VERBATIMS
Which brands have done the best job in touchpoint communications and why?
I used to think it was JetBlue, until the blizzard in Denver a few weeks back. There was a serious lack of coordination between telephone, web and airport communications, resulting in unnecessary confusion. I actually think Pitney Bowes does a good job, though few people other than entreprenuers using postage meters are aware of it.
Target
I think the first to really understand multichannel integration are still the best at it -- Pottery Barn, American Girl, and the like
Prilosec had (at launch) and has good integrated communication throughout all mediums. Millstone Coffee. McDonald's.
Enfamil, Fisher-Price, Nestle Formula, Publix - they believe in custom publishing and reach the targeted consumer at the right moment in time when a brand decision is made.
Singular, Harley Davidson, Revlon, just a few. they seem to have reasons to purchase, use, convert across media that's most right for thier target audiences and it's call to action/motivating messageing.
Best Buy. Sharp graphics, good interior layouts. Barnes & Noble. Most stores have well-organized sections that segment book classes and topics, along with misc. item areas.
Brands with no middleman, or who control their distribution channel - Automotive - QSR
P&G ... because of their size, and how long they have been working at it. Starbucks ... because they have carefully grown along the important dimensions - product and service extensions, distribution channel enhancements.
Dell is very good, but operates at an advantage (no bricks and mortar retail to worry about).
dell
vw. keep in touch with customers. bath and body works. victoria secret.
Scion did a good job.
Starbucks - has extended a simple food service offering into an experiential powerhouse expanding into music publishing, liquors and more.
The usual list - Apple, Nike, Starbucks, etc.
Many hate to admit it, but Wal-Mart, and more specifically Wal-Mart TV, is becoming an example of maximizing customer communications right at the point of decision. Wal-Mart TV is the 5th largest television network. Other retailers are just waking up to the potential "audience" they have right in there stores, and most brand marketers still don't get it.
P&G at Wal-Mart, Campbell's Soup at Kroger, hard work - dedicated resources
McDonalds, through dealing with cause marketing and with motorsports at the point of effecting the customer when he is asking for it. Others include; Advanced Auto Parts, Home Depot, Avon & Trimspa
retail brands-they have one org system to act on the touchpoint vision
Best Buy
Yoplait - as a woman I admire the brand because of what they stand for and how the brand is woven into my lifestyle - in magazines I read, events I attend, causes I believe in, etc. Even though the product is not my preferred brand I often add it to my cart...Interesting on how this has worked even on a jaded marketing professional.
Don't know.ut Costco and Walmart do a god job at retail
Dove - consistent messaging, building on campaigns incrementally QVC - total integration (the best of all actually)
Apple Abercrombie & Fitch Ikea Target Pier One MacDonalds
wow -- that's a much more difficult question to answer than it should be. Each example I thought of came up short in at least 2 "touchpoints"! What an oppportunity.
Unilever Pepsi Tide
Target Mini
Amazon Barnes & Noble I think mostly internet plays and those with a strong cataloging bent -- Best Buy send out lots of communciations bu they are not effective in driving to retial -- while in the instore experience can be wonderful. For example, The Geek Squad area...and what it means to Best Buy.
Funnily enough, this is nearly impossible to answer, since we as consumers are rarely everywhere at the same time where all ages group gather and receive info conducive to purchases in an effective and personn alized manner !
Don't know
I can't think of any.
Pampers, Tide
not sure
Apple through their itunes site
Pepsi,We can feel them everywhere worldwide.
The beverage industry, particularly through leveraging their DSD network to bring promotions to life in store. Frito gets an A also.
Starbucks, provides total experiecne
CostCo is one. Sharper Image is another.
Ikea COI for Sexual Health Honda UK
Glicks a small chain in MO/IL young women's clothing. Drives traffic through personalized direct mail, captures purchase history at POS, sends thanks for shopping and special offers, talks about previous purchase and what's new in the store that might be of interest to the customer based on items bought. We've found that often it is the smaller, entrepreneurial retailer who will take a smaller budget and find ways to make it work harder than the huge budgets of more well-known "brands" that tend to waste more and be less disciplined in strategic spending.
The Home Depot. Fully integrated strategy and tactics are crystal clear.
brands which have embraced in store advertising as a primary medium
n/a
Best Buy - consistent message communicated from ads to in-store experience; Polo Ralph Lauren - ditto; very consistent message across touchpoints (and consistent over time); Virgin - creates a similar "feel" across multiple disparate categories.
Dove - awesome program from packaging to promotion to web to product
Apple IKEA
Mercedes-Benz
Starbucks - every piece of communication (from direct mail to credit cards) and every item in their stores communicates their brand consistently. They have turned their stores into retail sites that sell music, packaged goods and more.
tobacco and alcohol brands because they had restricted access to traditional media fashion brands because they concentrated early on on influencers
Procter's. P&G is hell-bent on organizing for this sort of marcom and trains its people accordingly. Who else has a "Director of the First Moment of Truth?" And they spend like they're serious about it. They don't dabble. The more they measure this stuff, the more they invest in it. It's no mystery as to why they're in first place in CPG. They have the right brands, the right strategies, the right people to implement them and the financial teeth to support all of it. The net effect of all this is to stretch the productivity frontier and force everyone else in CPG to get better.
Kodak at retail ...Picturemaker is an effective POS tool.
P&G--shifting focus to managing categories for the Specific retailer's most valued customers. Apple==creating a welcoming "retail" platform that welcomes cprospects to absolutely bathe in their brand Starbucks: uses all five senses, creates community, leverages the power of the story Amazon: maximizes shopping ease and customer understanding. maintains a one-on-one relationship Stew Leornard's: warmth, fun, community, entertainment, celebration of food and lifestyle
I don't know of any. There are many one hit wonders who have had a one time success but have not been able to duplicate it. These accidents of marketing are a detriment for future growth because they become case studies for others but at the end of the day no one really knows why it "worked" and they can't be duplicated, but many will squander valuable resources trying to. Until good "touchpoint" information based on consumers behaviors is available everyone is just shooting blanks.
apple
P&G's Brand Saver program is excellent.
Starbucks - yes, the coffee has to be good, but everything else, from CSR communications to decor to staff (barristas) to CDs, align with the promise of a Starbucks experience and the character of the brand. Best Buy - the stores are generally well-laid out, and the staff is (mostly) well informed, but it is the additional services that transform the experience. With Geek Squad, I am no longer on my own once the computer sale is made - in fact, it's no longer a sale, but a relationship Whole Foods - where passion and profits do mix. Products, staff, stories, supplier relationships, the stores themselves - these all support the Whole Foods promise of whole life, whole foods, whole earth.
Lexus--coordinate across all depts Starbucks--experience brand knows the importance of touchpoint branding/marketing
British Airways.
apple,
Starbucks because they go where consumers go to deliver their products. They also provide services which reflect the needs of their consumers - ie wireless access.
Unilever personal care (Dove, Axe, etc)
starbucks, ritz carlton because the service experience is consistent with the brand and constantly delivered.
McDonald's Nike
Apple, their design-perception-performance-information-support, all come together at the customer. Pharmaceutical brands in general, with their emerging multi-channel approach to communication and information.
Starbucks, for total experience and Whole Foods for customer experience in store
Nike --- creating an extyremely personal experience Jet Blue --- reamarkable expression of their own personality and sensitivity to that of the passenger.
Worldcard-creative executions
Target, Pella
Levi Strauss Signature has planned all activities of the brand since its inception with retail information and shopper insights on the table. all agencies plan together and making sure the retailer realities are understood is imperative. For a small business they are doing it right and the results speak for themselves.
Premium automobile manufacturers, like Mercedes-Benz and BMW. They have the appropriate frequency of touchpoints, an evolved and consistent feel, and always of value to owners.
Doritos because they have a fully intergrated marketing plan that integrates cell phone marketing
Target is very in-tune with their customer.
I think Target is a good example. And ebay another. Ebay has infiltrated lifestyles in a way that few brands can. It's part of the language of contemporarty life.
P&G (of course) Unilever Both have a synergy of message from out of home to in store to shelf
Lifestyle brands like Virgin or similar who have embraced the lifestyle through out the communication process.
Ford Brazil and Telefonica. Reason: implementing worldwide procedures "tropicalized" for local market.
Apple I-pod
VANS, the shoe company. Although their pre-designed shoes are already on sale in retail stores, their Website allows consumers to design their own shoes at high level of personalization. They also have an appealing e-mail program designed to drive sales.
The Gap (SJP ad campaign)- finding someone who the majority of their consumers can relate to; have interactive marketing programs in-store, Apple - knowing what the consumer wants, giving it to them when they want it
N/A
Apple, because it has limited distribution of it's products. Cosmetics companies in high end department stores. They maintain contol at the point of sale by staffing counters directly.
In the UK, Tesco (a retailer!) is very good. Some smaller travel companies, like Inntravel, are expert at it. Mostly companies with at least some direct marketing in their mix are better than those without. retail-distributed brands have a long history of ignoring real customer contact - which even includes their service and complaints lines.
the best retaliers - Gap, A&F, Ikea, plus Disney & McDonald's
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bmw
Apple Macintosh - complete control of the entire cycle - product discovery, sampling, purchase and follow-up through integrated online and retail experiences FedEx - online services are value-add (finding locations, hours, tracking info, etc. increases customer effectiveness)that already drove business on the shipping end. Adding Kinkos to the mix just improves the seamless nature of the FedEx experience.
Brands that deliver a consistent message and experience through every level of touchpoint communication -- those that fulfill on their brand promise from advertising thru to face-to-face retail experience...with no gaps.
typically, brands like nike that reach consumers in their homes, at store, in market and at events really connect and surround their customers
Target based on their fully integrated media approach inside and outside the store.
Apple: consistency and simplicity of messages and comunications, across all channels Pepsi, Coke: multiple platform approach to campaigns, inviting consumers to interact with brands across many venues Some car companies, that use the web in clever ways to drive consumers to retail (dealers) Hard-pressed to name others!
american express, active positioning and engagement
Luxury and semi-luxury home goods by understanding and mirroring the mindset and wants of a growing audience of affluent consumers who want to create their own domestic retreat. The "conversation" is consistent from store and product image, catalogue and website offerings, and great customer service.
Kraft, Toyota
Target - very clear brand understanding and message everywhere, from TV ads down to socks and cookies -- you know you're seeing/wearing/shopping Target. Style at a low cost without a hint of cheesiness. I love this store. REI - as a coop, the membership info (and dividend checks) provide a level of "insiderness" that is appealing; also fine products and clued-in store staff who live the outdoor lifestyle. Wild Oats - their e-newsletter and Web site are excellent, products (especially private label) reinforce the brand statement, and store design emphasizes it. Whole Foods does a good job too but I don't like their management.
Lottery: partnership.
?not sure
Best Buy - which does a great job of position both online and offline purchases.
Starbucks / everything they do seems right on target and linked
apple, technology
H&M, Mini Cooper
Maternity clothes retailers because they hit you up when you absolutely need it.
Coca Cola is everywhere down the road.
The NFL - Year round effort, Game day, Television, merchandising, College football farm system - The vision of Pete Rozelle
package goods manufacturers that support trade initiatives
don't know
Le Creuset Pre purchase - Communication campaign engaging consumer in awareness of brand. Point of Purchase - education of sales staff to ensure their ability to impart sound knowledge of products. Post Purchase - Second to none consumer care program allowing consumers to contact via frecall number to resolve any queries/problems. Ultimately creating advocates.