I recently attended the World Federation of Advertisers 60th Anniversary conference in Brussels. Excellent insights from CMOs of some of the largest companies in the world.
The opening speech came from Karel de Gucht, the European Commissioner for Trade. Whilst the core of his speech focused around the American/EU free trade talks, I was struck by what he said early on in his speech.
Marketing and Politics have two things in common. Neither have the best reputation in the world. We believe in what we offer...but we won't get very far if we can't pursuade others too
Such a candid comment is very welcome. Doing something about the reputation is the challenge. Trust is at the heart of the problem. In Europe, politicians are the least trusted profession. According to the recent 2013 Readers Digest Trusted Brands Survey, whilst firefighters reach a 92% Trust level amongst those surveryed, 90% of people say their trust level in politicians is either 'very little or 'not at all'. Sadly, advertising fairs little better in the Readers Digest Trusted Brands survey over the years.
No right-minded person in the marketing industry thinks that building trust is not essential to building business success. However, we at times seem to be losing focus on how to increase trust.
The smart brands have long realised that trust is not built upon the shifting sands of the Brand Promise. It is built upon fact, upon Delivery of the Promise, upon incredible customer service, upon innovation that makes our lives easier, better, healthier or more enjoyable. It is also built upon the passions of those who work at the company. The wish to go that little bit further, to come up with ideas for the business, to put in a few extra hours, to make the customer feel special even when times are tough for the employee. Trust in our colleagues goes a long long way
Which leads me to a great piece of work that the WFA carried out with those clever folk at Edelman.
At the event, the wonderful Rory Sutherland (@rorysutherland) invigorated the conference with his quick fire tour de force speech on behavioural economics. A difficult act to follow as always. However, Will Gilroy (Director of Public Affairs of the WFA) and Martin Porter of Edelman (who stepped in at the last moment for a colleague) did so.
They presented the findings of a great piece of work by the WFA entitled Putting Purpose into Marketing.
I found much of this piece of research interesting, but none more so than how Marketers and people defined Purpose.
Off the top of their heads, Marketers defined Purpose as:
creating progammes to positively impact communities - 65%
protecting and improving the environment - 56%
ethical business activities 56%
helping to address global issues - 52%
listening to and acting upon customer needs - 40%
It is laudable to hear senior marketers wishing to commit to programmes that will respond positively to people's needs and impact positively on society as a whole. A number of great examples were shared at the event.
Some companies though, still have a long way to go. One could point to the terribly complicated choice architecture put in place by many companies to frustrate people in making a complaint. The use of the 'what we are doing is legal' PR strategy of Starbucks & Amazon in response to the scandal of their pitiful contribution to UK Corporation Tax, comes to mind too. Trust is not a PR exercise. It is the foundation upon which success is built. Always has been and will be ever more so in this hyper connected world.
Quite often when a company faces negative publicity, it is not the C-suite that deals with the brunt of the customer complaints, it is the shop floor assistant/call centre personnel/online community manager. They need all the support they can get, and need to feel that they are part of the business they work for. However, If companies place employee care so low down on the list of 'Purpose' then we are missing out a massive opportunity.
Meanwhile, when it comes to defining Purpose the marketers found this to be of much less importance:
Safeguarding and improving employee welfare - 18%
In the same survey, the public at large were also asked to define Purpose.
Listens to customer needs and feedback
High quality products or services
Treats employees well
So the general public see the treatment of employees as being critical.
As companies seek innovation and inspiration for future growth, harnessing the ideas and contributions of the incredible talent within the company could lead to business benefits, increased loyalty amongst colleagues, as well as raising trust amongst the general public. Having structured a Europe-wide innovation platform at Levi Strauss Europe during my days there, this is something close to my heart.
In a previous post, I mentioned a wonderful and elegant man called Robbie Robinson, who retired from London Underground after 38 years of serving the people of South London at various Tube stops. To mark his retirement, London Underground put up a poster at Clapham Common Tube wishing him well (see above). A small detail, but a detail that suggests that London Underground truly appreciated his positive contribution to people's perception of the organisation. A detail that suggests they cherished him. Which is no bad thing. Maybe at the 2014 WFA event, companies will be showcasing some of the great work they have done within their own organisations to cherish, and be inspired by, their own colleagues.
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