Growing Brand Value in the Customer Age Al Allaway, CEO, CAB Studios

We Drive Growth – www.cabstudios.co.uk  

Welcome to the customer age

Source: Forester Wave

2010 Welcome To The

Customer Age

WELCOME TO THE CUSTOMER AGE. A 20 year business cycle that is the intersection of business and technology for every business in the world. We have the means and capability to create one-on-one personalised experiences across any medium our customers choose to engage with us on. Winners in the customer age understand that the keys to growth are delivering relevant, remarkable and rewarding experiences, for every customer, at every touchpoint they have with your brand.

You’ve been delivering these experiences since the birth of Christ.

You Are The Masters Of Experience. So much so that the NHS, Retail & Automotive are looking to you for service inspiration.

But here’s where people are getting stuck.

A worrying number of Hoteliers are

failing to take that experience outside the four walls of the

hotel.

Even though the opportunities to drive loyalty and direct bookings have never

been more abundant.

We surveyed over 200 UK Hotel brands in attendance at the Master Inn Holders 2014 event

•  72% of delegates do not have a responsive website •  52% of delegates do not have a mobile website •  29% of delegates are not on Facebook or Twitter •  24% of delegates do not have an email programme •  82% of delegates rely on 3rd party Web Booking Engines

Don’t worry, Branding in the Customer Age is still about…

1. Clear positioning

3. Promise & Expectation

2. Consistent personality

But more than ever…

It’s about orchestrating experiences that are:

Relevant Remarkable Rewarding

…wherever your customers choose to interact with you. Before, during and after their stay – on & offline.

OTAs and comparators are filling themselves on hoteliers’ margins, having radically changed consumer behaviour, commoditising so much of the industry into location, price & last minute deal.

We believe it’s time for Hoteliers to #TakeThePowerBack

And start innovating with multichannel experiences in the same way you innovate

within the four walls of your hotel.

And start innovating with multichannel experiences in the same way you innovate

within the four walls of your hotel. Here’s how.

Here are 3 tools that Master Inn Holders need to win in the customer age.

Tool #1

Start with Why.

“People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.” – @simonsinek Companies that think from the inside out are more successful at defining who they are as a brand, attracting deeply loyal customers and attracting talented staff who believe in the cause.

If you start with Why you’ll be

#morethanahotel

You’ll be a movement.

Tool #2

2Qs. What do you want to do with your

customers?

What do your customers want to do with you?

Health-focused hotels help guests enhance their lives before they arrive, during their stay and when they get home.

Urban brand Thompson Hotels has become synonymous with understanding what’s hot in the local area, even by city residents.

Tool #3

F.I.L.E.

‘We don’t make money when we sell things, we make money when we help people make great purchase decisions.’ Jeff Bezos - Founder - Amazon

In the Customer Age,

Helping is selling.

The problem is that there are thousands of ways to help them.

Think like your customers do.

That means being

Multichannel.

Not

Uni-channel.

Creative Strategy Big Data Print Content Technology Paid Search Conversion Contextual SMS Writers PR Radio Television Viral Signage Outdoor Mobile Research Merchandise Push Telemarketing Analytics

Aggregators Affiliates Advertisers Twitter Facebook Pheed WeLikethis Tumblr Fancy LinkedIn SEO Email Apps Behaviour Social Direct Mail Website Engines Research Events Video Cross Channel

Plan by customer objective, not marketing channel.

1. FIND How do you make it easier for people to find you when they’re looking?

3. LEAD How do you make buying from you feel easy and intuitive?

4. ENGAGE How do you excite them so they bring their friends back with them?

2. INSPIRE How do inspire people to choose you over competitors?

Find

Lead

Inspire

Engage

Insight  

Measure  

•  Reduce Cost Here •  Maximise Volume

•  Win New Audience •  Create New Adopters •  Expose the brand

•  Increase Conversion •  Build loyalty •  Increase Direct Bookings •  Drive Recommendation •  Brand Connectors and

Promoters

Now You Can Be #morethanahotel & #takethepowerback!

Keys to Brand Growth

•  Find your why – Culture, Content, Reach

•  Multi-channel not uni-channel

•  Place every touchpoint in context

•  Perfect experiences to find, inspire and lead your customers

•  Constantly innovate with your customer data

•  Maintain the experience in engagement strategies to drive direct booking

Relevant, Remarkable and Rewarding Drives Growth

Growth Level 1: Ecommerce Improve research & buy

Growth Level 2: Consumption Help guests achieve goals

Growth Level 3: Identity Achieve precision service

Challenge - Win Trust and Permission

•  Perfect Transaction •  Integrate channels •  Device synergy

Revenue + £5-10% Efficiency – £5-10%

Revenue + £10-20% Efficiency

– £10-20%

Revenue + £5-10% Efficiency – £5-10%

Source: PWC Profitable Growth in the Digital Age 2013

•  Brand affinity •  Full digital identity experiences •  Internet of things integration

•  Change outcomes •  Target appropriately •  Relevant communications

Be Relevant, Remarkable and Rewarding and drive growth in 2014!

We Drive Growth – www.cabstudios.co.uk

Al Allaway – CEO – CAB Studios al@cabstudios.co.uk uk.linkedin.com/in/alallaway