creating an emotional connection to your customers an emotional connection to... · creating an...

Creating an Emotional Connection with Your

Customers

Illinois Food Retailers Association

Emotional Connection

Jan 3, 2008 ArticleNew York:“Man Jumps Onto Subway Tracks for His iPhone”


“The best brands consistently win two crucial moments of truth. The first when a consumer decides to select one brand or another. The second when she/he uses the brand - and is delighted, or isn’t. Brands that win these moments of truth again and again earn a special place in the hearts and minds; the strongest of these establish a lifelong bond with consumers.

A.G. LafleyThe Procter & Gamble CompanyAdapted from the book: LoveMarks


What is a brand?

“A consumer calculus that is built-up, torn down, or left unchanged by each encounter.”

Kelly O’KeefeThe VCU Adcenter CEO O’Keefe Brands


The Center of your Universe?

“Your brand must be at the center of all that you do. It must maintain credibility with all the key constituencies. Emotional connectionis a by-product of a healthy brand that puts the customer first.”

Pure Culture Consulting


Great Brands:

Continually reinvent themselves to create long-term sustainability

Consistently excel financially against those in their market space

Create an emotional connection to their brand

Possess a culture that embraces the mission and strategies of the organization

Emotional Connection Customers that are emotionally connected to your brand love your people, products, place and philosophy of the world.


Café Caturra on Grove Pulls out all the stopsBLOG Post: September 5th, 2008

My 3-year-old and I stopped by Cafe Caturra Coffee & Wine on Grove Avenue near Maple this morning to check it out. It opened last week, and I’ve been driving by and wondering — why is it attracting so much attention. Every time I go by, it’s busy. Really busy considering that most of the customers have found out by word of mouth and there is a Starbucks directly across the street!

Caturra is passionate about coffee. Passionate about wine. And they are passionate about the details. The workers there were very helpful and friendly — letting me take a menu and pointing out that for $4.95 they had a variety of kids meals from PB&J to a turkey sandwich.


“Whether company is marketing hamburgers or microprocessors, there's an impressive financial return that results from emotionally engaging consumers - and there's a substantial cost that results from disengaging them.”

William McEwenMarried to the Brand


The cause and effect financial outcomes typically associated with customers being emotionally connected:

Customers…

1. Are not easily lead away by new competitors2. Will be the first to try new products or services3. Brag about you to their friends and colleagues and get them

shop with you4. Often let you know when they are mad and give you

another chance to make amends5. Give you the benefit of the doubt when things go wrong


Seinfeld TV ShowFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Seinfeld is an Emmy Award-winning American sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989 to May 14, 1998, lasting nine seasons. Many of its catchphrases have entered into the pop culture lexicon. The show led the Nielsen Ratings in its sixth and ninth seasons, and finished among the top two (along with ER) every year from 1994 to 1998.[1] In 2002, TV Guide named Seinfeld as the greatest American television program of all time.[2]


Customer Experience Measurement

Questions on Emotional Connection:

- Do your customers feel part of your organization? - Do your customers recommend you to friends and neighbors?- Do you continue to delight your customers with new productsand/or services that seem unique and fresh?

- Do you regularly listen to your best customers?- Do you go out of your way to apologize to your customers whenthings go wrong?


Philosophy – What the organization believes inPeople - the culture of the brand that spreads the messageProduct – the connection to the brand as it satisfies some

conscious or unconscious need by customersPlace – the vibe the brand creates physically or emotionally


Brand Essence:

The key variables of “emotional connection”


Mission – Why the employees come to work each dayPillars – How the brand is seen in the market spaceBrand behaviors – the key behaviors that form an emotional attachmentValues – The underlying beliefs that drive behavior


Brand Essence:

The key elements of philosophy – What the organization believes in


Philosophy: Identifies the purpose of the organization and why the team comes to work each day

Examples of compelling missions

To help our customers live beautifully (Williams and Sherrill)

To save lives and restore health (LifeNet Health)

To enrich the lives of our teammates, customers, and neighbors(First Market bank)

To Bring Joy to the Lives of Those we Serve ( Brown’s Super Stores)


Emotional connection is ultimately driven by a set of shared values. Values that typically drive the relationship are:

• Intimacy: Intimacy is linked with feelings of closeness, safety, trust and transparency among partners in a mutually beneficial relationship.

• Passion: feeling very strongly about a brand and willingly tobe a vocal advocate of it to others

• Commitment: refers to the strength of the relationship between customers and a particular brand (or product) that enduresover a lengthily period of time


- Internal and/or external constituencies- Brand devotees that are aligned and drinking the Cool-aide daily- Language and traditions that reinforce brand essence


Brand Essence:

The key elements of people - the culture of the brand that spreads the message


- Drives the loyalty and revenues- Must be “on brand” versus “off brand”- Must be refined and enhanced to keep interest and love going


Brand Essence:

The key variables of “product” – the connection to the brand as it satisfies some conscious or unconscious need



Brand Essence:

The key variables of “place” – the vibe the brand creates physically or emotionally

- Engages the senses - Serves as a stimulus for behavior- Creates a feeling of nostalgia


PhilosophyPeopleProductPlace

Your Brand


Case Studies:



The Brand Essence of Apple



The Brand Essence of Jimmy Buffet



The Brand Essence of Mamma Zu



The Brand Essence of Harley Davidson


Steps for building a strong emotional connection:

Step 1: Clarify and simplify the essence of your brand Step 2: Cascade and reinforce the message throughout the organizationStep 3: Listen for validation and inconsistencies with your brand imageStep 4: Empower your big fans to spread the word and NEVER take

them for grantedStep 5: Look for ways to create a greater bond that cannot be broken

through enhanced execution and innovation


Creating an emotional connection with customers must be earned over time, but can be lost very quickly if the brand getsout of alignment or the external environment changes

On brand Off Brand

Sustainability can be difficult

Emotional Connection Customers that are emotionally connected to your brand love your people, products, place and philosophy of the world.

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