INDIA, ZEE MELT VIRTUAL PANEL SESSION - SEPT 2020
“Engaging through Uncertainty”
Given our topic is on “Engaging through Uncertainty”, I had some thought starters for what my 10 mins might be on:
I’d like to introduce the topic of ‘trust’ between brands, companies and customers.
There’s a fun social psychology theory devised by Army Colonel, Patrick J. Sweeney that talks to the principles of forming trust between soldiers in combat.
He concluded that trust has three core elements: competency, character and care.
I believe these three characteristics can help brands to form, retain and buy back customer trust and beyond, in order to grow their businesses.
“A written version of my talk is below”
Engaging Through Uncertainty
It’s a great question but I can only answer half of it. As the other half, we can do nothing about!!
Uncertainty has always been there - really. Nobody ever had a crystal ball. Certainly it’s been present for the last decade or two when it comes to brands. Not to mention the exponential rise of technology.
Brands from our youth - that we thought were invincible - are now quite laughable. They didn’t evolve, were arrogant or badly advised or both.
Engagement has become a kind of holy grail.
With creativity (and budget) we should be able to break through the noise and begin an engagement with our audiences.
With data we should be able to infer what works to create more interest, more engagement and hopefully design better and better responses, products and relationships that can develop.
With luck both the above can add up to three.
Where Did Engagement Go?
I think the recent uncertainty is amplifying how important it is to redefine engagement in the first place.
ENGAGEMENT NOT BOMBARDMENT - Bombarding me with ads of a product I just bought makes me want to start a crusade to have the head of the marketing department brought to me on a plate. That’s not engagement.
ENGAGEMENT NOT TORTUREMENT - Assuming that you can persuade me that I should buy your stuff by popping up your Ad while I’m trying to cram a You-Tube in between Zoom calls makes me want to find everyone involved’s address and burn their houses down. Torture is not engagement.
ENGAGEMENT NOT STUPIDITY - Keeping me entertained by inane music while hanging on for thirty minutes to sort something straightforward through your not so ‘simple to access’ idiotic form or formula. That’s not engagement.
ENGAGEMENT NOT DETERRENT - Fighting through insane, pathetic, patronising, trite rubbish - that weak ad or marketing piece to get to the point - the utility or value I’m looking for - you get it.
Add one of a million other examples.
Where Did Creativity Go?
Honestly I am so upset with the industry I spent a lot of my life in.
“There’s No Trust Without Belief”
How Many Times?
How many times have we heard a politician lie rather than admit a mistake. And how many times have you said just how much more credit they would get if they did? A lot right? We would be far more likely to engage with that person.
The same is true with brands.
We don’t actually want them to make mistakes but services and products can fail and this is true of everything in every walk of life. It’s just life. We need brands that are authentic - at ease with their vulnerability.
We can deal with it at a human level because we all make mistakes.
Brene Brown talks about vulnerability - as a strength. I’m talking about fallibility as a reality - and that will engage rather than deter.
With so many things nowadays we lack the truth. If we identify a reliable and honest tradesman or store, brand or provider we stay with them unless two things happen. They try and wriggle out of a promise they didn’t make or the work is substandard.
We know our values. We try to do the right things as human beings for the most part. We try and avoid conflicts. For most of us being honest is a key plank in being befriended and trusted by others. It all breaks down when there’s no comparable value system between us over these two positions
A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE HOW
The Right Mindset - Brands will need to have understood what we are talking about.
It may take wholesale culture change
Systems have to be in place to align with promises made.
It will take enlightened leaders - we don’t train people to think or be like this in business. The system and society beats it out of you. Hugely inspired by Sir Ken… Educated out of you. You have to ask questions.
You’re seen as the naughty one! The disruptive one, in schools and then through to the workplace. ‘Sit down and be quiet’ mentality - change isn't welcomed or embraced. It is seen as a pain in the arse.
WHAT CAPABILITIES DO YOU NEED?
Analytics Skills to get insight from the data
Test & Learn
Fearlessness
Curiosity
WHO IS DOING IT WELL…. WHO DO I BELIEVE?
Hamdi Ulukaya - founder of Chobani
Yvon Chouinard - founder of Patagonia
Any company that is part of B corps
Actions not just words - not just purposeful ‘vision statements’, with no form of action or accountability.
It’s not easy, it takes time, it’s not a short term fix - it is not to only appease shareholder value - purpose, people, planet
