LAST WORD
The last WORD
A human space Simon Kendrew says brands should learn from retailers’ social media strategies
Social media has become such an integral part of everyday life that it’s difficult to imagine our world without it. Social media has become a natural extension of our lives, enabling us to connect with the things and people that matter to us, anytime, anywhere.
on Twitter every month it’s evident that social media has enabled big brands to sit alongside friends, family and fascinations in customers’ lives. But are some brands still basing their digital strategies on a meaningless hunt for followers at the expense of building genuine relationships? To be truly successful, a digital
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Simon Kendrew is Digital Director at Gratterpalm. For more information visit
www.gratterpalm.co.uk.
strategy must be built on genuine drivers of human behavior. Online retailers such as ASOS were among the first to really drive their digital offering, and customers know that their online experience will be rich, rewarding and consistent. From pinning and sharing to buying and recommending, the process is simple and seamless. Accessorize recently ran an
online treasure hunt, using Facebook and Twitter to post clues and drive customers back to the
ith the world’s top 100 companies receiving over six million mentions
website to claim their prize. The retailer has also started rewarding customers through Pinterest, re- posting their pins on its own ‘Our Customers Love’ board. What characterises successful
social campaigns is that they hand control over to the customer, facilitating the generation of organic content. However, some brands are reluctant to let go of the digital marketing reins in a misguided attempt to retain control of their brand image. L’Oreal learnt this lesson the hard way when its customer blog, extolling the virtues of its products, was revealed as a fake created by the company itself, sparking an intense customer backlash Chapstick made a similar error
in judgment when it chose to delete, rather than respond to, online customer feedback. This ‘ostrich approach’ to customer relations will never work, as there is no better way for a company to create a viral online storm than by burying its head in the sand. Brands need to recognise the
power of social media and understand that it has created a digital arena driven by human interaction. Brands must focus their energies on creating rich and personal experiences for their customers, and ones they will
want to talk about and repeat..
FMCGNews.co.uk | FMCG News | 49
Gratterpalm is a leading UK retail agency, specialising in creating retail ideas for some of the country’s fastest moving retailers and FMCG brands including Asda, Greggs, DFS, Office Depot, Arla Foods and Morphy Richards. Established in 1978, the Leeds- based agency boasts a 150 strong team of retail experts.
For more information visit
gratterpalm.co.uk
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