‘We need to talk’: The dreaded four words

Each one of us would have stories to tell about our own lives where someone said this to us or we said this to someone we know. Generally these words are said when communication is not happening; and it needs to happen either to bring people closer, clear up a misunderstanding, address an issue in the relationship or worst case scenario, to ‘execute’ a break up.

A reticent friend of mine once confessed to me that ever so often in his life, these words were followed by ‘it’s over’. And since he was naturally a quiet person, every time he heard those words, he would imagine the worst. He would break into a cold sweat, run away from the conversation or sometimes just run away from the relationship.

Senior brand owners in the market sometimes remind me of this reticent friend. As marketing heads and CEOs, the response to someone junior in their organisation or even their agency telling them that their ‘brands need to talk’, is not dissimilar to the reaction of my reticent friend. And that’s not because they fear that these words will be followed by ‘it’s over’, but more because they really don’t know what there is to talk about, and feel that too much talking can misfire badly on the brand.  

The ‘Always’ brand #likeagirl campaign is a great example of a brand ‘walking the talk’. They are a women’s protection brand and their research showed that girls are lowest in confidence at the time of puberty and their first period. To drive confidence in that segment, they devised a conversation around a term normally used derogatorily, especially by some men and sometimes even by women themselves – ‘like a girl’.

They did a social experiment to ask some boys and even some girls to express how it is to run like a girl. They ran in a funny way – the way they thought it is to run like a girl. Then they asked some other girls that age to run and it was clear that the perception did not match reality. They exposed this social experiment film online and spurred serious conversations about some preconceived notions in society and how they harm the confidence of vulnerable girls.

This conversation evolved and the brand set about trying to feature real achievers under the #likeagirl campaign to change the use of the term from its previously derogatory use to one used in respect. Needless to say, this conversation the brand initiated helped create positive bonds with their consumers and improved brand performance overall.

It also helped Always bring change in the way ‘like a girl’ is used in common terminology. Indeed this conversation really helped the brand and its consumer – especially the diffident girl who has just attained puberty. Talking really does help. 

Gillette recently started talking differently in the US. Over the years, the brand sold itself at a premium – its patented multiple-blade technology offering a closer shave under the tagline ‘A Best A Man Can Get’ had a simple message of the best shaving razor there is and easily commanded a premium till recently, when several low cost blade brands made fun of Gillette and its very high cost. This resulted in a significant drop in the Gillette market share over a six-year period.

Recently Gillette countered with among other things a change in emphasis from ‘The Best A Man Can Get’ from purely a product focused on superiority to ‘The Best A Man Can Be’. They featured Shaquem Griffin who had amniotic band syndrome effecting his left hand and had it amputated as a child. Despite this, he emerged through obstacles to become an NFL Star. The brand drove the talk about this inspirational star and, with his father’s guidance, he strived despite the obvious disadvantage to rise through the ranks of college footballers to emerge as a NFL Star no less.

The conversation of inspiration and motivation helped drive the value of Gillette in consumer minds and is resulting in enhanced engagement on social media with its consumers. 

I managed the Ezee Liquid Detergent Business of P & G. One formula integral to all P & G copy (as we called the ads) used to be the side-by-side demo. Clearly demonstrating product superiority versus other brands and running it to the hilt on TV was a sure-fire success model in the days when traditional media ruled the roost.

In that context, the recent Tide ‘Loads of Hope’ campaign is testament to how the focus has moved from the product to the consumer, and how to engage them, and how having conversations with the consumers about things that really matter to them is the key to building greater engagement and loyalty.

The Tide ‘Loads of Hope’ campaign aimed at providing ‘free’ mobile laundromat services to people in areas of need. In areas where the poor dwell (USA), or after natural disasters, the ‘Loads of Hope’ service would provide the service of cleaning the clothes of people affected by the disaster. This led to amazing goodwill generated for the brand and engagement of the target consumer as a brand with a heart. 

So what should your brand talk about? How do we ensure the conversation results in loyalty and genuine engagement? And what are the risks of it misfiring? 

Find a consumer insight that solves a real problem. Like ‘Always’ found the insight related to ‘diffidence at puberty’, or yet another brand, ‘Dove’, which found the insight that women tend to be insecure about their own looks and built a conversation around ‘real beauty’, dig deep to understand your consumer and look for how you can solve a real problem for them. 

How can your brand thought be a way to inspire your consumer? Are there natural extensions to your idea where you can find a real-life example of people who inspire or where their story can serve as inspiration to others? Gillette did a great job in articulating their ‘Best A Man Can Be’ idea with the example of the inspiring NFL Star.

Is there a purpose you can find which serves a larger good that drives good conversations? People talk easily about social contexts and getting your brand to, in ‘a real way’, impact a social context that will drive engagement exponentially as well as help build consumer loyalty. There are many examples such as Tide ‘Loads of Hope’ or the lifebuoy campaign around ‘Saving Infant Lives’.

The tone of voice of your brand is another aspect that creates a connection and loyalty with your consumer. With regards to what happens if a campaign misfires, there are many people with differing points of views. If we believe in an idea for the brand, stay the course with the conversations and stay authentic. You will find brand supporters take up cudgels on your behalf against malicious and vested interests posing as consumers, and then you really know you have built true loyalty.

So, next time you hear the words ‘we need to talk’, get straight to doing it. Talking and communicating with your consumer could leapfrog your brand’s fortunes. Hope to see more brands ‘walk the talk’ for engagement and loyalty.

 

The writer is a marketing communications expert with 20 years of experience in multi-national locations. He can be reached at [email protected].