subject: Dear Brands: Here Is What I, A Consumer, Would Like To See From You [print this page] Stay tuned for Dear Consumer: Here is how I, a brand, deserve your respect and attention
Dear Brands,
I cant get away from you right now, what with all the Superbowl ad buzz and all. And thats OK, this is actually a fun time of year to deal with you. You pull out all the stops, get super creative, and make me look forward to what you will do next. I am amazed at the amount of time and money that goes into the days around the SB trying to get the most attention, getting people excited for the event itself, and then trying to make sure the buzz translates into long term results.
I dont know that I will make purchase decisions based on how you reach me this weekend (or any other time you can grab my attention). But I will learn new things about you, better understand what you want me to know, and ultimately, that will influence me for better or worse when I need to go buy something.
So, lets start with that as a good first step for what I expect from you if you want me to listen and act:
1. Be entertaining and creative make me excited about hearing your message, and get me engaged so that I remember key things later when it counts. Make me laugh, make me cry, make me discuss with my friends.
Superbowl time is an aberration in terms of being able to have omnipresent brand messages. But it general:
2. Be careful where/how you talk to me. I personally get very frustrated by ads that I have to watch while my video loads. I dont like ads that pop up unprompted on my screen while I am logging into email. Those things backfire with someone like me and while Im sure youve spent good time and money on getting my attention in this way, its not the kind of attention you want! Put things in context, and get me when Im in the right state of mind to hear from you .
3. Dont talk just to talk. I have Liked some of you on Facebook, and can get good info that way when I want to. Sometimes you post updates that have good recipes, deals, or news that I care about. But sometimes, it feels like you are saying things just to stay visible. Much like the above, that can be annoying and end up backfiring. Its OK to be silent when there is no new news. That makes the important things you have to say stand out that much more.
A key question for you - what is my price for engaging or acting?
4. Shift some of your focus/budget into incenting me to care. There are lots of ways you can increase engagement, including the points above. Giving me the possibility to win something fun and unique for engaging with you would be very appealing. I did some research in the fall to help drive the direction of adpropo.com. I asked what features people Must or Would Like To have as part of a site that brings brands and consumers together in a much better way. Here are the results:
5. Address my questions, concerns, and comments. I have read alot of examples lately of brands that have messed up in this new world of immediate and widespread social communication. We all make mistakes, and we all appreciate people taking responsibility for their actions. So if you mess up, just own it. It might hurt at first, but if you step up and address it, I will respect you more in the long term for sure.
Thats all for now. I do appreciate your efforts (and look forward to much better and more meaningful connections on adpropo.com!).
