“Voice of the customer” can be a challenging concept for brands. Listening to, engaging with, capturing and analysing what customers are saying, thinking and expecting of your brand, products and services can be confronting. Years ago, working with a global retailer, there was a moment where court action was imminent – a customer had taken their use of the brand into an area that did not gel with the brand’s stewards. Luckily we were able to resolve this amicably (and creatively) – but the stakes can be high.
As Oasis wraps up its five night residency at the fabulously named Heaton Park in Manchester, one brand has gone above and beyond – turning the “voice of the customer” into a brand-meets-culture moment. In tribute to the Manchester band’s reunion tour, Aldi rebranded its local store from “Aldi” to “Aldeh” representing the local dialect and the city’s long history of rock music.
It’s literally rebranding in the voice of the customer.
And, of course, this has proven a hit with locals and tourists alike. Even Google Maps has gotten in on the act.
And there’s no change of this sign changing back any time soon.
Aldi UK’s Chief Commercial Officer, Julie Ashfield explains, “What started as a fun, temporary tribute to Oasis and the local accent has turned into something far bigger. We’ve heard shoppers loud and clear, and we’re absolutely delighted to keep the sign up for the long haul.”
And in a world where brands struggle to be relevant in the life of its customers, this activation feels like a bat signal in the gloomy, gotham world of safe branding.
One of things about marketing that you don’t realise until you do it – is that you are working out loud. Many of your actions, decisions and choices are played out in front of an audience. That means that the people who count – your customers, partners and collaborators – and your bosses – all see your work. And they are all ready to judge you.
And while this is run-of-the-mill for most marketers, it’s when crisis hits that it becomes acute. A business or brand crisis sees most marketing and communications teams kick into gear. Agencies leap into action and marketing steps up to be one of the most important strategic arms of an organisation. Those making decisions on marketing and crisis responses have no choice but to step into highly visible leadership – and this takes a certain amount of not only brand bravery, but personal courage.
And so it was with Astronomer when senior execs from the company were caught on a “Kiss Cam” at a Coldplay concert. Take a look at the Google Trends view for the term Astronomer.
As the footage when viral, I was just imagining what was happening behind the scenes:
Social media mentions start building
Google organic peaks and the paid search budget is exhausted
Traffic to the brand’s About and Team pages start spiking
Web services come under strain
Cyber attacks ramp up as brand visibility grows
Marketing, social and PR teams gather to
Viral contagion spreads across geographies and it all happens again.
Now, whenever your brand comes under fire, the crisis comms playbook kicks in:
Respond quickly to control the narrative
Reach a broad audience
Engage directly with your stakeholders
Provide updates and monitor the situation.
But these are generally reactive approaches.
Before this event took place, I had no clue about Astronomer and its DataOps platform. However, thanks to this creative, disruptive and self-deprecating response starring “Temporary Spokesperson”, Gwyneth Paltrow – I not only have heard of the brand, I also know of its products and its upcoming conference.
What’s great about this is that the crisis comms playbook has been turned upside down. What we see is a “culture-first” response:
Paltrow has a global profile as an actor and CEO of her own company. She is also Coldplay lead singer, Chris Martin’s ex – which carries a healthy dose of ironic baggage
The script leans into the humour while keeping core brand and product message at the centre of the communication
While most brand step back from emotion through formal messaging and delivery during crisis comms, Paltrow’s wry smile and delivery reframe the narrative away from the very human crisis that started all this, and refocus on the 300-plus employees of Astronomer.
It will be interesting to see how or even whether Astronomer is able to continue to capitalise on this momentum. No doubt CMO, Leo Zheng, will be high on the list for speakers at upcoming marketing conferences (quick Comms Connect!) – and this will make for a fascinating case study.
As I reflect on this situation and the vastly un-human AI-driven comms world we find ourselves in, I wonder how much artificial intelligence played a role in this effort from Astronomer. I have a feeling this is a culture and creative-led response – but I could be wrong. And maybe we will never know.
You know that when super-optimised brands/websites like Hubspot see an 80% drop in traffic, you know that the foundations of your strategy are shifting under your feet. Little surprise, then, that brands, agencies and consultants are all asking questions about “what is next” when it comes to traffic, demand and lead generation and all things digital.
No matter whether you are client or agency side, for those of us working in strategy, marketing or the black arts of revops, we need answers and we need them now. Unfortunately, the state of play is actually a state of flux. And I expect this will be the case for some time.
For now, the best we can do is maintain a watching brief, and run a rigorous program of testing and learning. Yes – it’s a time to double down on continuous learning. To get you started, here’s a nice infographic explainer by Jake Ward on the various SEO tools designed to track your brand’s visibility across the various large language models (LLMs).
As you can see, we are far from a consolidated or consistent view or or approach – but it will help you get started in this new wild west of the web.
And while I am a fan of artificial intelligence, I can see plenty of issues and challenges. But this, perhaps, points to AI being a process rather than an outcome. For example, could the AI Reid write an insightful, new best selling business book? Would anyone read it (or more importantly, PAY, to buy it)?
With a good 18 months of AI experimentation under my belt, I have seen significant improvements and advancements in the technology. Some is breath-taking. Some is way below par. Understanding the use cases, limitations and opportunities is essential. But at the end of the day, I am often not taking in my breath – I am letting out a yawn.
Selling business software can be a dry argument. But sometimes a unique twist on the hero’s journey makes all the difference. I am loving this ad for Teamwork.com – casting clients as the evil villain and the agency team as the struggling hero seeking a resolution.
In the ever-evolving landscape of marketing, one strategy has stood the test of time: storytelling. A good story has the power to captivate, inspire, and connect on a deep emotional level, which means that storytelling has become an essential tool in the modern marketer’s arsenal.
Storytelling is about creating a narrative that resonates with your audience. It is about crafting a compelling story that not only engages, but also evokes emotions and leaves a lasting impression. Take for instance the powerful Nike campaign featuring Colin Kaepernick. By telling the story of a controversial figure who stood up for what he believed in, Nike managed to connect with their audience on a profound level. They tapped into the collective consciousness, sparking conversations and igniting a movement that went far beyond selling shoes.
Visuals play a pivotal role in storytelling, as they have the ability to transport us to different worlds and evoke a range of emotions. The “Share a Coke” campaign by Coca-Cola is a prime example of using visuals to create a memorable story. By personalising their product with individual names and encouraging people to share their stories, Coca-Cola fostered a sense of belonging and nostalgia, making their brand a part of people’s personal narratives. And who can go past a can of coke called “Gavin”? After all – that drink literally “had my name on it”.
Where once social media was digital’s poor cousin, it has now become an indispensable platform for storytelling. The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge shows how an online campaign can spread like wildfire, harnessing the power of social media to create a global phenomenon. By inviting people to share their personal stories and experiences, the ALS Association successfully raised awareness and funds for a worthy cause, all through the power of storytelling on social media.
So, how can you create an effective storytelling campaign for your brand? It starts with understanding your target audience. What are their values, aspirations, and pain points? Where they overlap or align to your corporate or brand values, you can really activate a campaign. By tapping into these insights, you can tailor your story to resonate with your audience on a deeper level.
In a survey conducted by Sprout Social, 55% of consumers stated that they are more likely to trust a brand if it tells a compelling story. When brands can convincingly and authentically create stories, there’s a trust bonus that can be unlocked.
With that awareness, now you can focus on creating a unique story that sets your brand apart. What makes your brand special? What is your unique selling proposition? Why do your values matter and why should your customers care? By highlighting these aspects in your storytelling, you can create a narrative that is distinct and memorable.
Finally, choose the right channels to reach your audience. Whether it’s through social media, video marketing, or immersive experiences, select the platforms that align with your brand and have the potential to amplify your story to a wider audience.
By creating narratives that touch hearts and minds, brands have the power to forge lasting connections with their customers. Perhaps more importantly, by embracing the power of storytelling, you can unleash your own creativity, and bring your brand to life in a meaningful way.
About the re:invention series
In this series I am exploring the new ways of using technology, storytelling and an acute interest in humans to imagine the possible futures we can live and work in, purposefully.
When we are constantly working, grinding, learning and delivering our work, it’s easy to forget to stop, reflect and share our thinking. So it was great this week to take a moment to pause and reflect on some of my strategy work, sharing with the team over at Sling & Stone.
Brian Giesen had asked that we think about how we used to develop strategy, and then share some more recent insights into how we develop strategy now, in light of prolific data and artificial intelligence. Without naming names, I thought I’d share the key points of how I have found the practise of strategy has changed over the last couple of years.
Customer foundations are essential: I always say, that everything starts with the customer. And this won’t change. After all, it is pretty rare that a bot will identify and conduct a trade/purchase (unless, of course, you are offering shares on the share market). And this means that you have to find a way to capture the attention of an audience and trigger their engagement and action. So when it comes to developing strategy, it’s your job to ensure that your understanding of your client’s customer is the same customer that your client is seeking. Keep asking and drilling your clients on their understanding of their customers.
Then vs now: Not a lot has changed here except that we now have better data at our fingertips. Use data to validate your position and play this back to your clients. Ask them to explain any gaps or suprises.
Prototype your client’s customers: If your clients can’t robustly describe their ideal customer profiles, you’ll need to invest in doing so. Sometimes clients do understand their customers through the experience of working with them. But they may not have documented the nuances. Use expert interviews to ask questions, identify triggers and validate your assumptions. Create personas that you can use as models and then conduct interviews with your clients and their sales teams to validate the motivations, triggers and profiles.
Then vs now: There are plenty of frameworks for customer profiling. Choose one that suits your needs and dive deeply. Use AI to accelerate your profiling based on known archetypes and refine through several iterations. Then step away and let your creative mind chew over the nuances. Remember, you are envisioning future use cases and AI is based on what we already know – not what we have yet to experience.
Map the competitive landscape: Who are the competitors in the industry? And how do you describe them? I like to spend some time thinking through the commonalities of competitors and plot them on a quadrant chart. As a strategist, try to identify both commonalities and areas of differentiation and use these to analyse each of the competitors and plot them on the chart. Deep dive into each competitor to understand their:
Underlying narrative
Visual storytelling
Palette and persuasive intent
Over-arching message
Super powers.
Then vs now: You’ll need a real-time AI to assist, but generate an analysis of the competitors and the industry trends. Brainstorm (with your team) the different lenses you are considering for the axes and iteratively plot out the competitors and see what emerges. Use your judgement (and the insights from the previous steps) to select the plotting and seek out the clear space available to your client.
Artificial intelligence is yet another technology that has emerged from the digital and social media world. But it’s not a solution or a replacement for solid strategic thinking. It’s a tool to aid and guide your efforts. Have AI do your grunt work, and then spend your time (and budget), developing deep, motivating and lasting insights to deliver the outcomes your clients expect – and need.
Is artificial intelligence going to take all our jobs? One beer maker decided to dive deeply into the tech world to generate the recipe for a never before seen new beer. But like any innovation, it’s not just a simple thing to turn a generated recipe into an actual beer. There is actual, physical work to be done. Ingredients to source. Brewing and adjustments to be made.
But what is fascinating is how far the Big Shed team went with this recipe – not only did they make the beer, they engaged a beer judge to assess it. What mark did the beer get? Was it worth drinking?
You’ll need to watch the video below to find out. Thanks to Porters Pyrmont Cellars for the story.
Some years ago, the US Airforce Public Affairs Agency released a handy process that could be followed when responding to social media responses. It’s still a great tool to guide social media, communications managers and business owners. But more importantly, it’s a tool that we can use as individuals.
There is one tried and tested rules – simply don’t feed the trolls. But if you find yourself being triggered by a comment:
Don’t engage: Trolls want attention, so the best way to deal with them is to ignore them. Don’t respond to their comments or messages and don’t give them the satisfaction of knowing they’ve gotten to you.
Report them: If the troll’s behaviour is abusive, threatening or violates the social media platform’s community guidelines, it’s important to report their account. This can help prevent them from harassing others in the future. Of course, platforms are uneven in their responsiveness.
Stay calm and composed: Trolls thrive on conflict and drama. Don’t get into heated arguments and try to remain calm and composed. Responding with kindness and empathy can also help defuse the situation.
Use humour: Sometimes, responding to a troll with humour can be an effective way to shut them down. It can also help lighten the mood and prevent the situation from escalating.
Block or mute them: If the troll continues to harass you despite your efforts to ignore them, block or mute their account. This will prevent them from being able to contact you or see your posts.
Last week, I used ChatGPT to interrogate whether it could be used to help your marketing efforts. Of course, this was slightly disingenuous, but I was interested to see what it might suggest.
For small and medium sized business owners, content marketing has been a revolution. It has provided a strategic and tactical opportunity to build brands, generate leads and provide options for growth. But content marketing requires content – and a not insignificant amount of it.
As you will see from the article generated, there was precious little in terms of insight or direction offered. The article felt like a report on the topic of marketing rather than an investigation of marketing and its potential for business. The article also focused more on the customer support side of marketing rather than brand or demand generation side.
There are ways to address these – including developing more precise prompts or iterating and refining the generated content by responding to content.
But what is clear is that ChatGPT’s understanding of “marketing” as a discipline or profession is limited. This means that to get value out of ChatGPT, we need to be not only more specific, we need to create context for the ChatGPT engine to respond to. And this already starts to feel like something akin to work.
What we have at the tips of our fingers is a new tool that can help us get our work done. But at this stage it is far from a silver bullet. We’ve got work to do to understand where and how ChatGPT and other AI tools fit within our martech stack.
