Brand engagement

Brand engagement is the process of forming an emotional or rational attachment between a person and a brand. It comprises one aspect of brand management. Brand engagement conveys a relationship between an organisation and individuals based upon the promises an organisation makes, which creates an attachment between the individual and a particular brand. This connection between a brand and an individual is partly created by the organisations itself, yet is also generated by the way in which an individual interprets the message the organisation is exhibiting. Brand engagement causes decision-making, new relationships and loyalty between an individual and a brand. Furthermore, brand engagement is all about understanding the needs of customers, stakeholders and employees, not only this but also understanding the values in which an organisation believes in.

What is a Brand?

A brand is how consumers perceive a product or company. It is a valuable asset to a business, as a brand signifies the value a consumer associates with the company or product. A brand is more than a logo or a name; it is not only the physical attribute but it is the psychological aspect, as brands are becoming known for their whole customer experience. This includes, the marketing mix, communication mix, customer service, packaging, advertising etc. Thus, a brand provides visualisations and standards that they hope to achieve and convey to consumers, which can increase ones brand perception. A successful brand is one that provides an exceptional experience to customers and one that has a competitive advantage, which may lead to an increase in profits, sales and relationships.

What is Engagement?

The word engagement is commonly associated with a promise, as this word suggests emotional and moral commitment. However engage according to the Collins English dictionary means to involve, draw into conversation, to participate, to secure and to promise. Additionally, engagement reflects a motivational state and demonstrates emotional, behavioural and cognitive dimensions, however these vary in different contexts.

Customer Brand Engagement

Customer brand engagement can be defined as the level of motivation or brand awareness an individual has, as this often affects their action depending on their state of mind, which can be characterised by emotional, behavioural and cognitive. (Hollebeek, 2011) Recently, the consumer brand engagement concept has been assumed to comprehensively reflect a consumer's level of interest, interactive brand relationship and traditional concepts such as involvement with a brand. Today, consumer brand engagement is a crucial aspect to organisations, as they need to keep consumers interested, which will increase corporate performance, give them a competitive advantage and increase profitability. (Pablo Tello de Meneses Fernandez, 2014) Research has claimed people buy experiences, not products; they also claimed that creating experiences build brand value. (Pablo Tello de Meneses Fernandez, 2014) This reinforces, the importance of how brands engage with consumers, as in todays society, it is becoming all about the experience of a brand rather than the product itself.

Conceptual Model (Hollebeek, 2011)

Looking at the conceptual model, it demonstrates how involvement with a brand can lead to customer loyalty depending on the brand engagement and relationship quality. Consumers act according to their motivational state of mind at that particular time when engaging with a brand. Cognitive is the “mental process of perception, memory, judgement and reasoning.” . Thus meaning, ones state of mind that bases their brand interaction based upon awareness and preconceived ideas of a brand. At an emotional level a customer acts depending on their enthusiasm, brand confidence, pride and passion they have when associating with that brand. Whereas a behavioural related level of customer activity can be expressed through the individuals energy used when interacting with a brand. (Hollebeek, 2011)

Furthermore, according to the conceptual model, aspects to consider when it comes to customer brand engagement are trust, commitment, customer value and satisfaction and brand loyalty. These are all considered consequences and outcomes of brand engagement that affect ones relationship with a brand, not only for new customers but also for existing customers. (Hollebeek, 2011) If a customer has a good experience with a brand, they are likely to commit to that brand to keep that relationship active. This commitment and engagement to a brand leads to consumer’s trust, whereby consumers distinguish security and begin to see the brand as reliable as they start to believe this brand has their best interests. Consequently, this shifts to brand loyalty, which is where there is repetition in purchasing a particular brand, as there is a strong relationship created through brand engagement. (Hollebeek, 2011)

Often, existing consumers have a level of commitment to a brand prior to the brand encounter. However, their re-engagement with a brand may change their commitment levels due to the brand not living up to their pre perceived ideas, or past experience, therefore may change future interactions with the brand. Whereas, new consumers develop a level of brand commitment when engaging with the brand for the first time. (Hollebeek, 2011) Therefore, a brand needs to constantly deliver a consistent message and customer service to all consumers in order to keep the relationship and consumers commitment to that brand. (Hollebeek, et. al, 2014)

When a consumer has reached the last step in the conceptual model; consumer loyalty, this indicates a consumer has an overall satisfaction with a brand. This can cause brand repurchase and the intention of recommending the brand. Not only this, but there are benefits for the organisation also, as this can cause increasing levels of consumer brand engagement, which can improve their performance outcomes by sales growth, cost reductions (word of mouth advertising) profitability, consumer contributions etc. (Hollebeek, et. al, 2014)

External

Brand engagement between a brand and its consumers/potential consumers is a key objective of a brand marketing effort.

In general, the ways a brand connects to its consumer is via a range of "touchpoints"—that is, a sequence or list of potential ways the brand makes contact with the individual. Examples include retail environments, advertising, word of mouth, online, and the product/service itself.

Touchpoints and Brand Engagement

Touchpoints are interactions between two or more people such as between a customer and a company, brand or service. Touchpoints are a factor when it comes to brand engagement, as they are a way of communicating a brand to consumers. This exposure of a brand can occur in many different forms such as an advertisement featured on television, radio, newspaper, magazine, window display, billboards, word of mouth etc. (Duncan & Moriarty, 2015).These interactions contribute to ones perception and experience with a brand, which can influence future interactions.

Touchpoints are created by companies, which enable consumers to engage with a brand across a variety of channels. (Baxendalea, et. al, 2015) Touchpoints usually identify a target audience in which they hope to reach, and then aim on targeting areas that will have a connection with this audience. The aim of touchpoints is for consumers to the engage and be aware of the brand, which will hopefully have a positive impact on the relationship between consumers and a brand and the profitability of an organisation.

Ways in which a successful organisation should approach engaging consumers with their brand should follow these 4 points.

1. Target a specific audience, as often a brand doesn’t relate to all types of consumers, therefore divides their audience into segments whereby they highlight specific demographics they wish to target. By doing this, it allows for a brand to build a positive relevant relationship with a consumer, which can lead to persistent brand engagement. E.g. Kathmandu, they are aware of who their target audience is, and specifically targets people who like the outdoors.

2. Concentrate on reaching consumers by touchpoints to create brand awareness and engagement, this is a major factor for an organisation in terms of customer behaviour and brand loyalty either positively or negatively.

3. Set relevant and achievable goals to reach and engage audience with their brand.

4. Revisit performance to see if consumer’s views change or if they are engaging their brand successfully with the audience they are targeting.

(Hogan, et. al, 2005)

Internal ("close stakeholder")

There are two broad areas where brand engagement is relevant within an organization (employees and close stakeholders such as franchise staff, call centers, suppliers or intermediaries).

The first area is ensuring that the employer brand promised to employees is delivered upon once employees join the firm. If the employee experience is not what is promised, this could result in increased employee turnover and/or decreased performance.

The second area is ensuring employees and close stakeholders of an organization completely understand the organization's brand, and what it stands for—and to make sure that their activities on a day-to-day basis are contributing to expressing that brand through the customer experience.

In general, this requires an ongoing effort on the part of the organization to ensure that its employees and close stakeholders understand what the brand is promising to its customers, and to help all employees clearly understand how their actions and behaviors, on a day-to-day basis, either support or undermine the effort.

This often raises the issue of the value of investment in "brand engagement." It is a discretionary expense on the part of the organization. Proponents of brand engagement would argue that this is an investment—that is, the benefits to the organization outweigh the cost of the program.

Within any organization there is competition for resources, so there is a significant need to demonstrate return on investment in employee engagement/internal communications. While it is generally accepted that it is important for internal communications professionals to demonstrate the value this function delivers to the organization, it is difficult to place a discrete figure on this contribution.

Best practice in internal communications generally adheres to certain principles:

An aspect of internal brand engagement is brand orientation which refers to "the degree to which the organization values brands and its practices are oriented towards building brand capabilities."

Thought leaders are increasingly placing employee engagement at the forefront of the fight for greater authenticity in the workplace, increased employee satisfaction and ultimately greater retention and improved customer service. They are passionate about the link to bottom line benefits and strongly advocate working on brands from the inside out. There are a range of experts and service providers who have created offers to bring the brand to life—all agree that the employee side of the equation is far more important than has been historically acknowledged.

Brand engagement among employees is, according to experts, becoming increasingly important as the speed and volume of customer word of mouth is greater than ever. Several major brands - including United Airlines, Comcast, and FedEx - have seen negative customer experiences spark viral videos that are seen by millions of people. Building an understanding of the brand among employees is seen as a way to avoid these incidents and, within this environment, as a way to drive positive reviews and word of mouth.[1]

The measurement angle

Much internal communication and employee engagement practice is based on measurement of effectiveness or business contribution. The key elements in creating a model of employee engagement is the measurement of "engagement drivers"—that is, what are the factors or combinations of factors which have an impact on productivity and commitment and can be monitored and addressed through people, process or technology changes?

Many of the “engagement drivers” currently in use internally are HR focused, and in many cases do not delve deeply into the employee’s role in delivering the brand/customer experience as a distinct element.

Example

Probably the most compelling example of this is the service-profit chain. The first real case study of this appeared in "The Service Profit Chain" (the so-called Sears Model, Harvard Business Review, 1997). This statistical model tracks increases in employee “engagement drivers” to correlated increases in customer satisfaction and loyalty, and then correlates this to increases in total shareholder return (TSR), revenue and other financial performance measures.

Since the service-profit chain emerged, it’s been developed, and criticized, but the general consensus is that employee engagement can contribute roughly 20% to an organization’s TSR (various Vivaldi, Watson Wyatt, Towers Perrin studies 2004, 2005, 2006).

Collaboration and connectivity vs. content management

While some organizations are realizing the benefits of collaboration and work flow online, there appears to be significant focus on publishing and managing content, generally via content management systems.

There is an emerging school of thought that organizational perspectives on technology are frequently misaligned with the actual requirements and desires of the users of the technology. That is, the nature (or intention) of a technology may not always determine the nature of its use – the telephone, for example, was originally intended as a broadcast medium . Its designers were focused on delivering content, while its users sought – and still value – connectivity(1).

The social media phenomenon presents emerging evidence that this quest for connectivity is rapidly becoming a core focus of communication technology within organizations. This potentially creates a disconnect with more traditional content-driven models of internal communication—delivering (or making easily available) the right content at the right time to the right people using the right media.

Therefore, there could be a great deal of potential within organisations, using their existing technologies, to derive cultural and performance benefits from re-thinking how they communicate, make decisions and work virtually.

Social Media and Brand Engagement

Social Media can be defined as Internet based applications that enable people to participate in social networking via sharing, viewing or creating and/or exchanging of user generated content. This includes Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Blogs etc. (Hollebeek, et. al, 2014) Social media is a way of brand engagement as it connects people, therefore is also a way of connecting consumers with organisations through different channels. Social media is a cost effective way in communicating with individuals, as it has the potential for the content to reach a large target audience through multiple channels. Marketers value social media for brand engagement, as 86% of marketers consider social media channels to be important aspects of marketing initiatives according to the 2013 Social Media Industry Report. Conversely, on average social media influences 93% of shoppers buying decisions (Qualman, 2014) Furthermore, branded social campaigns deliver additional touchpoints which encourage ongoing interaction which can build long lasting relationships, help marketers uncover common themes and persuade consumers to engage with brands online.

Social media is known for having a long term affect on consumers as these touchpoints create thoughts, perceptions, images, feelings and experiences to consumers, which make the brand memorable and stand out. Branded social media can be used to increase customer engagement, word of mouth communication about the brand, increase brand awareness and increase consumer loyalty. All these consequences of brand engagement rely on social networks that create a social presence.

In 2012, a study found that 78% of marketers are using social media to enhance consumer brand engagement. It is believed that customer’s engagement is behaviour based; this extends beyond purchases as it is about the experience and way in which a brand conveys social media to engage consumers to experience their brand.

Influenced impressions, are any form of consumers engaging with social media, things such as sharing posts, commenting, even hash tags are a way of being engaged with a brand. When consumers participate engaging with a brand over social media, it can be very controversial as it not always in a positive way. Brands content on social media can occasionally give off the wrong impression, as content can appear offensive and disrespectful to some. Consequently can be harmful for brands as they can instigate a bad name for themselves, whereby this can causes consumers to act in a negative way, such as negative comments. (Straker, Wrigley, & Rosemann, 2015). However, if brands display good content, consumers may display interest and interact in a positive way, as this will enhance their opinion of the brand. (Tuten & Ashley, 2015)

Participation with a brand over social media may be passive, whereby one takes in the content being conveyed, or it may be active whereby consumers act upon a social media network e.g. by sharing a post. Having consumers engage with a brand actively on social media, can cause word of mouth communication, this is a form of earned media, whereby the consumers do the building of brand awareness through social media whereby it is shared via social channels. (Tuten & Ashley, 2015) In addition, consumers rely and trust opinions of peers, friends and family more than anything else; as 90% of consumers trust peer recommendations; therefore word of mouth is one of the most important ways of brand engagement as it very influential to consumers. (Qualman, 2014)

See also

Sources

References

  1. ↑ Jonathan Paisner. Employees: The Buzz Starts Here http://www.thestreet.com/story/11464327/1/employees-the-buzz-starts-here.html
 Branding and Packaging : Customers don’t buy products, they buy experiences

Baxendalea, S., Macdonalda, E. K., & Wilson, H. N. (2015). The Impact of Different Touchpoints on Brand Consideration. Journal of Retailing , 91 (2), 235-253.

Buckingham, I. (2008). How Employees Make or Break Brands. Brand Engagement, 24-26. Retrieved from http://english.360elib.com/datu/H/EM051521.pdf

Collins Dictionary. (2016). Definitions of engage. Retrieved March 29, 2016, from Collins Dictionary: http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/engage

Dictionary.com Unabridged. (n.d.). Cognitive. Retrieved March 29, 2016, from Dictionary.com Unabridged: http://www.dictionary.com/browse/cognitive

Duncan, T., & Moriarty, S. (2015). The Integrated Marketing Communication's "Touchpoints" Can Operationalize The Service-Dominant Logic. (R. F. Vargo, Ed.) The Service-dominant Logic of Marketing: Dialog, Debate and Directions, 236-243.

Hogan, S., Almquist , E., & Glynn, S. E. (2005). Brand-building: finding the touchpoints that count. Journal of Business Strategy , 26 (2), 11-18.

Hollebeek , L. D., Glynn , M. S., & Brodie, R. J. (2014). Consumer Brand Engagement in Social Media: Conceptualization, Scale Development and Validation. Journal of Interactive Marketing , 28, 150-152.

Hollebeek, L. D. (2011). Demystifying customer brand engagement: Exploring the loyalty nexus. Journal of Marketing Management , 27, 785-807.

Pablo Tello de Meneses Fernandez, J. (2014). The role of product involvement and sensory brand experience on customer engagement behaviour (Master of Business). Auckland University of Technology.

Qualman. (2014, April 16). Socialnomics [video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxpa4dNVd3c

Smith, P., & Zook, Z. (2011, May 3). Branding. Marketing Communications : Integrating Offline and Online with Social Media , 32.

Straker, K., Wrigley, C., & Rosemann, M. (2015). Typologies and touchpoints: designing multi-channel digital strategies.Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing, 9(2), 110-128.

Tuten, T., & Ashley, C. (2015). Creative Strategies in Social Media Marketing: An Exploratory Study of Branded Social Content and Consumer Engagement. Psychology & Marketing , 32 (1), 15-27.

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