Here is my digital presentation which I made on premiere pro, through screen recording my presentation and adding my voice recording from the symposium day. Unfortunately, I am unsure as to why the video is so shaky, however, when it comes to putting up my digital presentation on img19.0rg, I will recreate my digital presentation.
When practising my presentation, I tried to learn as much of it as possible without having to read of from my sheet. However, the closer it got to the symposium, the more I was worried about forgetting something important. However, on the day, I realised I knew it a lot better than I thought. With my script on the lectern, I was able to look at the first line and read the rest blind. This made me feel a lot more confident when actually presenting.
Customer Relationship Marketing and The Brand Persona
When thinking of my title this is one which changed a lot from the beginning of the module. A lot of people had a question, whereas I thought having a subject title would be more appropriate, as I covered a few topics within this area.
(Slide)
When you think of the meaning of a friend, you will normally think of a person who has a bond of mutual affection.
These days friends could be anyone, or anything. Even an ‘online’ friend, Google’s definition talks about a ‘person’ being a friend.
So why can’t a brand be your friend?
Fashion brands are now becoming the consumers new best friend, they are becoming personified by customers because you are able to interact with them on social networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter.
For my introduction I wanted to engage the audience, this is why I kept it short and asked rhetoric questions. I feel that using a definition helped with underlining my whole presentation, as I refereed to brands being friends all the way through.
(Slide)
The brands which I am identifying are fashion related who typically target young males and females, around the ages of 16 – 25.
The way brands are doing this, such as Jack Wills, American Apparel and Abercrombie and Fitch, is by speaking to their customers directly, they do this through social networking pages.
When they do this, they make the consumers feel more valuable to the company, making them want to be involved with the brand even more than they already are.
(Slide)
These brands retweet and share, to make the consumer feel appreciated, along with responding to comments to show a form of communication between brand and customer. Through using social media platforms they are reinforcing the power of word of mouth.
(Slide)
Brands must understand the chaotic context in which people live and use their products.
Rifkin, an economic and social theorists, said,
“Consumer is defined as a creative interpreter, reciting the various scripts staged by the cultural market”
This is where social identity comes into play,
(Slide)
There are two types of ‘self’.
The first being,
The independent self, this is where one searches for the true autonomy and uniqueness with respect to others.
Meaning that this person is self sufficient and can get by without anothers opinion or approval.
Whereas, we then have,
The interdependent self, this is a person who looks for consent and approval, from those who they repute to be important.
(Slide)
Those who repute to be important, are brands who sell products that are a symbol of status, signalling and possibly helping to improve on an individuals social status.
Brands have also responded in recent years by reinforcing the dialogue with the customer through reversal of information and a new focus on customer relationship marketing systems.
(Slide)
This shows that consumers are becoming obsessed with the brand, maybe because of the experiences that may have been gained from them.
Through the use of new digital media, such as blogs and social networking sites, consumers are able to use these to express themselves even more.
Giving my opinion within this presentation was a lot harder than I thought it was going to be. I feel that this was because I didn’t want my opinion to be influenced too much by what I had read. However, I feel that I managed to get the balance just right.
(Slide)
These consumers are defined by Millward Brown, a global company focused on brands, media and communications.
There are five levels, that goes from Presence,
which means the brand is known by reputation, by the relevance of its brand promise or a past experience of use.
All the way through to Bonding,
the consumer manifest a strong brand loyalty, which leads him to rule out most other brands upfront.
Climbing the pyramid increases the so-called share of wallet, or the proportion of purchases that consumers dedicate to the brand within the reference category.
Factors that contribute towards the relationship that evolves between the customer and the brand is the bond of the emotional appeal. Fun, excitement, prestige.
Brands want to convert generic customers into loyal ones or even into potential brand ‘Champions’.
(Slide)
The phase of establishing a dialogue between the brand and it’s consumers is evolving as well. The generic ‘talk with your customers’ is not enough if the dialogue is not aimed as a result. In a society that demands authenticity and value through innovation, the brand must have set it’s own vision of the future and set out to achieve a positive impact on the lives of its customers.
So what vision does a brand see for it’s future?
(Slide)
Brands use imagery, it is the tangible and intangible elements that consumers associate with a brand.
It could be a package, an experience, a smell, a feeling, a taste. Brand imagery is visual, auditory, or factual. In other words it can come from all 5 senses and can be unique to each customer.
For example, the Blue Tiffany’s box, there has been a reason why this has been around for so long. It means something to it’s consumers.
Another which more of you may relate to, (Slide)
are the Abercrombie and Fitch carry bags, they act as a souvenir to the customer, making them feel like they have come away with a lot more.
It is important to the brand that their consumers develop an emotional connection to them.
(Slide)
Monica Skipper (Marketing Manager for FedEx Global Brand Management), said,
“Once you know your promise to customers, you need to deliver on that promise.That’s what branding is all about. Every time you keep the promise, you strengthen your brand identity. When you break the promise, you diminish the brand.”
This means, that all the money that they spend on marketing is a waste of time if the consumer doesn’t believe in the brand’s promise.
Before I show you a few examples, I must say that, even though I am in the targeted age range of these fashion brands, I didn’t realise how many young male models there are who all have that ‘Abercrombie Look’, the square chin and the chiseled abs.
(Slide)
So, in this Abercrombie and Fitch advert, we can see a rather attractive young male, wearing only a pair of jeans, while on the beach and holding a cute dog. As much as this might actually happen in ‘real’ life. Here, abercrombie and fitch are selling you a lifestyle, and a promise, they are telling you that if you buy and wear these Abercrombie jeans, you will either be able to get with, or even be the man in this photograph.
They use these techniques in a lot of different types of advertisements, here is another fashion advert, from American Apparel.
(Slide)
this advert is a lot different to the Abercrombie and Fitch one previous, it is saying that if you wear these socks you will love them too. But we don’t just walk around with nothing but long socks on do we? So is this a true representation of how we would wear these socks?
I think not.
However, there is a similarity within these adverts, they both introduce the consumer to the model in the photograph.
(Slide)
They are doing this so that you develop that emotional connection, as you can find out more about the model, and feel like you are then connecting with the brand. This then develops a customer who then looks for approval with what they then buy and wear.
But does this then mean we need to ask the question, who is a brand?
(Slide)
Every brand has a persona. Think of your brand as a person. (pause)
What is that person like? (pause)
What can you expect when you interact with that person?
Here, again I engage with the audience, I paused after each sentence to give the audience members a chance to degest what I’de just said, especially because i was asking them questions.
(Slide)
So I have mentioned Lifestyle Brands, but what are they?
Here’s an example..
(Slide)
Jack Wills, offers an intern competition, which is offered to a very specific audience, ‘University Students’. Every part of this contest reinforces the Jack Wills brand. They associate themselves with beaches, mountains and adventure. Jack Wills uses this and other events such as parties and social events which include like-minded people to create the perfect ingredients to attract the University demographic.(Slide)
These types of lifestyle brands are established through the experiences they associate themselves with.
Abercrombie and Fitch, a similar, American Version of the ‘Fabulously British’ Jack Wills, also does this.
They show their advertisements with their models on beaches and at desired locations which star a particular attractive look of model, which you automatically know as Abercrombie and Fitch.
(Slide)
A little different from the University demographic consumer which Jack Wills appeals to, Abercrombie and Fitch use another nostalgia, which are their male models. Abercrombie and Fitch draw on the positive endorphins which are created when most people see the half dressed, well exercised male models. You see these models on adverts, billboards, shop windows and even on their carry-a-bags, which people carry around as a novelty handbag, all of these things help endorse the Abercrombie and Fitch brand.
Here they are also selling their brand values, the endless summer, good health and the beauty of the people you see within their adverts. And we buy into this, thinking that we can actually have this life, through buying a pair of their jeans.
(Slide)
To conclude, according to Mike Leahy, senior consultant at Interbrand, New York, said “The number one rule in branding is don’t over promise and under deliver”.
However, I feel that the brands I’ve spoken about today do over promise their consumers, so that they buy into these lifestyles and become brand ‘champions’.
I do not believe that I will have that fabulous lifestyle if I buy and wear those American Apparel Socks,
and if I buy that top from Abercrombie and Fitch, I will not automatically become ‘popular’.
But these brands need to establish their credibility with their consumers over a longer period of time before this can happen, this helps the brand build faith and trust in its consumers.
But what if a brand fails to make their promise?
(Slide)
When they fails to keep their brand promise, consumers become confused and dissatisfied, it’s a normal human reaction. And it’s likely that you’ll look for another brand which does meet your expectations and keeps their promise in every interaction.
Consumers are more likely to repeat purchases and are more likely to talk about the brand. Becoming brand loyalists and vocal brand advocates.
This reinforces the word of mouth strategy, which I mentioned earlier, this makes marketing that money cannot buy.
But the fashion brands I spoke about earlier are taking lifestyle branding to another level and are actually making them happen for the consumer.
(Slide)
Abercrombie and Fitch are bringing the lifestyle advert experiences to life.
You are able to go to these stores and meet the famous models which you see on the ‘nostalgic’ bags’, and you can even have your photograph taken with the topless male model, on a polaroid camera, so that you can even take the photograph away with you.
All of this reinforces the relationship which brands are trying to build with the customer.
You are now able to have more of a physical, face to face relationship, rather than a cyber one. Brands are creating new, memorable, experiences for you, which will always make you have positive connotations with the brand.
(Slide)
Lastly however, I believe that you cannot have any kind of ‘friendship’ with a brand.
The brand doesn’t want to be your friend and build a relationship where you can share experiences together,
the only experience a brand wants the consumer to have. Is the one where the consumer is increasing their sales and making them a more notable company.
Even though my conclusion starts a while before my presentation actually ends, I did this so that I could include other points which backed up my research, and that brands go things to become the consumers friend, but not to interact, but to get the consumer to purchase, to spend money.
After the presentations had taken place, we were asked a series of questions as a group. When answering these questions I felt very confident as I knew exactly what I wanted to say and was able to back up my answer with facts from my research.
Overall I am very pleased with how everything turned out. My presentation included all the relevant information, which all linked together to form a well knitted presentation. Along with this I am happy with how I presented myself on the day. Even though I am confident when speaking in front of people I m glad I had a few nerves on the day, as I feel I presented better than ever. My voice was loud and clear, and after the presentation was over I felt an overall relief and self achievement.
This research project has really helped with myself. I feel like I have been able to broaden my mind to new things. Knowing I have learnt a lot over the past few months has really broaden my perspective and has even made my creative side a lot more open. Since researching about marketing and advertising, I have realised that this is something I have a strong interest in, and would potentially like to delve into it further and possibly even make a career within this part of the industry.
Melissa Stapleton 
