16: Communicating Brand Value to Customers
Now more than ever, marketers must acknowledge that they do not control information about their brand in the marketplace, nor does one start from a blank slate. Most likely, customers already have brand knowledge as a result of the information they have received from am multitude of sources, and these sources.
The task of the marketer is to understand the market's current perception of the brand and, in that context, to determine the best way to communicate additional information that can reinforce or change these perceptions, all the while being a mere voice in the crowd.
BRAND KNOWLEDGE
The author provides a brief overview of Keller's approach to mapping the "Dimensions of Brand Knowledge"), dividing out brand awareness from brand image, splitting the latter into experiences and beliefs, etc. (EN: this is pretty superficial, and not the only method for schematizing the brand knowledge, so check other sources.)
Fundamentally, this approach gathers and organizes the various things a person might know (they recognize the name and logo, think the brand is high quality but expensive, think that the people who use the brand fit a certain profile, feel the brand is good for certain purposes, etc.). This indicates a perception of the brand in the mind of the market (which will not be the same as its perception in the mind of the company that sells it).
It should also assess the degree of confidence that the market places in each perception, and may analyze how the market came to these conclusions. A person who strongly believes a perception because they heard it from several sources is harder to move than one who doesn't have a great deal of confidence in what they have heard.
PUSH COMMUNICATIONS
The author identifies "push" communications as the messages and incentives that the marketer sends out, with the attention of getting the attention of an audience that is not actively seeking it.
The most common form of push communication is advertising: the marketer seeks to place a message in a location and time when his mark might be paying attention, with the intent of distracting them from another activity to receive an unwanted message. The marketer has a high level of control over the message, but most consumers don't place must faith in advertising.
Sales promotion is next of kin to advertising, but instead of communicating general information about the product or brand, it seeks to provide an incentive to the mark to provoke an immediate purchasing response, such as a discount or incentive. The value to brand relationship is that an immediate sale puts the products into the customer's hands for a first-person brand experience, which can be more compelling than a third-party account. A noted drawback is that the overuse of promotions in an industry can undermine brand loyalty: in the grocery industry, competitors who wage a "coupon war" will find that the customer buys whichever product offers them a deal that week, and will switch back and forth, maintaining no loyalty to any brand.
Public relations can also be considered a push medium, though it is done through an intermediary (such as a newspaper), who has discretion over whether to pass the message along as-is, with changes, or not at all. Traditionally, PR efforts were considered more credible by audiences because of that discretion, and because the medium was expected to reject any messages it found to be untrue or unsuitable. (EN: This has changed in recent years, as an increasing proportion of the audiences recognize media "hype" and are skeptical of what is presented as fact.)
Personal selling involves direct contact between the marketer or a paid representative and the mark, either in person, by phone, or through another channel. The direct and interactive communication enables the message to be embellished or tailored to the perceived interest of the mark. (EN: the author reiterates some of what was said earlier - about it being an effective way to maintain a personal relationship, and apply social pressures to the selling process).
Direct marketing is similar to personal selling, though this is done indirectly. In this sense, a brochure or catalog can be considered a customized message that is delivered to a specific individual. It differs in that the message is not interactive, so it must be tailored to the perceived needs and interests in advance. It may be tailored to solicit orders from entirely new customers, or solicit re-orders from existing ones - but is generally geared to elicit a sale in the short term.
(EN: The author doesn't mention the "magalog," which is a tactic that seems to wax and wane. Marketers send out a publication that contains editorial content, advertisements, and promotions that are intended to have multiple functions: to generate a perception of the brand as well as provide incentive for short-term sales. My understanding is that results have varied, but companies that do infrequent business have found it to be an effective tactic.)
Of push communications in general, the author notes that it is done with a degree of risk. The traditional perspective has been that a push communication is successful to the degree to which it effects a positive change in brand perception or an immediate boost in sales - but this disregards potential negative side-effects: customers may find the message to be intrusive of offensive, which may detract from brand perception and turn buyers off of a brand.
PULL COMMUNICATIONS
Pull communications are often represented as an "opposite" of push: the marketer prepares information about the product, and makes it available to customers who actively seek it out.
Most digital communications (Web sites, podcasts, blogs, etc.) fall into pull communication. The advertiser creates a repository of product information for customers who are seeking it out. (EN: additional activities done to promote the Web site and drive traffic, such as search engine advertising, may fall into the category of push - but the mere act of creating the site is a pull approach.)
Social networks are also a form of pull communication. Generalyl speaking, a company creates a profile on a social networking site, and provides a feed of updates - but it is up to the customer to find the profile and subscribe to the feed. (Again, any activity done to promote the profile or ask customers to subscribe is push, and is a different activity than merely creating the information).
(EN: While the author sticks to digital examples, pull communications are not only digital. The practice of creating "bin literature" that is available upon request predated the internet - a person could call a toll-free number and request a brochure, though this has largely been discontinued. The only example that comes to mind of a practice still in existence are the card-racks in hotel lobbies, where visitors can pick up literature about local restaurants and attractions, or the rack of similar items that is placed in many supermarkets.)
Event marketing, such as trade shows and expositions, also fall into the category of pull marketing methods, though it's an odd blend - as push marketing is often done to promote the event, but the exhibitors at the event itself often come and set up a booth, and wait on individuals to some to them.
APPLYING PUSH AND PULL COMMUNICATIONS
Most advertising campaigns employ a combination of push and pull communications. A marketer may use push techniques including television and print advertising, public relations to get stories printed in news outlets, and a variety of other tactics to draw attention. At the same time, the marketer may develop a campaign Web site that provides more information to those who become interested and wish to learn more.
This can be a practical and efficient method of reaching the audience: the advertising can be kept fairly short and simple, designed to present a succinct message to attract attention (and since most ad space is billed based on time, it's more cost-effective), and the reference material can be made available to interested parties (no excess funds are spent on providing copious amounts of information through paid channels, and it is not inflicted on people who may not be interested in hearing it)
(EN: The author attempts to illustrate this point through an example of a recent push/pull campaign, but the account lacks sufficient detail to be credible.)