Brand experience can have a more positive effect on consumers than the best ads or celebrity endorsement. In fact Laura Ramos at Forrester Research says “Exceptional experiences are now your best competitive advantage”. In a digital world, brands must delight customers consistently with great customer experiences in every channel and at every touchpoint, or risk losing them to competitors.
But company structures and departmental silos can prevent teams aligning behind the brand promise, collaborating with each other and unifying brand consistency. As Kerry Bodine, a customer experience expert says, sometimes “the people who are responsible for making promises to customers aren’t collaborating with the people who are responsible for keeping those promises.” In other words, the brand promise made to customers by marketing sometimes doesn’t make its way right through an organisation and as far as the customer. Or it does so sporadically and is therefore delivered inconsistently.
Consistency matters to customers
The reality is that consistency matters to customers. Research by Software Advice asking 200 consumers what influenced their loyalty to brands had striking results. 41% of respondents identified consistency as a more important factor than authenticity (15%), relevancy (6%) and transparency (2%).
But why is consistency so important in the relationship between consumers and brands?
Consistency is personal
The comparatively low results for authenticity, relevancy and transparency in the research imply that consumers care more about what determines their experience of a brand than the things which influence their perception of it. The effect of brand inconsistency is a personal experience; it may not always be possible to pinpoint the exact cause of our dissatisfaction but we know it when we feel it. Consistent brands assure consumers that the next experience will be as good as last time; that the brand can be relied on.
How can brands deliver consistent brand experiences?
Join us for a 90-minute Workshop at the Festival of Marketing to explore solutions to the brand experience consistency challenge.
Aimed at marketing directors and marketing leaders, it is titled How to ensure your team is winning the brand experience consistency battle.
This is a Workshop like no other!
Cast off your conference straight-jacket and join us to play the interactive, informative and illuminating Customer Experience Game. It’s a session of collaboration, challenges and creative thinking.
Click here to find out more and to book your place.
Festival of Marketing
Tobacco Dock, London, E1W 2SF
4 October, 2017
11:30am – 1pm
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