Saint Blog

Nike have challenged a bunch of designers to challenge the function of their shoes.

Below is W+K’s effort…

Check the site for more information – Nike 78

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. 

Below are the vids from last month’s Facebook Developer Garage. I was asked to come and talk from an agency perspective. So, although a little underprepared, I duly obliged.

There was a good cross section of people in attendance and I met some really interesting players from the field of social media. I was particularly impressed with the talk that followed mine from Mat Clayton & Chris Thorpe. Which is surprising because it had been billed in a way that suggested that there would be some sort of head to head between me (representing agencies) and them (representing all the people who are frustrated by agencies). Luckily, most of their gripes do not apply to Saint (because we are not typical of other agencies) and they were extremely impressed by the thinking that we demonstrated. Indeed there were many similarities in our presentations. PHEEEW!

Afterwards, I had a pint with Toby Beresford from Nudge and found him to be an very knowledgeable and likable chap.

We will definitely be contacting these guys in future regarding our social media initiatives and I will continue to attend the Facebook Developer garages. I recommend you do too.

Adam Graham Part 1

Adam Graham Part 2

Mat Clayton & Chris Thorpe Part 1

Mat Clayton & Chris Thorpe Part 2

Mat Clayton & Chris Thorpe Part 3

“Social networking and blogging has recently become more popular than personal email, and is growing twice as fast as any of the other four largest sectors (search, portals, PC software and email).” Neilson Media 2009

It’s no secret, nor is it a surprise that brands have been quick to turn to social media in a bid to engage and create meaningful conversations with people online.

Many have done so incredibly well.

However, in the frantic rush to capitalise on the popularity of social networks, most have failed to define a distinct and compelling reason to be in this space… to disrupt and interrupt doesn’t count!

Social media users have very quickly learnt to filter through the saturation of brands and messages, cutting straight to those (friends, and brands) they know, and trust. To become a trusted brand in this saturated space (trust us it’s saturated and also highly unlikely that your competitors aren’t already there), there are a few key rules of engagement.

1. Know where the conversation is taking place, listen & respond

Use tools like Buzz Metrics and Scout Labs to identify where people are talking about you online. Once you know where they are, listen to them, learn from them, and respond if necessary. The open nature of this space means a lack of response shines out and is picked up upon quickly.

It’s far better to actively micro-manage opinion across networks and blogs than it is simply set up a few profiles on Facebook that never get updated.

2. Be worth talking to

OK, so you know where the conversation is taking place, but how do you get involved?

Most brands in the social web bare striking similarities to the ‘dad in the disco’ (at best a little bit embarrassing, at worst can empty the room), however… even the dad in the disco can be popular if he’s buying the drinks!

So be entertaining, exciting, and amazing. Be unique, offer exclusive money can’t buy opportunities, most of all have fun! As long as you respect your audience, you are free to try pretty much anything.

3. Be yourself

Social media is a culture of transparency and honesty that must be embraced. Try to behave less like a company and more like a real person and people will respect you. Saying this

“learning to speak in a human voice is not some trick, nor will corporations convince us they are human with lip service about ‘listening to customers.’ They will only sound human when they empower real human beings to speak on their behalf.” The Cluetrain Manifesto (1999)

If you are a CEO that knows how to blog, do so, even better why not create a network of employee blogs, write about your experiences, what you are working on, what you do in your day to day life. It’s interesting, honest, and endearing.

FINALLY

4. Invite people to get involved

To really engage with people you can’t just talk at them. Invite them to the conversation, think of ways to involve them, and again, listen… Who knows, you may even learn something.

(via IF / PSFK) This is interesting. Diesel Wall is a new competition from from Diesel to create works of art on specific walls in Zurich, Manchester, New York and Barcelona. According to their website, this is a reaction to the fact that “in any given moment in our daily lives we are bombarded by messages we didn’t ask to see. A never ending stream of mass produced cerebral pollution offering at absolute best nothing more than needless want.”

They say that “Diesel Wall was born out of a need to salvage what precious public space is left and to fill it with something worth saying.” Hypocrisy aside, (ordinarily I’m sure Diesel are contributing to the ‘cerebral pollution’ too) it’s interesting to see how they’re positioning this, where effectively they’re creating value for consumers via a lack of advertising.

Art in (or as) advertising isn’t a particularly new concept, but perhaps in this case it’s highlighting a growing trend, where value itself is the message, rather than trying to make the message valuable, if that makes sense.

Will this lead to a world where we can just do nice stuff for people and allow them to discover the brands we represent at their own pace?

That’s is definitely the direction we’re headed for digital. Make people happy. Have enough respect for them not to beat them about the head with advertising. And trust that the will come to their own, deeper understanding about what the brand stands for through this process.