky Saeger, Schwab’s chief marketing officer, “‘Talk to Chuck’ is the invitation to a dialogue—our call to investors to bring us the very real issues they face in their financial lives. Our promise is that we’ll listen and respond to their individual needs.”
On its “Talk to Chuck” Web pages, Schwab offers dozens of questions that investors should ask brokerage firms. The questions are written in a down-to-earth fashion, such as, “If my account grows or contracts, how will your fees change?”. All are important questions written in a real-life dialogue.
This campaign is a role model of what a brand conversation should be, because it nails the true and unscripted thought patterns of most consumers who are worried about the pain points of financial services. It’s obvious that Schwab executives spent hours listening to customers. The campaign is well thought out and consistent across TV, print, online and direct mail ads, as well as its branch merchandising. Undoubtedly, customers look at the messaging nuances and feel comfortable that Schwab understands their true needs.
Shopping Made Supremely Easy
Another great example of attentive listening is JC Penney’s “Know Before You Go” program. It provides detailed and updated information about products and promotions before customers head to the stores. Say you found a great pair of boots on the Penney’s site or in its catalog, but you want to try them on first. Simply click on the item on the Web site, then select color and size. Under “check on item availability at stores near you,” plug in your ZIP code and up pops a box telling you where you can find this exact item in a store near you.
John Irvin, president of J.C. Penney Direct, recently talked with a reporter from Women’s Wear Daily about the program. “Our shoppers are more frequently using the Internet before ever stepping foot in a store. We’ve done extensive research that shows that nearly 70 percent of customers are online for a purpose other than shopping, including viewing merchandise, comparing prices, finding sales and promotions, and exploring fashion and shopping tips.”
JC Penney employed the “WIIFM?” (What’s In It For Me–the customer?) principle and structured an engaging conversation that maximizes customers’ time and money.
Susan Scott, author of the book “Fierce Conversations,” believes that the conversation is the relationship and that nuances matter. In the Schwab example, you can sense the type of relationship consumers expect from this firm: down-to-earth, personable and trustworthy. In the Penney’s example, customers expect to “shop with options” and therefore anticipate the brand relationship to be one of convenience and friendliness. Because these brand conversations really do set the tone for the customer experience, it’s imperative for brand managers to think strategically about their messaging and pay close attention to subtleties.
It all starts with careful and active listening. Schwab and Penney wisely placed the customer first and didn’t hog the brand conversation with their own corporate-focused agendas. How can your company get better at listening?
Silence Speaks Volumes
Peter F. Drucker, the father of modern management, reminds us: “The most important thing in communication is to hear what isn’t being said.”
No doubt the founders of Netflix were excellent “read-between-the-lines” listeners. They wowed customers of competitor and long-time industry giant Blockbuster and wooed new ones through groundbreaking services such as free DVD delivery, no late fees and prepaid return address envelopes. They continue to listen to customers’ spoken and unspoken needs. Blockbuster now is playing serious catch-up.
Before your brand has to play catch-up, check your listening attitude. Who in your company is paying attention to what customers are not saying? And how are you acting upon that information?
Read ’Em Their Rights
Catalog and online merchant The Vermont Country Store also listens well, and therefore speaks its customers’ language. As “purveyors of the practical and hard to find,” The Vermont Country Store takes its customer conversation and relationship seriously. Long before JetBlue wrote one for airline travelers, this company had a Customer Bill of Rights. It’s prominently displayed on page two of its catalogs, printed on its shipping boxes and displayed on its Web site (see image below).
The company also understands customers’ needs. I recently received its postcard that asked simply: “What products have become annoyingly overcomplicated with gizmos and gadgets you just don’t use?” This question gets not only to the heart of one of its customers’ greatest frustrations, but to the heart of the company’s product line. The Vermont Country Store listens, cares, responds and keeps those communication lines open.
Andrea Syverson is president of IER Partners, a strategic branding and merchandising consultancy based in Colorado. She can be reached at (719) 495-2354 or asyverson@ ierpartners.com.
Critique: The Nonprofit Center at La Salle University
Thank you to Joan Mintz Ulmer, director of marketing and communications at The Nonprofit Center at La Salle University, for sending in her brochure and brand packet for review. Here are some “brand conversation” thoughts for her to consider after a review of these materials and the organization’s homepage:
A+ On thoroughness of information presented in both pieces; very detailed, lots of questions answered. Academic in approach; seems to suit nature of brand.
A+ On professionalism of design and appearance of materials.
A+ On “Executive Summary” on each separate sheet; concise, gets right to point for readers.
B Good use of testimonials, especially when they are specific and credited to a particular person and company; adds credibility to the organization.
Needs improvement in a few areas:
Editing—Is it important to tell the entire story in this brochure or simply provide a teaser for a personal follow-up? With readers’ attention spans decreasing, shorter and bulleted copy (like that in the Executive Summaries) becomes much more impactful.
White space—The Web site makes good use of white space and briefer copy. The printed materials could benefit from more breathing room; it is hard to tell what is most important on each sheet/panel.
Emotional connection—The Web site shows a “human touch” photographic element that is missing in these printed pieces. This feature helps convey the human element and puts a face to the work and mission of The Nonprofit Center. And it adds a necessary emotional connection.
Case studies—No doubt The Nonprofit Center has significantly affected many organizations. The printed pieces would benefit from a few brief case studies that would give the reader a sense of “results” versus more information.
—A.S.
Thank you to Joan Mintz Ulmer, director of marketing and communications at The Nonprofit Center at La Salle University, for sending in her brochure and brand packet for review. Here are some “brand conversation” thoughts for her to consider after a review of these materials and the organization’s homepage:
A+ On thoroughness of information presented in both pieces; very detailed, lots of questions answered. Academic in approach; seems to suit nature of brand.
A+ On professionalism of design and appearance of materials.
A+ On “Executive Summary” on each separate sheet; concise, gets right to point for readers.
B Good use of testimonials, especially when they are specific and credited to a particular person and company; adds credibility to the organization.
Needs improvement in a few areas:
Editing—Is it important to tell the entire story in this brochure or simply provide a teaser for a personal follow-up? With readers’ attention spans decreasing, shorter and bulleted copy (like that in the Executive Summaries) becomes much more impactful.
White space—The Web site makes good use of white space and briefer copy. The printed materials could benefit from more breathing room; it is hard to tell what is most important on each sheet/panel.
Emotional connection—The Web site shows a “human touch” photographic element that is missing in these printed pieces. This feature helps convey the human element and puts a face to the work and mission of The Nonprofit Center. And it adds a necessary emotional connection.
Case studies—No doubt The Nonprofit Center has significantly affected many organizations. The printed pieces would benefit from a few brief case studies that would give the reader a sense of “results” versus more information.
—A.S.
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