Εμπορική επικοινωνία: Προσέλκυση πελατών και διαφύλαξη της αξιοπιστίαςτων επιχειρήσεων

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1 Εμπορική επικοινωνία σε συνθήκες οικονομική κρίσης: Προστασία των καταναλωτών & του ανταγωνισμού από αθέμιτες πρακτικές Εμπορική επικοινωνία: Προσέλκυση πελατών και διαφύλαξη της αξιοπιστίας Βασίλης Αντωνίου, Σύνδεσμος Διαφημιζομένων Ελλάδας

2 «Εμπορική επικοινωνία» είναι : Κάθε μορφής επικοινωνία η συνδυασμός διαφόρων μορφών επικοινωνίας προϊόντος, υπηρεσίας η επιχειρηματικού φορέα (κλασσική έννοια διαφήμισης, προβολή, προώθηση, διοργανώσεις, δημόσιες σχέσεις, ετικέτα, ιστότοπος, μέσα κοινωνικής και επαγγελματικής επαφής κλπ), Που αποβλέπει άμεσα η έμμεσα στη επίτευξη εμπορικών στόχων, δηλαδή να παρουσιάσεικαι «πωλήσει» ένα προϊόν η μια υπηρεσία (αγαθό), προσελκύοντας περισσότερους καταναλωτές / «πελάτες».

3 Η εμπορική επικοινωνία αποτελεί μια οικονομική και επενδυτική λειτουργία της επιχείρησης με καθαρά εμπορική και αναπτυξιακή στόχευση. Αποτελεί εργαλείο για την ανάπτυξη της επιχείρησης, της αγοράς και γενικότερα της οικονομίας.

4 Μια εμπορική επικοινωνία είναι επιτυχής αν διαθέτει : Ψηλή αισθητική, σαφήνεια και ειλικρίνεια, που να μην υποβαθμίζει αλλά μάλλον να αναβαθμίζει το αισθητικό και νοητικό επίπεδο του κοινού, και Δημιουργικότητα/πρωτοτυπία που συνδέεται με την προβαλλόμενη υπόσχεση προς τον καταναλωτή. Με άλλα λόγια η εμπορική επικοινωνία πρέπει να είναι «ωραία» αλλά και πειστική ώστε να εντυπώνειστον καταναλωτή το προβαλλόμενο αγαθό η επιχείρηση, διαφορετικά είναι θέμα χρόνου αυτή να βλάψει αντί να ωφελήσει.

5 Δεν θα πρέπει όμως να παραβλέπεται ότι για να ολοκληρώσει μία εμπορική επικοινωνία την αποστολή της, δηλαδή «να πωλήσει» στους «πελάτες» που προσελκύει, θα πρέπει αυτή να συνδυάζεται με : Ικανοποίηση μιας ανάγκης, που προκύπτει από κοινωνικοοικονομικούς λόγους και τάσεις, Ανταγωνιστική σχέση ποιότητας τιμής ελκυστική για τον καταναλωτή, Αξιόπιστη και ελκυστική εικόνα του προβαλλόμενου προϊόντος η υπηρεσίας στον καταναλωτή, Ελκυστικό κοινωνικοοικονομικό προφίλ της προβαλλόμενης επιχείρησης, και κατάλληλη διανομή και διαθεσιμότητα του προβαλλόμενου αγαθού, ώστε να είναι εύκολα προσιτό στον καταναλωτή.

6 Η σωστή εμπορική επικοινωνία διαχρονικά και σε συνδυασμό με τις πιο πάνω αναφερόμενες παραμέτρους συμβάλλουν τα μέγιστα στη εδραίωση και διαφύλαξη της αξιοπιστίας της επιχείρησης που είτε προβάλλεται η ίδια είτε διαθέτει το προβαλλόμενο αγαθό. Η αξιοπιστία δε της επιχείρησης καλλιεργούμενη διαχρονικά και αδιάλειπτασυντηρεί το κατάλληλο περιβάλλον και υποδομή για την αναπαραγωγή της αποτελεσματικότητας της εμπορικής επικοινωνίας και την συνεχή επίτευξη των εμπορικών στόχων της επιχείρησης. Τυχόν μη σωστή εμπορική επικοινωνία, μπορεί να βλάψει καίρια την αξιοπιστία της επιχείρησηςκαι να απαιτηθεί σημαντική προσπάθεια και επένδυση για την ανάκτηση της.

7 Στην παρούσα φάση της οικονομικής ύφεσης και του δημιουργούμενου εξαιρετικά ανταγωνιστικού περιβάλλοντος, η σωστή και αποτελεσματική εμπορική επικοινωνία είναι θεμελιώδης : Για την προσέλκυση πελατών, και Για την διαφύλαξη και ενίσχυση της αξιοπιστίας της επιχείρησης.

8 Η παρά την ύφεση ενίσχυση της εμπορικής επικοινωνίας αναμένεται : Να προσδώσει καλύτερη επενδυτική απόδοση και Να οδηγήσει σε ψηλότερα μερίδια αγοράς, ιδιαίτερα αν: - η εμπορική επικοινωνία επικεντρώνεται σε ήδη καταναλωτές -ο δε ανταγωνισμός υπολείπεται (Harvard Business School professor John A. Quelch) Έτσι η επιχείρηση αφενός μεν θα διατηρήσει η / και βελτιώσει την οικονομική θέση τηςαφετέρου δε θα εξασφαλίσει μια ισχυρή βάση εκκίνησης στη μετά την ύφεση περίοδο.

9 Αξίζει δε να σημειωθεί ως παράπλευρη ωφέλεια και το γεγονός ότι η σημαντική παρουσία στον τομέα της εμπορικής επικοινωνίας σε περίοδο κρίσης σηματοδοτεί στη συνείδηση του καταναλωτή/πελάτη και της αγοράς ευρωστία και αξιοπιστίατόσο του προβαλλόμενου αγαθού όσο και της επιχείρησης που και τα δύο αποτελούν σημαντικά ενεργητικά στοιχεία για μια επιχειρηματική δραστηριότητα.

10 Περαιτέρω βέβαια μέσα από την εμπορική επικοινωνία διαφυλάσσεται και η αξιοπιστία της επιχείρησης, που σε συνθήκες ύφεσης αποκτά αυξημένη σπουδαιότητα, δεδομένου ότι ο καταναλωτής/πελάτης, έχοντας βιώσει η βιώνοντας ένα αρνητικό περιβάλλον: Δεν θέλει περισσότερες έγνοιες Αποζητά ασφάλεια, και αξίες, και Προσβλέπει σε καλύτερη σχέση τιμής / ποιότητας/ εξυπηρέτησης της ανάγκης.

11 ΕΥΧΑΡΙΣΤΩ ΓΙΑ ΤΗΝ ΠΡΟΣΟΧΗ ΣΑΣ Βασίλης Αντωνίου

12 Definition: Βrand Credibility Credibility is broadly defined as the believability of an entity s intentions at a particular time and is posited to have two main components: trustworthiness and expertise. Thus, brand credibility is defined as the believability of the product information contained in a brand, which requires that consumers perceive that the brand have the ability (i.e., expertise) and willingness (i.e., trustworthiness) to continuously deliver what has been promised (in fact, brands can function as signals since if and when they do not deliver what is promised their brand equity will erode).

13 What Makes a Brand Credible Brand expertise: Competent, innovative, and a market leader. These companies routinely put out quality content and information about their field. The real power of a brand is in the thoughts, feelings, images, beliefs, attitudes, experiences and so on that exist in the minds of consumers. When a product or service costs more, but is worth it, its value becomes acceptable to the consumer. Longevity if a company has been around a long time, people believe there must be a reason. Brand trustworthiness: Dependable and keeping customer interests in mind. Brand likeability: Fun, interesting, and worth spending time with. Maybe brands can t improve someone s overall sense of wellbeing, but brands can certainly do more than settle for customer satisfaction. Consumers are giving brands permission to tackle happiness. Happy consumers make for loyal customers, not the other way around, a swap of priorities that defines the new zeitgeist of consumer connection. Social conscience these days, people want to conduct business with companies that create good will, and are socially responsible.

14 Brands in Recession In an economic downturn you will see changes in three major areas: Budget Changes, Consumer Behavior & Market Changes Consumer Behaviour Consumers have lived through a variety of negative events throughout the past decade, and they're no longer willing to accept anything businesses tell them: They're actively seeking marketing messages that give them a feeling of peace of mind. Sense of security: According to a survey by Marketing Week UK Brands that place a strong emphasis on family values are more likely to make a strong connection with consumers, families are now looking for something more from business marketing strategies they now want brands to act as an extension of their own families. Value: Must-have features of yesterday are today's can-live-withouts. Many people will be looking for value rather than luxury. Saving money, products that last longer, reliability, safety, and performance are in. People spend less overall and become far more selective about where they spend the little money they have. This tends to expose and amplify brand weaknesses. As weaker brands die off, the remaining brands sing louder, calling to consumers who are ripe for change. Looking for bargains offline and online becomes more usual pastime in efforts to economize on price and value. In order to save money during the continued economic downturn, more and more people are buying generic brands or foregoing the brands that they prefer in favor of others that are cheaper or offer coupon discounts. A study from comscore finds that just 43 percent of shoppers typically purchase their most-desired brands, especially those in the health and beauty aid segment, such as shampoo, toothpaste and mouth rinse, due to consumer reluctance at using lower-priced products in categories that are personal in nature.

15 Budget & Market Changes As Harvard Business School professor John A. Quelchnoted recently, "It is well documented that brands that increase advertising during a recession, when competitors are cutting back, can improve market share, and return on investment at lower cost than during good economic times. Research suggests that higher-priced brands that continue to have a strong ad presence during a recession, when many advertisers tend to cut back, will come out stronger than those that have cut back. During a recession marketers need to focus on current customers, not just new ones. The assumption that any business is good business is not the case here. The best prospect is a current customer. Acquiring new customers is five times more costly than retaining existing ones. Bad times can be used to focus on existing customers and turning them into loyal customers. That can be accomplished by researching customer needs and the ability of your product (and competitors products) to meet these goals. Companies spending large amounts of money in advertising campaigns signal brand fitness by communicating excellence or skill in a trustworthy or credible way.

16 Brands Ethics Like a brand, a code of ethics is an important part of a company s identity. It is part of how companies and professionals generate trust. Those who do not have codes of ethics are at a disadvantage compared to those who do not. If a company don t follow their code of ethics, thanks to the internet, they run a real risk of being exposed and suffering a breach of customer (not to mention, professional) trust. A company s ethics and corporate governance are crucial to consumers considering buying its products or services. Environmental and ethical issues are important when deciding which brands to buy. According to a recent survey in the UK; 91% of the respondent said that a way a company behaved influenced their purchasing decision, while a 74%would be interested in knowing more about the behavior of a company before buying, with a majority of under-30s ranking ethical brand values as a priority when spending and a greater percentage of women than men demanding social responsibility from their brands. Consumers engage much more emotionally and much more personally. They don t want facts and figures or complex judgments by expert groups. They don t want to have to swallow a CSR dictionary in order to understand what it s all about. They want simple stories about real people that make them feel good, from brands they love and trust.

17 Transparency at a Digital Age Transparency has always been important as a driver of credibility, but the digital age has put new emphasis and urgency on brands getting it right on this front. Consumers trust brands that come across as real and sincere. Hiding facts, figures and excessive small print doesn t go far when it comes to customer satisfaction. Consumers are fed up with not understanding legalese. Business can benefit from clarity. We're entering a new era of marketing where consumers are evaluating brands through a much more stringent set of criteria and in some cases they bring their own values and even causes to the table. The world has changed thanks to communications and technological advancements like Twitter, social networking, online video, and more. Brands that stretch the truth are called out faster than ever and word of a brand s dishonesty will spread faster and farther than you can imagine; as the consumers have a very public platform to call it out. Brands must react, engage and build trustby interacting with their social communities: to become more transparent, communicate directly with consumers, and have a conversation this means exposing a brand, to the good, the bad and even the ugly. Customers don t expect you to be perfect. They do expect you to fix things when they go wrong: When something goes wrong with a product or service, if the supplier goes above and beyond the call of duty in taking responsibility, the end result is often that the customer is so impressed with the supplier s response, it negates the original problem. Timeline: The credibility and reputation of an organization is highly influenced by the perception of its response and 'response time' during crisis situations.

18 Digital Matters Website: Transparency is more than just posting a few photos of your company and having a few personal words on site. It goes much deeper than that. It requires for companies to open up, be real and connect with their customer. These days, clients and consumers are internet savvy and have seen numerous sites, so one needs to have an updated and a fresh design. Most searches are performed quickly, so visually it shouldn t confuse the viewer as they scan. If it takes a Web surfer more than a few frustrating minutes to maneuver a site, they re gone. Social Media should be used to show the human side of a company: The transparency is so customers get to meet some real people behind the scenes. It brings one closer to their customers and potential customers, and this should be a good thing, as long as your business doesn't have too many skeletons in the closet. Narrative Brand Marketing: Telling stories about the brand is a great way to encourage the audience to personalize the message, to make it more sticky with the listener and to make it easier for people to remember. Brand marketers arebeginningto think like media publishers and creating branded content that can be shared and spread across the web, some companies are even forming internal editorial boards to curate the flow of content about their brand. The most successful brands of tomorrow will be the ones that figure out social video today. Video has a far greater chance of going viral if it creates an emotional response in a viewer, because an emotional response is about as engaged as a viewer can get. Humans are social humans so when something moves us to tears or to laughter we want to share that experience with others. New evolutions in video technology like letting viewers choose which ad they want to see, or interactive videos that literally let the viewer control some portion of the experience are also ways for brands to engage consumers more dramatically.

19 Transparency: The power behind your brand Employees put a face on a corporate brand to consumers, the community and prospective employees. Simply put, engaged and motivated employees who understand the brand and where it is going translate to happy customers. Employees have the power to either reinforce or break a brand s promise every time they interact with a customer, shareholder or even another employee; in one word they are the brand s ambassadors. Employees can't be brand advocates if they don't understand the brand. Therefore, it's important to communicate the organization's brand to employees both implicitly and explicitly. As a rule, companies with strong brands and competitive cultures expect more than a modicum of brand loyalty from their employees and contractors. Loyalty to the brand" is mutating into "Living the brand: As authenticity, accountability, and social responsibility are increasingly celebrated as essential enterprise virtues, firms will increasingly push their people to live, not just use, their brands. The lines between workplace and lifestyle further dissolve. Brand advocacy starts with leadership If top leadership within an organization lives and breathes the brand, employees are much more likely to embrace it as well. It is therefore critical that an organization's CEO leads by example and always acts as an advocate on behalf of the brand. The recession helped undermine existing relationships between employees and leaders. Cutbacks, downsizing and layoffs left leaders unable to provide the reassurance and stability that an increasingly anxious workforce needed. Leaders need to be more genuinely concerned about the quality of employees lives and not just strictly focused on job performance and ROI, creating a closer relationship and sense of community connected to organizational objectives. Engaging employees through innovative ideas, inspirational communication and the commitment of the leadership team is what is proven to actively improve productivity and in turn customer experience.