“What’s love got to do with it?” asked Draftfcb’s Rita Doherty in the FM of May 10-15, about what drives consumer purchasing. Is it love or just a roll of the dice for whatever happens to be handy?
One thing Rita and I agree on is that humans are far less rational than we like to think. Saatchi & Saatchi research suggests that the emotional quotient of decision making in buying a car is 63%, for breakfast cereals 75% and magazines 85%.

But I part company with Rita when she cites the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute of Scientific Marketing. Marketing is both science and art. A theory based all on science is missing at least half the equation.

When it comes to success in selling I lean, not on information and intel, but on other “i” words: ideas, imagination and intuition. As business people we never operate from perfect information, so human judgment plays the pivotal role in determining how to frame a sales proposition.

Ehrenberg-Bass argues that we humans throw our purchasing power at whatever we vaguely recognise, whatever is closer or brighter. The theory is that most brand purchases  are made by an aimless, indifferent bunch of people — perhaps the group whom Nick Carraway, narrator of The Great Gatsby, called “careless people”.

As a marketer I do not count my winnings as coming from fickle winds — from easy switchers and churning consumers. I am focused on communicating with loyalists because they are the people who repeatedly and instinctively purchase you; who advocate, share and improve you; who don’t treat every trip to the supermarket as a test of the relationship.

As a marketer, I want the lifelong love affair, not an occasional  smoulder at the cash register. Fame, fun and fortune are not built on ambivalence and ambiguity. Having a clear and lovable purpose, showing what you stand for, expressing your inspirational dream — this is what brands should be doing.

For the past decade Saatchi has been on an ambitious journey into the human heart. We observed that everything had become a brand, and a state of equilibrium achieved across quality dimensions: in design, manufacturing, distribution, service, price, even promotion. Sameness ruled. We wanted to work with brands that accelerated out of the curve. We found our answer in Lovemarks:  brands that mixed the rational element of respect with the emotional qualities of love; that blended the rational factors of performance, sustainability and reputation with the emotional elements of mystery, sensuality and intimacy.

The idea of Lovemarks turned out to be big enough for a book, written in 2004 by our global CEO, Kevin Roberts. A follow-up will be launched next month at the Cannes Lions Festival, written by former group executive Brian Sheehan.

It offers 20 client case stories showing how love works, including brands such as Lexus, Nike, T-Mobile, Toyota, Visa, Cheerios, Pampers and Guinness in Africa.

These are brands that take their marketing seriously, analyse data and draw hypotheses, but also appreciate that being number one in the market involves engaging in relationships with shoppers, clients and consumers. Neurologist Donald Calne says: “Reason leads to conclusions; emotion leads to action.”

I believe marketing people need passionate, committed and inspirational consumers; “maybes” are not the foundation of sustainable business. Slogging it up the middle of the market does not make sense. The action happens in the margins, on the edges, down the sidelines. We are not opposed to algorithms and formulas. They are helpful in many respects. But we believe love matters most.

What started out about people, as the Latin origin of the word implies, ‘social’ has become the domain of marketing and brands. Notably, it is listed high up on just about every marketers’ agenda as they consider how to personify their brands and usher them into the lives of desirable customers. 

When one considers the numbers, social media’s addition to the marketing agenda is a no brainer: Facebook has 955 million active users, Twitter over 500 million users, Instagram 90 million users, Pinterest over 11 million registered users and Google Plus claims that 170 million people have upgraded. 

Social, too, is one of the more intuitive environments to track progression. The dashboards are simple enough, the performance metrics are commonly understood and sentiment-tracking, or engagement measurement, tools are becoming abundantly available and affordable. 

The discussion surrounding the value of a ‘Like’ also seems to have run its course. Most argue that the nebulous fiscal value isn’t as important as the welcome into a prospective customer’s life – an invitation to create dialogue. Consequently, engagement has become a key indication of a brand’s social traction. It’s well known that compelling content stimulates engagement and this is where we predict a healthier percentage of marketing budgets to be allocated. 

However, many brand owners are simply not content with social media being the realm of relationship building and engagement. As with most marketing investments, they would like to see empirical evidence of a return. 

Obtaining rands for your efforts in a social context may be difficult to quantify, but here are some other valuable returns on your community: 

Research – Fans will participate in online focus groups or sources of opinion regarding your communications and plans. Ask them before you purchase a thousand iPad minis as the hook in your next consumer promotion. 

Trial – Your community will happily be the recipient of a test sample. They will provide valuable feedback. And even provide a peer recommendation. But be aware of, and prepared for, those that find your efforts below their expectations. 

Attendance/Event Participation – The cost of marketing to ensure attendance can be completely eradicated through an active relationship with your fan base. 

Voucher redemption – Your social fan base loves to receive special offers and redeemable vouchers. Deliver virtual benefits and track their in store efficacy. It’s easy to do with Facebook’s “offer” function, and can be made an online or in-store only offer, or a combination of the two. 

Foot traffic – Your community expects to be the ‘first to know.’ Give them the heads up about a store opening, a new product launch or an in store installation.  

Conversion measurement – Track the behaviour of your audience from your social environments through to your website where the proposition is fulfilled. 

‘But where are my sales’ we hear you crying out. Bear in mind that social media plays a role that supports the buying process. Most people buy from people and brands that they are conversant with, respect and trust. Building those relationships takes time, and until recently, cost a lot of money. Social media allows you to build and maintain relationships at a fraction of the cost and regardless the location. 

New tools do allow the tracking and measurement of social activity against business goals. However, research has shown that many people who ‘like’ brands are already committed and heavy users of the product. The likelihood of significant additional sales to this audience may be slim. Given this insight, we encourage you to define realistic goals that provide you with valuable ‘returns on your community’ even if these aren’t direct sales.

Being taught to invest in our future is a mantra familiar to so many of us from our childhood and adolescent years. And along the way, so many influential people – be they parents, guardians, teachers or even early employers invest both their time and effort, playing such a vital role in helping us achieve success.

However, as we get older and are possibly faced with our own choices around potential investment opportunities, we are often very selective as to the placement of our investment, particularly financial, as a single decision could determine either a huge gain, or possible loss.

Of course all potential investment opportunities will look good at the outset, but every investor wants his investment to be de-risked as much as possible. Digging a little deeper and finding out a little more, not only regarding current opportunities but perhaps looking further afield at new areas that are not only exciting, but proving their worth when it comes to return.

The world of animation is proving to be such an opportunity. Encouraged by the success of international animation houses such as Pixar Animation Studios and DreamWorks, many investors are considering getting their foot in the door. But, what about our local industry? Can South African animation studios compete with their international counterparts, delivering quality product ultimately resulting in quality investment opportunities?

Yes, but only if the right investor is paired with the right studio. Only the correct partnership can guarantee a return on investment and in addition can lay a strong foundation for future successful projects. An excellent example of this is Pixar and Steve Jobs who put 50 million Dollars into Pixar before they made Toy Story and drove their growth, eventually making the 7.4 Billion Dollar deal with Disney buying them in 2006. Correct partnerships would not only create sustainable jobs and in that benefit the local economy, but go on to place South African studios on the map and allow them to compete on the international playing field.

But the opposite can also apply. Partnerships that are not thought out and initiated correctly may not be successful. This will result in a negative impact on not only the investment community, but potentially the global reputation of the South African animation industry. Therefore, as a potential investor, it is so important that before you invest, investigate!

Some key areas to think about/ consider before signing on the dotted line:

Producing quality animation does not happen overnight. It takes time, skill, experience and most importantly, funding. As an investor be wary of studios who despite having no experience in the world of animation, make great claims about how they will make the next block buster and all at a fraction of the cost. It costs money to make money and this is particularly true in the world of animation.

Knowledge is power. The security of understanding your investment, gives you, as an investor, the surety that you are making the right choice. Animation is a niche market, one that not many understand. Therefore, as a producer I would recommend that investors do research on potential producers and directors. Look at their track record within the animation industry. Have they produced a profitable product? Did they stay within budget? Walt Disney was famously quoted saying ‘It takes 16 years for an artist to become an Animator.’ In order for your blockbuster to be just that, your producer/ director of the project should have real experience and not be someone who is going to build their experience with your money.

Animators by nature are creative forward thinkers, who are passionate about their art. But it is those, who in addition to their passion are able to support their cause with concrete research and tangible results that you are wanting to invest in.

The world of animation, and movie making in general, is clearly gathering momentum – with government support through various initiatives both locally and internationally.

The South African Department of Trade and Industry have made available a package of rebate incentives geared to both promote and aid our film and post-production industry. Whilst the National Film and Video Foundation enables industry players to apply for funding focused on the areas of education and training, marketing, distribution, development and production.

This trend continues further afield in China (Chinese animation industry reached an estimated 60 billion Yuan (US$ 9.4 billion) during 2011), whose government has pledged to offer more favourable financing policies, with the aim of both improving China’s animation industry and increasing output.

The world of animation is clearly a fast growing industry supported by the local and international movie goer, industry and governments alike, making it an attractive investment opportunity definitely worth considering.

Brand purpose is one of the most powerful tools for growth and sustainability in a global marketplace devoid of trust in business. A brand’s purpose is its reason for being – it goes beyond what you do, or who you’re doing it for. Purpose is the why: why your business exists, and why that should matter.

Purpose is psychologically hard-wired into our motivations, and consumers are increasingly paying attention to how their brand choices can improve their lives in a meaningful way. They are choosing to buy from brands that support their values and aspirations, and gravitating towards brands they can engage with on a human level. In a meaning-starved marketplace, brands that know their purpose and use it wisely will build more significant, sustainable relationships and retain a more engaged workforce.

It’s not about aggressively attaching yourself to causes or bombarding consumers with do-good messaging, but rather organising your business around a central reason for being that guides brand behavior and allows you to leverage your strengths for social good. Dove, for example, exists to celebrate the natural beauty that lives in every woman.

So what does purpose mean for businesses and brands playing in Africa?

Africa’s economic performance over the past decade has been staggering. The IMF predicts growth in Sub-Saharan Africa will reach 6.1 percent in the next year, making the continent the second fastest-growing region in the world. Rising domestic consumption, a growing middle class, a young population, and the emergence of accountable and democratic governments are all contributing factors to Africa’s steady economic performance. The continent is home to some of the world’s most attractive emerging markets, but many societal challenges persist without much hope of resolution, and often governments do not have the ability, much less the appetite or intent, to solve these problems alone. The purposeful mind views these challenges as opportunities for commercial success. Business is one of the most powerful forces for driving social change, and Africa is hungry.

The Phillips brand promise – sense and simplicity – puts insight about humans at the centre of their operations. Since the introduction of the first incandescent light bulb in 1891, Phillips has strived to develop simple solutions that make lives easier. In 2012, Phillips launched an initiative to install 100 solar-powered lighting centres across rural Africa by 2015. Phillips saw opportunity in the fact that over 500 million people have no access to electricity, and that a basic solution has the potential to strengthen Africa’s economic, social, educational and cultural activities. The LED lighting centres focus on schools linked to villages and towns, and will provide communities with powered areas that can be used for sports, education, healthcare and commerce. If you’re thinking this is all about doing good – think again. Phillips already sells these centres as temporary lighting solutions in the developed world. The aim is to demonstrate that Phillips is a part of the quest towards a sustainable future through technology that has the potential to transform lives: smart business, if you ask me.

Mobile technology continues to transform African societies and the region is the fastest-growing mobile market in the world. Safaricom’s M-PESA, a mobile-phone based electronic payments system, transformed the lives of Kenya’s unbanked with a simple, compelling message: “send money home”. From its beginnings as a basic text service that allowed people to transfer money to loved ones in remote areas through their handsets, M-PESA now processes more transactions domestically than Western Union does globally, says GSMA. Those without formal bank accounts can not only transfer money, but also save, invest, insure, pay bills, shop and apply for credit through M-Shwari. With 15 million subscribers and handling transactions responsible for 31% of Kenya’s GDP, Safaricom is proof that purpose and profit are not mutually exclusive.

Brand purpose is not a nice-to-have when expanding into the rest of the continent. As African markets grow at unprecedented speed, it is the brands who understand their core purpose that will prosper. It’s not about trying to save the world; it’s about understanding how you can add value to the lives of your new customers. That means addressing their needs and aspirations and often, in Africa, that will mean helping them solve a societal issue that holds them back.

This brings about the good in a way that is unique, resonates with your stakeholders, integrates seamlessly into your business and brand identity and, most importantly, makes business sense. The brands that get it right will most certainly prosper.

MacGyver is probably the most useful guy to have around (well almost, sorry Mr. Norris sir), but MacGyver definitely stands ahead of the crowd for utility.

Utility is the ability to respond quickly to disruptive environments – similar to what various business sectors around the world are experiencing (news, publishing, commerce, education etc) – and responding to that disruption by using the various tools available.

•           What is Utilitarianism in marketing?

Marketing has become less about talking and more about doing.

Utilitarianism refers to a fundamental shift in the marketing environment for brands to become more useful in the lives of their customers, putting inventive thinking at the centre of organisations’ strategies and customers then rewarding that usefulness with their money, time, ideas and – most importantly – loyalty. 

This shift  is driven by 4 factors:

1.  The gap between marketing and technology closing, resulting in more integrated, innovative strategies

2.  Clutter in the environment resulting in marketing-blindness: people getting better at filtering/ignoring marketing messages

3.  The Internet is spreading. No longer is it only accessible via your desktop or tablet or mobile phone, but it will ultimately be accessible via your television, fridge, alarm clock, bicycle, car – it will be omnipresent – and the brands that can provide tools to augment that use of a tool and that people will find useful will be rewarded.

4.  It is said that 65% of pre-schoolers will work in careers that do not exist today. This points to an evolving skill set that is coming into the market, a skill set that understands, embraces and creates technology that will impact our behaviour fundamentally. 

•           What is digital Utilitarianism

Digital Utilitarianism refers to how people are using connected devices (such as a smartphone) to do things they find useful, and then rewarding that sense of utility with their loyalty.

•           How big is the potential of utility?

Real utility attracts a loyal and engaged community and research done by McKinsey shows that people who are part of a community, and they find consistent value from that community, will be 9 times more likely to purchase a product from you versus that of a competitor.

There are many great examples of companies putting utility at the centre of their business and the consequence of that decision, impacting their bottom-line for the better.

•           What are the potential implications for business  in SA?

SA and Africa as a whole face many challenges, the implication for businesses to create new innovations will, as said before not only attract loyalty, but can help improve the lives of their customers.

•           Which brands are currently doing it well globally?

There are many great examples of brands doing it well globally. In 2010, Nike dropped the use of its infamous slogan from all marketing material. During that time the world’s most well known footwear company launched Nike Digital Sport. A division whose sole mandate is to create tools that their customer base will use every day. In 2011, Nike launched their Nike+ Runner Application. An app that tracks your running performance and provides you with data to improve that performance. The benefit to the customer? Healthier, fitter you. The benefit to Nike? 12 million app users to date and an intimate relationship with the fitness behaviour of its customers. In 2012, Nike’s marketing budget ballooned to $2.5 billion but TV and print advertising was cut by 40% – shifting spend to augment the experience – the usefulness – Nike provides to its customers.

The New York Times launched an incubator at the beginning of 2013. The incubator was launched based on two irrefutable truths: 1) innovation will not come from within the four walls of a newsroom and 2) an organisation the size of NYT cannot respond quickly enough to changes in the news publishing environment.

The incubator’s goal is to attract the best technological talent and create an enabling environment for incubatees to experiment with the future of news. Needless to say, to be as close as possible to this innovation process has many benefits to The Grey Lady – new revenue streams being top of that list.

•           Which brands are currently doing it well in SA?

FNB and Woolworths are example of brands that have successfully positioned themselves as Utilitarian brands in the minds of South Africans. FNB’s mobile banking app has contributed significantly to it gaining 2 million new customers in just one year. Woolworth’s online store now provides a fully personalised experience, providing you with products relevant to your age, religion and even what period of your pregnancy you are, all by understanding your shopping behaviour and transferring that data into an effortless online shopping experience

•           Which sectors in SA look set to benefit from this the most?

Utilitarianism isn’t unique to a sector in SA. Certainly the NGO and retail sectors will benefit from this however I am most excited by the opportunities Utilitarianism presents for national and local government.

•           How do apps play a role in utility?

Apps – applications – are pockets of programmes that sit on a platform and provide a utilitarian experience to its users. Whether through entertainment, learning, management, tracking, informing, shopping… apps are mediums for you to provide something useful for your customers to improve aspects of their lives and ultimately – if that usefulness resonates with them – grow a closer relationship with you, the brand.

•           Examples of how consumers, i.e. FM readers, can benefit from this trend in their own lives and from a business perspective, how this can significantly impact their bottom line.”   

Regardless of what marketers and economists say, most consumers’ most prized asset is their time. If people have time at their disposal, they can use it to generate more money, spend time on the things they love most and grow personally.

Utilitarianism by definition is about adding maximum value to people’s time. And if that time was deemed to be spent in a useful way, consumers sentiment towards who- or whatever helped them will be rewarded.

From a business perspective, marketing needs to shift from being an expense item on the balance sheet to having a positive impact on the bottomline.

Utilitarianism is all about a shared value exchange. Where the business tries to ‘con’ their way into the lives of their customers (through hard-sell or overtly over the top advertising), the customer is getting better at filtering out the bullsh*t.

Instead, where the business provides a fundamental value to the customer, the customer will recognise it and reward the business with their time, money, ideas and loyalty.

•          7 Traits of MacGyver Brands  

1. Identify a Cause: What do you fight for on behalf of your customers?
2. Create a Platform: To what extent are your providing your customers with a consistent, personalised experience through your websites, social media, apps and internal systems?
3. Partner & Interact Relentlessly: Do you have the capability to interact efficiently with all your customers across all platforms? If not, do you have the partners in place to help you?
4. Re-organise: Is your business structured to react quickly and decisively to macro and/or micro changes within your environment?
5. Put a Hyper Focus on User Experience: Is your service or products offering an effortless experience for your customers?
6. Integrate data: How much do you really know about your customers attitudes and behaviour and what mechanisms can you put in place to measure, understand and integrate that data into your business?
7. Infuse learning: How are you keeping track of latest trends in consumer behaviour? Do you have the skills to respond effectively to your market’s needs?

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Like most marketers, I have always believed that getting people to love your brand is the Holy Grail of branding. It makes sense: if they love you, they’ll pay a premium and stay with you.

“I want them to love my brand,” has been the cry of marketers of insurance companies, petrol stations, painkillers, tonics, lawyers, countries and toilet cleaners. As an industry, we have tried to oblige but mostly we failed. We thought it was our fault or maybe the brand’s.

 But now new thinking from neuroscience shows that brand love is unrealistic in most cases and also unnecessary for growth. Brands can thrive without being loved. Heresy? Let’s look at the evidence.

The Australian-based Ehrenberg-Bass Institute for Marketing Science, a leader in marketing theory, has discovered universal patterns that show clearly how markets work. By analysing global data, it lets us see what makes big brands different from small brands and infer what drives growth. One of its key insights is that the difference between a big brand and a small brand is not how many fans each has, but how many light buyers.

Fans are defined as people who buy your brand a lot and are more likely to choose you over other brands. Light buyers are those who buy your brand infrequently and are more likely to buy other brands, too.

The data shows that all brands have a small proportion of fans.

But it’s light buyers — millions of occasional, promiscuous, indifferent people — who are the biggest influencer of market share.

Neuroscience is making the inner workings of our minds less mysterious. Using these new insights, the science of behavioural economics offers a better understanding of how we determine the value of things. It turns out we’re far less rational than we like to think — a radical challenge to the traditional economic model that assumes we make decisions rationally. Understanding why we choose one brand over another isn’t a simple formula. So I will focus on one key insight to explain what doesn’t drive brand success.

What do you think about all day? Normal people (non-marketers) don’t think about brands much. We spend most of our time thinking about our dreams, ideas, anxieties, to-do lists,  lovers, friends, children, colleagues, bosses, heroes and politicians. We  think about brands only when we have to make a decision.

We don’t like making decisions. They are stressful because we don’t usually know for sure what the best choice is. So we tend to stop as soon as we find an option that satisfies us. We don’t analyse the choices thoroughly. This is where brands come in. They help us make quick choices without much thinking. They store meanings that we can access subconsciously to help us make quick, goodish decisions.

This is one reason big brands have more light buyers: they tend not to know much about the category, so when they have to make a decision with little information, many people simply gravitate to the market leader.

They will intuitively feel satisfied that the choice is good because it’s been tested by other people. “Do what others do” is a simple rule of thumb that often helps us choose what to buy. Brand love has surprisingly little to do with it.

There are many other mental short cuts that we use to make decisions (Wikipedia has a list of 96 “cognitive biases”). Simply put, however, global data and neuroscience insights suggest that I don’t need to love you, or even know you well, to buy you again and again.

Brands aren’t people. We don’t love brands the way we love people. We don’t feel the shame of betrayal when we switch brands.

On the whole, we have thin relationships with most of the brands we buy.

As the multi-award-winning US agency Wieden+Kennedy puts it: housewives aren’t interested in playing the Domestos germ-busting game online; they have much better things to do with their time.

But what about Apple, the brand commonly cited to prove brand love really  exists? Isn’t that proved by  the fact that its loyal followers appear not to care about the premium pricing? Like millions of others around the world, I love my iPad (most genuine brand love gravitates to technology, cars, fashion and food categories).

The new thinking doesn’t deny love. It just claims it’s normal for people to not love most of the brands they buy. It also says fans are not an indicator of success. Brands like Apple succeed because they attract large numbers of light buyers.

So how do I get you to buy me  if you don’t love me? You must notice me, like me and remember me when you’re making a decision. There is a cornucopia of new insights on how to move people and change behaviour. These are exciting times for brands.

The highly pedestrian and densely populated main cities of Europe have seen very specific formats of urban furniture evolve, from incredibly sophisticated glass, steel and aluminum bus shelters and vending kiosks to robust, but well proportioned and easy to use benches, seats and ledges, and having just returned from London and Lisbon and as with most visitors to these cities, had the need to use the various elements mentioned at different times during my visit.

Well designed and strategically placed urban furniture is not a unique or new concept in Europe, but the use of these elements on a continuous basis over a few days allowed me to appreciate these elements as a highly effective advertising medium and enabled me to experience and engage with the brands on display in a very different way.

The strategically placed and comfortable benches, set between small shrubs in open public spaces not only provides a rest place for weary pedestrians, but in many instances, a place to stop, disconnect from the hustle and bustle of the real world, while connecting to a virtual world through free Wi-Fi broadcast from nodes within these zones. Many socially conscious brands now provide free Wi-Fi as their contribution to the cities and societies they serve.

The bus shelters are equally sophisticated, some with digital panels, scrollers, or static posters integrated into the design of the shelters. These panels create the ‘ends’ to the shelters and provide a perfect platform for pedestrians to not only interact with and engage in the advertising campaigns on display, but also to order products online while waiting for the bus.

In most instances, NFC tags (near field communications) and QR codes (quick response) are a standard feature, either directing you to mobi-sites to search and discover more about the products and services on offer, or as a platform to serve you rich content to support the brand stories or call to action to engage in social media and share you brand experience with the world. In all instances, the high number of pedestrians utilizing the public spaces and public transport systems makes this a very effective and often fun medium.

South Africa is definitely not lagging behind in understanding the value of bus shelters or other transport nodes as an advertising medium, but in most instances, the design and construction of these elements is rather rudimentary and unrefined and the use of these elements varies significantly from city to city or region to region.

There are too many factors to consider as to why we do not have any street furniture elements and urban space nodes with free Wi-Fi of the kind found overseas, especially as we have a significantly large portion of our population as pedestrians using such facilities on a daily basis. The cost of technology can be blamed, the risk of vandalism and damage is real and the lack of electricity supply to every bus stop and kiosk is a major factor.

The fairly rudimentary and unrefined structures found along most the streets of this country have nevertheless served as an ideal media platform for years gone by and many brands have benefitted from the up close ‘face time’ with pedestrians and consumers over this time.

That said, it has not stopped some media owners in South Africa from innovating and developing a medium that is suitable to South African weather conditions and user fatigue. We are now seeing new forms of bus or ‘commuter’ shelter emerge, primarily in Gauteng and Cape Town, but I’m sure these will make their way across the country as more and more advertisers come on board. The city of Cape Town is benefitting from well-designed, bold coloured steel and glass bus shelters with well-presented panels for advertising messages. It’s no wonder Red Bull used just about every single one in Cape Town for the launch of the Special Editions range recently – perfect medium for the brand. Johannesburg is seeing the rollout of a more robust and less designer series of bus shelters appear, presenting even larger faces for advertisers to present their brands.

The key question for me is when are we going to see shelters with interactive panels that enhance the brand engagement experience for consumers, and when are we going to see urban spaces that connect the physical world with the digital world at no cost to the users.

Just as we have all dated, sussed out the potential partner – we act the same when courting brands and deciding on which understands us, suits our lifestyle and could be compatible in the long term. The process we follow can be broken into four stages: flirting, dating, commitment, and sharing.
 
Stage 1: Flirting (Awareness)
Consider what attracted you to your partner – psychologists at the University of Pennsylvania studied data from over 10,000 speed daters and found that most people make a decision regarding a person’s attraction within three seconds of meeting.
 
The same approach converts to the supermarket aisle – you have seconds to grab the shopper’s attention, making creativity critical. Consumers love to see things done differently and innovation in the product and the marketing of. You have to stand out of the herd to be seen or caught.
 
Stage 2: Dating (Consideration/Trail)
Ah, the sweaty palms and heart palpitations. Every detail experienced with heightened senses. Throughout this exciting stage of discovery we drop our guard and become receptive to how we feel and think about a prospective partner. Consumer perceptions are the combined result of the brand experience and their knowledge. From using the product and engaging with the business and their communication mediums, each interaction is a potential positive or negative ‘moment of truth’. Good = “Yes. This is why we’re together.” Bad = “Are we really right for each other?”
 
Stage 3: Commitment (Purchase)
Just as couples usually wait six to eight dates before they are willing to enter into an exclusive relationship, consumers need numerous consistent positive touch points before you’re a regular on their shopping list. A fleeting relationship doesn’t build up loyalty or trust; consumers choose brands that understand who they are – beyond the basics. You’re probably not in a strong relationship if you’d describe your partner’s special qualities as age, race, income, and home town.  
 
We all strive for long-term relationships; it’s a form of comfort. And to business, profitability from customer loyalty is just that. Have a sales philosophy that emphasises relationship building for the long-term.
 
Stage 4: Sharing (Advocacy)
We love talking about the special people in our lives. It’s as if we can’t help ourselves.
 
In the recent Edelman Trust Barometer, ‘16 specific attributes to building trust’, they mention: placing customers ahead of profits, listening to customers, being an innovator, and treating employees well. These talk to a purpose beyond product and profit, and support the creation of strong emotional content which customers feel motivated to share… whether around the braai, office water cooler or via digital social platforms.
 
From infancy to adulthood, sweethearts to married couple, our most enduring relationships are anchored in trust. Trust that is earned and nurtured at every opportunity. This philosophy provides a holistic brand strategy that feeds into to the three core fundamentals that all business owners should be asking themselves… What should I be doing to consistently grow my sales; grow my brand; and strengthen my customer relationships?

Every marketer should know that getting relevance right ultimately drives brand preference and sales. Yellowwood has therefore recently published a white paper on the topic titled “How to Know More About your Market than Anyone Else – The Guide to Relevance” which explains how brands can use and generate insight to be more relevant to their consumers. 

Generating true customer insight does not have to be a difficult task, although for many it is! The statistics, mathematics and complex formulae behind research is often enough to confuse and deter many marketers. This shouldn’t be the case as some of the greatest campaigns and marketing initiatives are born from the simplest of insights.

Analysing raw data can be complicated, frustrating and, in many circumstances, yields no insight or understanding. This raises the question – are we perhaps doing something wrong? Thus, in Yellowwood’s white paper we outline a number of common, hidden traps to avoid when analysing research. 

1.     The stand-out bias

To the person analysing the research, certain information may be more vividly recalled because they find it personally interesting. Be careful of aggregating this information if it applies to just a handful of customers. Learn to tell what is important from what stands out to you. Just because it’s an interesting fact for you, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s relevant to your whole market or a customer segment!

2.     Fear of rocking the boat

People often find the status quo comfortable and avoid taking action that would upset business-as-usual. This often leads to marketers ignoring or overlooking important information about customers because it goes against how they currently do things in their business. People often don’t like taking risks when they don’t have to, but ignoring negative feedback is a missed opportunity to leverage ground-breaking insight that could potentially allow a significant competitive advantage.

3.     Justifying vs. Identifying

Marketers and business decision-makers often view research selectively in order to justify the decisions they have already made, instead of using the research as a guiding light to inform strategy. Justifying is about using evidence that supports your decision – which is often based on a pre-conceived idea – even when there is plenty of information to tell you otherwise. Look at research with an open mind and try to genuinely learn from your market.

4.     Personal benchmarking

A very common trap is that marketers assume that what they themselves enjoy or what their preferences are apply to their target market. This completely ignores the context of the customer, who may be nothing like the marketer. Using yourself as the benchmark skews the way you view your market and results in misdirected and inappropriate customer communication. Just because you enjoy volleyball, doesn’t mean that your market does too. 

In conclusion

Shirley Harding, Head of Market Research at Standard Bank, said it best: “the real skill [of relevance] is being able to understand what you see and turn that into insight – it has become a rare skill.” When we analyse the research that’s available to us, we marketers have to make a conscious effort to get insight from the information. This means putting yourself in your customer’s shoes, thinking about why they would feel a certain way, and really listening to what they have to say – without the filters of your own experience, interests and habits. 

Our white paper highlights many ways to improve the quality of insight we generate and the ways we interpret information. Alana Dell, Consumer Insights Manager at KFC South Africa explained to us that since consumers use emotions to drive decisions, the job of the marketer is to understand why they feel the way they do. Pure data can’t tell you that. 

To achieve relevance, marketing needs to be based on real customer insight. It’s essential that marketers understand what an insight is and how to extract true insight from the reams of purchase, response and behavioural data that’s out there. Be careful of falling into the common traps of research analysis!

If you run a business with long sales cycles — whether you’re selling cars, houses, high-end financial services, or complex business equipment and services — you should be looking closely at the role that social media can play in generating strong, qualified leads for your salespeople.

Uncovering the right leads through social media channels and then nurturing them into sales can help generate a wealth of revenue for your business.

Here are a few ideas about harnessing social media to generate good leads with the potential to be converted into new sales and customers. 

Genuine relationships matter 

If you sell big ticket items that involve complex purchasing decisions and long sales cycles, relationships are the lifeblood of your business. That’s why you should be using social media to forge person to person connections with the buyers and purchase influencers you are trying to reach. 

Use social media to get to understand your customers, to forge a bond with them, and to share useful information with them, creating a relationship that stretches beyond trying to make a quick sale.  This level of interaction will, over time, grow into affection for your brand from the customer you are targeting. 

Get the content strategy right 

Content is the best tool you have to increase lead generation through your social media channels. Remember, however, that the content you share shouldn’t be about you, but about the needs of your customers. 

The content you create to drive people to landing pages and generate leads has to be helpful.  Share information that is about solutions to customers’ problems, and they’ll see you as a business that understands their needs. 

A helpful tip is to follow a 10:4:1 rule. Content shared on your social accounts should roughly follow this ratio:

• 10 links to third-party articles
• Four links to your blog posts
• One  link to your landing page

The art of social conversion 

Social conversion is all about using social activities to improve your conversion rate, in other words prompting customers to perform the actions you’d like them to.  

There are two main ways to influence someone to take the action you want them to take. Social proof is about getting involved in the conversations of others and offering answers and solutions to their questions and problems. 

The other way to embark on social conversion is to build and then leverage your social media connections, as detailed above. For example, you could leverage positive Tweets and Facebook posts as endorsements. 

Social media monitoring is key to success  

One of the best ways to find and act on social media leads is clever use of social media monitoring and listening tools. Don’t pitch and advertise to people who don’t want it – it annoys them and damages your brand – but keep your social ears open for qualified leads. 

When someone is looking for information in your era of expertise, initiate the conversation by offering advice without sales pressure. Collect a list of keyword terms and phrases that are used in discussions in the industry you serve to guide the social media terms for which you will listen. 

Social ads are great for lead generation 

Don’t neglect paid ads in channels such as Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook – they can be highly affordable and carefully targeted to your audience. You can use them to drive traffic to your website and landing pages so that you can gather qualified leads for follow-up by your sales people. 

Closing words 

Social media can be an invaluable aid in lead generation, bringing leads to your organisation that can be converted into sales through a process of relationship building and interaction. In some cases customers will be ready to buy; in others, you’ll be getting the opportunity to influence them and build a relationship early in the sales cycle. It’s an opportunity few businesses that depend on lead generation can afford to ignore.