This article is by Margaret Molloy, Global CMO for strategic branding firm Siegel+Gale.
We are living in the sharing age. Consumers and business can obtain instant information about products and services, and have more ways to share their views on them than ever before. From rants on social media sites to reviews on category-specific platforms, consumers and business buyers are having their say and listening to each other. As marketers, two vital implications of this sharing age are that we need to be more creative in the ways we reach customers, and that we must create more meaningful brand experiences for and with them.
In the lead up to Valentine’s, I thought it would be inspiring and fun to pose a question to a cross-industry sample of my CMO network: “How do you show love to your customers every day?” Here are their responses, as well as my own.
Reward Loyalty
“Millions of people make Dunkin’ Donuts an important part of daily life, so we strive to show our appreciation for our guests’ loyalty and passion every day. Our DD Perks Rewards Program is a key initiative towards that goal, offering guests points towards a free beverage with every purchase, as well as a free beverage when they register on their birthday. We also focus on our social and mobile communities by offering special promotions. Plus, we are continually refreshing our menu to delight our guests, such as our heart-shaped donuts for Valentine’s Day." John Costello, President, Global Marketing and Innovation, Dunkin' Brands
Exceed Expectations
“Allstate shows love for our customers by delivering more than they expect from an insurance company–every day. Yes, we provide expert advice and innovative products to help protect the people and things they care about, but we also surprise and delight them by helping them save money when they buy a new SUV or a car seat for their child, find an expert to care for their trees or other household needs, or locate their parked car in a gigantic mall parking lot.” Sanjay Gupta, CMO, Allstate Insurance Company
Focus on Culture
"We just started a new program. We call it 76 Seconds. It's simple. It takes 76 seconds to positively impact a fan—at a game or in the community. Every staff member has been 76 Seconds trained. We have 200 staff at 41 home games. If every staff member can make one memory a game we can drive positive fan experience in a scalable way. Every staffer is equipped with a dozen special gifts that they can hand deliver to fans. Maybe it's a surprise meet and greet with a player. Maybe it's merchandise. Maybe it's a visit to the court. 76 Seconds is more than an initiative. It's who we are. It's part of our culture." Tim McDermott, Chief Marketing and Innovation Officer at Philadelphia 76ers
Help Clients Succeed
"Last year we sent some of our top customers and brand advocates Valentine’s Day cards. It was a simple gesture but it felt great to see the reactions from our clients. They appreciated the 'love' on Valentine's Day. At IBM, we're working to become a relationship-driven company. We're working to build advocacy one customer at a time by building trusted relationships with our clients to help them succeed.” Tami Cannizzaro, Vice President, Marketing, IBM Cloud Category
Walk in the Customers’ Shoes
“We show love to our customers by spending time in-person with them to better understand what they need. Sometimes, customers may not be able to tell us what they need but by watching them closely, understanding their situation and being in their shoes, they will show us.” Eduardo Conrado, Senior Vice President, Chief Innovation Officer, Motorola Solutions
Never Give Up
“We are in the businesses of amplifying life with music. We do this to elevate experiences, to make people feel more inspired, alive and uninhibited. We have always been committed to creating perfection for the listener. That’s why we never give up on our pursuit to provide the best connection and experience—whether it is in sales or in support—so we can all appreciate sound like it is meant to be heard.” Sean Kapoor, Vice President, Global Marketing, Harman International
Encourage
“Mary Kay Ash often said, ‘P & L stands for people and love.’ One of the ways that I show my love for our customers, the Independent Sales Force, is by regularly sharing encouragement along with motivational quotes, images and blogs with them via Twitter and Instagram.” Sheryl Adkins-Green, CMO, Mary Kay
Engage Customers
"Being in the business of providing talent management solutions, I am a user and a marketer of our products. As a leader, I care passionately about employee engagement and development, which means I can truly relate to our clients. I view each customer interaction with the same excitement and anticipation of going on a date—an opportunity to exchange ideas, discuss our trials and tribulations, and share our hopes and dreams. Genuinely appreciating their passion is how I show my love for our customers. The insights I’ve learned from them have allowed me to craft marketing messages that are more authentic, approachable, and aspirational." Emily He, CMO, Saba Software
Seek to Understand
“Two words: impactful empathy. Seeking a deep understanding of the things that matter to our client—the individual, the person—and then empowering that person to make faster, smarter and more confident decisions. It sounds simple, but great marketers understand that "showing love,” means first and foremost seeking to understand.” Marcy Shinder, CMO, Nielsen
Be A True Partner
“Like any trusted relationship, we demonstrate our love for our customers by being a true partner, and ensuring we have their back every day, and at every touch point.” Lisa Bacus, Executive Vice President and Global CMO, Cigna
Simplify Communications
"CMOs make decisions each day where we can choose to put customers first, both in marketing and across our companies. My idea is to ensure that when writing content, we make it easy for customers to understand and that it uses their language, not internal product, brand or marketing speak. Put simply, it's so important to use the language of our customers." Chris X. Moloney, former CMO, Scottrade, Experian & Wells Fargo Advisors
Show & Tell Passion
"In the Manufacturing Cloud, we are in partnership with our customers 24/7/365, helping them make everything from diesel engines to salted caramel chocolates. We show our love for customers in our own passion for making things, and they return it by letting us tell their stories in fun and creative ways." Heidi Melin, CMO, Plex Systems
Listen to Customers
“Our customers are our true advisors. Our goal is to make sure that we are listening to her. Each time she reads our Rebecca Minkoff blog, buys from our website, or goes to our fitting room—we are learning from her and we have the opportunity to have her fall in love with the brand. We know she is passionate, playful and complex, so we post inspirational quotes to Instagram, offer her a drink in our store, or repair her favorite bag. We truly care about our customer and we try to show it in little ways every day.” Emily S. Culp, SVP, eCommerce & Omni-Channel Marketing, Rebecca Minkoff
Write Letters
“Nothing says love like a love letter. I hope that many will take a few moments from their busy schedules and write letters of gratitude instead of emails. The impact of writing a card or letter cannot be underestimated.” Nagisa Manabe, Chief Marketing and Sales Officer, United States Postal Service
And my response:
Know Your Purpose
You can’t love if you don’t know yourself. One of things we do is help our clients define their brand purpose and values. This enables them to build deep, enduring relationships with their customers.
If a theme emerges, it is that, these marketing leaders declare a heartfelt desire to spend more time with their customers. Whether the sometimes-fickle customer will requite their affections with true love remains to be seen. One thing is for sure, in this sharing age, the customer-brand relationship will no longer be a private affair.
