Delivering Brand Value When Your Customers Need It Most

Note: Image from Apple.com

Recently, I read an Accenture report on post-recession consumer behavior, called The Road to Recovery. Overall, the report found consumers to be unsatisfied, with low brand loyalty, demanding brands to meet steep expectations for less.

Delivering on your brand promise couldn’t be more important than it is today!

Consumers are more mindful of their spending & are allocating dollars to items with the most perceived value - items they feel are special to them. For instance, I will save on toothpaste, and spend money on a good camera because capturing memories is essential to me OR I will buy a mac, which may cost more, over a PC because I trust the brand and want to be associated with it.

Today, brands need to create, reconfirm or prove their value to consumers to maintain demand. In addition, they must be consistent & transparent with their actions, when proving value, to earn or maintain loyalty.

An interesting trend that is emerging, mostly from the explosion of mobile app popularity, is the idea of Brand Utility – meaning a brand is providing additional experiences/touch points to aid consumers in a time of need that is relevant to the brand’s skills and purpose!
Take for example ING, who created a mobile app last January that helps customers find the closest ING ATM. This uses something called augmented reality, where it uses your camera phone and GPS to show you where you are, and where you need to go to find an ATM. Very helpful when travelling and need to find a bank. Similarly, last year, we developed an Ale finder to help Budweiser fans find its latest beer: Budweiser American Ale.

We’re also seeing other versions of brand utility with companies like Air Canada, who launched an app that allows you to check-in while you’re on the go. It also sends you updates regarding if your flight is on time or not!

Even New York City held an Apps contest to develop mobile apps that helped people in the city utilize municipal data in a relevant way to their daily activities. The winners included:

1. WayFinder NYC, which helps people find subway entrances through augmented reality
2. Taxihack, which allows people to view & post reviews of individual taxis & their drivers Big
3. Apple Ed, which offers detailed profiles, reviews & info on the city’s public schools

Brand utility enables brands to create meaningful touch points to engage with its customers when they genuinely need help with something related to the brand’s skill set. Users will appreciate the added-value, and according to Trendwatching, “A customer who is made to feel grateful most likely becomes enduringly loyal as a result. Gratitude can ‘increase purchase intentions, sales growth and share of wallet.’” This is just one more way the brand can create reasons for people to believe in its purpose!

This post can also be viewed on Experience Matters, where I will be contributing more regularly!