On the surface, launching a physical product into the market is sometimes easier to contemplate than a service, brand, or concept. That which is tangible can provide a quicker path for your audience understand your news.
But what about the intangible?
Often, the investment to bring something physical into the market can be as significant as a new service offering, and it deserves an equal share of attention.
In North America, the automotive industry is a highly competitive, mature market; the difference between a great car and an “okay” one is arguably small. To win, companies need to find ways to stand-out. Some do so by looking at the complete competitive picture, including the customer experience.
This is the exact scenario that played out while I was working at one of the largest automotive companies in Canada. Rather than competing solely on delivering a good product (which was now table stakes), it was going to elevate the customer experience.
This started with a new look for dealerships. Then moved to a new luxury brand that prioritized a we-come-to-you, concierge-style service over the traditional dealership/showroom set-up. This allowed for an expansion of the luxury brand’s concept to the company’s mainstream offering by enabling more of the shopping and purchase experience online.
From a communications perspective, my task was to ensure this approach was included throughout our external public relations campaigns. One of our strategies was to elevate the conversation beyond just the product, which our (primarily) media audience tended to focus on, by ensuring we included three points in as many tactics as we could: the product, the place, and the service.
By weaving those three elements into every talking point with every media relations campaign, we helped get the message out that the company was evolving and prioritizing the customer experience. The conversations often involved citing the experiences customers were having when considering consumer goods outside of the automotive space and then contrasting that with what they were facing when shopping for a new vehicle.
Our message: customers set the benchmark for customer experience; and it’s based on every brand interaction they have in their lives. The companies that will thrive tomorrow are the ones that recognize that and adapt today.
By articulating the journey of continuous improvement the company was embarking upon, it helped explain the numerous changes the company was undertaking and why it was important to both internal and external audiences.
For me, it was a refreshing change of pace. It forced me to look at communicating the reasons why a customer should consider the brand, rather than focusing on what they could drive away with.
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