The 4Cs of brand engagement

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Adam

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06 July 2009 12.18

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by Mark Sng & Zaid Al-Zaidy, Saint @ RKCR/Y&R 

Classical marketing has always been fond of useful mnemonics. Acronymic devices from our AIDAs to our SWOTs to our PESTs have given us a way of structuring strategic considerations, variables and ideas. Of course, probably the most famous and ubiquitous of all is the 4Ps of marketing.

At Saint, we wanted something just as simple that applied to engaging an audience in the age of digital. We wanted a way to distil the inherently complex and fast-moving landscape of human and corporate relationships in a million-channel environment into a topline playbook that reminds us of the key components for any engagement strategy. We wanted to create a structure that looked to the enduring truths of human interaction rather than the specific technologies that might be in vogue at any point in time, so that corporations have the strategic confidence to invest in a rapidly evolving space.

So without further ado, please let us introduce you to the 4Cs of brand engagement; Conversation, Culture, Collaboration and Compensation.

Conversation:

This has been the most seismic shift for ad men and brands to adapt to – understanding that brands are most powerful not when they exist in beautifully produced TVCs and pithy advertising slogans, but when they form part of the stories their consumers are telling.

 This first, most vital C is about the need for brands to listen to, participate in, stimulate and in some cases facilitate conversations. We believe the iconic brands of the future will act more like a person than a corporation, empowering their own employees to engage in micro-conversations with consumers wherever these may be taking place.

Culture:

So brands must, more than ever, exist in conversation. This means that simply having a ‘positioning’, a set of key messages and an endline is not enough to get consumers to understand and buy in to your brand (arguably this has always been the case, it’s just more visible now that conversations are stored online).

Instead, branding must be viewed within the context of multichannel touchpoints, some of which are ‘owned’ by a us, many that are not. The only way to create the kind of consistency of meaning for a brand in this environment is by defining and continually demonstrating what a brand stands for. Understanding how you translate what your brand stands for for a variety of situations is absolutely key, because people don’t form their opinion of brands via the advertising they see.

Of course, to get this right is not just a marketing endeavour but will have organisation-wide ramifications, but starting with a communications strategy is a great first step.

Collaboration:

However brand culture isn’t something that can solely be defined by marketing departments and ad agencies. The strongest brands allow their consumers to co-own and co-create this culture, and this C is about the need to try to drive not just attention but also participation in order to really connect. The meaning of a brand means much more when framed through personal experiences –  and the best way facilitate this is by getting our audience to join in.

Giving consumers a sense of ownership over the brand and its assets not just deepens engagement but is also more likely to breed advocates and evangelists.

Compensation:

Last but certainly not least is the need to make sure we reward our audience for their time and attention. With the decreasing focus on interruptive styles of communication it becomes foundational to think about the “what’s in it for them” question – and base any tactical execution on real consumer value.

Whether this value comes in the form of entertainment, utility, a platform for self-expression, information or monetary, brands really do have an obligation to ensure their marketing has a reason for being in the eyes of the consumer.

So there are Saint’s 4Cs of brand engagement – hardly prescriptive but we hope helpful at highlighting the key areas to address in order to encourage users to love your brand. 

By Adam Graham @adamgraham