BCA

Apple, Method and Virgin Atlantic are among the companies which have successfully moved beyond traditional marketing and towards creating genuine “product experiences”.

Christopher Stutzman, a principal analyst at Forrester, argued in a report that several fundamental shifts in popular habits will require a transition away from tried-and-tested models.
“Marketers rely too much on communications to build their brands,” he said. “While consumers are tuning out marketing messages, they are actually seeking out more product experiences.”

A survey of 4,000 US shoppers found just 25% trusted in-store and magazine ads, falling to 22% for newspapers, TV and brand websites, 17% for radio and paid search, and a low of 7% for online banners.

Separate polls of a similar panel revealed 27% did not know how they first heard about something they had bought recently, while 25% cited in-store ads or special offers and 18% mentioned word of mouth.

Television and newspapers posted totals of 16%, with websites and direct mail returning scores of 11%, and a range of internet tools from banners to social networks on figures of between 1% and 4%.

62% of americans research products on the net and buy in stores

Elsewhere, 62% of Americans preferred researching potential purchases on the net and buying in bricks and mortar outlets, and 53% agreed sampling in stores or at home had helped them to choose a brand.

In response to these trends, firms like Apple have excelled by designing goods “with marketing in mind”, as exemplified by the iPod and iPhone, which demonstrate the power of “baked in” advertising.

Dyson’s new bladeless fan also combined “innovation of form and function” with superior performance, as was the case for the organisation’s pioneering vacuum cleaner.

Bladeless fan doesn’t look like a fan

“Visually the product speaks to the consumer because it looks nothing like a fan The bladeless design makes it simple for the consumer to translate how it is both safer and easier to clean,” said Stutzman.

Method boasts an equally clear “brand mission”, making eco-friendly household goods packaged more like health and beauty brands and that are extremely easy to use, as epitomised up by its latest laundry detergent.

“The product is designed to speak to the consumer in a new way, saying ‘I’m not your typical homecare product that you need to hide in your cabinet’,” Stutzman argued.

Barcode scanning app ShopSavvy offers information about items stocked by 20,000 retailers in 11 countries and has quickly garnered 1m users, meaning the digital space cannot be neglected.

Sherman Williams has turned their product into a service

Sherwin-Williams ColorSnap application has enabled the coatings supplier to “turn its product into a service” by assisting customers in finding matching colours and local stores selling the range concerned.

Zippos lighter iPhone app was argued by Stutzman to represent a “strategically brilliant example” of how a simple idea can create genuine engagement.

“Not only does the lighter app deliver on the company’s brand promise to ‘create a wind proof flame’ better than their actual products, but it put a virtual Zippo product in the hands of millions of non-users,” he said.

Virgin Atlantic took this a step further with its “Day in the Cloud” scheme, a “virtual scavenger hunt” for its passengers in the air and netizens on the ground, which was run with Google.

“Had they waited to reach out to passengers until they got home, the event wouldn’t have generated anywhere near $1m in earned media,” said Stutzman.

Kraft’s online community for Philadelphia Cream cheese, focusing on “real women”, has also attracted 700,000 unique visitors, received 5,000 user-generated recipes and contributed to renewed sales growth.

From World Advertising Research Center