Editorial Articles

British people are feeling lonelier and increasingly insignificant. Brands should capitalise on this by bringing customers in to help shape the future of their favourite products, says Gaby Bell, Brand Planning Director at Draftfcb.

According to the Mental Health Foundation's 'The Lonely Society', published in May 2010, British people are lonelier than ever. Their findings suggest that despite being better connected, we are increasingly isolated and unsupported. A little desk research reveals that they are not the only voice of doom; it seems that consumers really are feeling increasingly insignificant and are searching for meaning in their lives, reappraising values and even their place in the world. A sort of Age of Insignificance if you like.

This represents an interesting challenge and opportunity for clients and agencies. If together they can find a way to fully embrace and truly acknowledge consumers at a community level, there could well be gold in them hills. But they won't get there using existing advertising models. None of them go far enough; none of them truly allow for the extraordinary impact of digital technologies and platforms this last decade has given birth to.

To really capitalise on this opportunity both parties must push for an entirely new model of communications; one that takes them beyond the four oft-quoted pillars of ad strategy (persuasion, involvement, salience and promotion) to a much more relevant pillar of 'significance'.

'Significance' supports a changing consumer reality that has long outpaced conventional communications thinking. So far, only a handful of brands have recognised that in this 'age of insignificance' the new communications model is about making consumers feel truly 'significant'.

Not that you'd know from the recent mid-term election results, however, Barack Obama's 2009 election campaign remains a masterclass in 'significance' as a communications model. Obama's highly effective approach was to be among his audience, offer them his trust and a role to play, making them feel valued and acknowledged. Brand Obama became appealing, profitable and completely at home in the social media environment.

A few forward-thinking brands in the food and drink space are pioneering a new way of thinking about communications. These brands are reaching out to their audiences and making them feel significant by inviting them in to help shape their future.

ASDA recently introduced a 'chosen by you' food range; a whole new range of products created by consumers, for consumers. By nominating the ASDA food products they most like, customers are creating a branded range of 550 'favourite' products which they can then feel great about purchasing.

In a completely different way, another example of consumer's significance comes from Tropicana's response to a consumer outcry against the newly debuted design. Having rolled out the new packs, they eventually gave in to customer pressure and restored packs to the original design. A more recent example of this from outside of the food category is Gap's dramatic recent decision to scrap its new logo following an outpouring online. More than 2000 comments were posted on the company's Facebook page with many demanding the return of the traditional logo. As we all know, they got what they asked for.

Accident or a fabulous way to show your audience you really value their opinion? We'll never know for sure, but what is clear is that brands like this have realised that in inviting their customers to participate and help shape the brands they buy, marketers are creating a new kind of relationship with their customers; one that will lead to a greater return on investment than the age-old shouting to the unconverted. They make the audience feel valued and significant by allowing them to shape the future direction of a brand and its campaigns.

Ultimately, many brands must be missing major opportunities by merely focusing on what they think people want versus what people really want - to feel valued and respected in their lives. If humble food brands can pioneer a new way of thinking about communications and make people feel valued and respected, then brands who have richer, deeper interactions with their consumer should find it relatively easy to use 'significance' as a competitive weapon.

'Significance' as a communications model requires a step-change in thought. Agencies and the brands they nurture must move from interactivity to consumer co-creation and ultimately to a place where they actually hand over a clear and relevant proposition to their consumers and let them make it their own.

Gaby Bell, Brand Planning Director, Draftfcb