26
Jul
12
Jul
Loyal To You – Lessons Learned in Branding
All major brands try to get their customers to be loyal to their brands. This should be called brand loyalty. Cult Brands focus on being loyal to their customers. This should be distinguished as customer loyalty. Do you see the difference?
13:28 /
Marketing
05
Jul
Cult Brands Have The Highest Customer Loyalty of All Brands
Why is loyalty so high among customers of Cult Brands? A simple but elegant explanation is that modern humans join communities by making purchases. That’s the big secret behind Cult Brands: they give their customers the sense that they belong; their brand’s values become part of their own identity.
28
Jun
Is It Time To Change Your Customer Strategy?
The purpose of business—creating a customer—and your customers—at a human level—aren't changing.
But for many businesses, it's time to make a change toward having a deep understanding of their true purpose and their customers.
20:30 /
Marketing
21
Jun
Do You Treat Your Customers As Humans or As Numbers?
Is the goal of your business to fulfill needs in your customers’ lives or is it merely to “sell more stuff to more people more often for more money more efficiently?”[1. Sergio Zyman, The End of Advertising as We Know It, 2003.] If the latter is your main goal, you should probably stop reading and go share a New Coke with Sergio Zyman.
20:00 /
Marketing
14
Jun
Trust in the Workplace
Trust is the glue of life. It's the most essential ingredient in effective communication. It's the foundational principle that holds all relationships. Stephen Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective PeopleTaking a sociological perspective, Barbara Misztal explains in her book Trust in Modern Societies that trust has three social implications: 1) it makes social life more predictable; 2) it creates a sense of community; and, 3) it allows people to work together. Without trust, social interactions are unpredictable, community building is thwarted, and people are unable to collaborate effectively. Businesses aggressively strive to establish trust with their customers but frequently neglect the need to cultivate trust in their workplaces. In their myopia, they create hostile work environments with a ‘me versus you’ mentality, where employees feel the constant need to watch their backs. In this space, loyalty, creativity, and innovation are sure to die.
07
Jun
Which is Better, Rewards or Blame? Try Neither
When you know what drives you, you have insight into what motivates your teams and your customers. Calling on the research and motivational theories in behavioral psychology illuminates the answer that goes beyond the traditional managerial approach of driving people through rewarding and blaming them.
24
May
The Link Between Customers and Core Values
Having spent nearly twenty years studying and analyzing a unique breed of companies that have an uncanny way of attracting and retaining loyal customers, the topic of values becomes unavoidable.
17
May
Stories Are Taking Over The Customer Journey
The primary ingredient behind compelling stories come down to one thing: problems. The protagonist faces a challenge and tries to overcome it. This is the essence of drama and the key to good storytelling. Without problems—without troubles and tensions—there’s no story. There’s nothing to engage us.
11
May
How Insightful are Your Customer Insights?
The reason our stories, messaging and marketing fall flat is that the people we want to serve are not motivated by our need to be seen, to be heard or to close a sale. People—your audience, customers and clients—are motivated by their need to be seen, heard and understood. Bernadette Jiwa, The Right StoryDespite the amount of money companies spend on customer insights, most companies don’t value true insights. Insights should tell you something new; they should change the way you think. Yet, most companies reward predictable results instead of game changers.[1. Gary Klein, Seeing What Others Don’t, 2007.] On average, companies value “insights” that confirm what they’re already doing. At best, they want “insights” that only slightly modify what they’re already doing. But, are these insights really insightful?