IN-DEPTH CASE STUDIES
PETE MARKEY, CMO AT THE POST OFFICE
however, is to be found in some of the businesses from whom Markey draws inspiration. These include M&S, which is now making use of digital screens in its branches, and Argos, currently looking to replace catalogues with tablets. Markey’s understandably reluctant to big up any of the Post Offi ce’s direct competitors, but does point to parcel delivery service Local Letterbox as an example of how digital and physical technology are combining to reshape the way we shop.
introducing the opportunity for interesting partnerships. “It’s really important that we’re seen
“This is a very smart idea,” he says. “If you order from ASOS you can pick up your parcel from a Local Letterbox outlet. There’s a changing room where you can try your clothing on. If it doesn’t fi t they wrap it up and can send it back for you. For me, that’s a really interesting model that fuses retail and post, and it’s something we’re grappling with – improving the customer experience by combining physical and digital. Critically, the customer remains at the heart. We’re learning from all these things and reshaping our own customer experience. For people used to using eBay and Amazon, this kind of ‘locker’ experience is great.”
THE IDEA IS TO DEMONSTRATE THE HUMANITY BEHIND THE BRAND”
as a brand in places that are relevant and accessible and right for our customers,” he says. These currently include Zoopla – anyone looking for a property is able to get an instant mortgage calculation online. “This has worked very powerfully for us and been a great form of lead generation,” says Markey. A partnership with
lastminute.com also enables holidaymakers to buy travel money and have it delivered.
SOCIAL POST
Traditionally, local Post Offi ce branches have been focal points in the
community. Social
media therefore has a natural role to play in bringing the businesses
So, as a marketer who’s been working at the sharp edge of digital media for a while, what other issues does Markey cite as signifi cant? Inclusivity, relevance, customer focus and accessibility are all points you’d expect to fi nd on any large organisation’s
roadmap. But digital is also
and its customers together. Underpinning its social activity, explains Markey, are three key strands of customer insight. These involve understanding what people think about the Post Offi ce, how they feel about it, and what they can do there. The businesses is positioned as down to earth and friendly yet unafraid to try new things, so content needs to be useful, sharable and human. And, of course, it needs to bring value. As an example of what that means on
a day-to-day basis, Markey points to a diffi cult period at the end of last year when a number of the Post Offi ce’s directly managed Crown branches were hit by strikes. “We used Twitter to demonstrate
which branches were open and which weren’t. It created a really good dialogue with customers. On an engagement level, it gave customers what they
ARTICLE JON FORTGANG 55 issue 22 october 2014
wanted and needed, based around their locality and what mattered to them.” More boldly, Markey talks about pushing the boundaries for the brand on social media. Though still tentative, the strategy has been to challenge public perception of the Post Offi ce by introducing a bit of wit and humour to Tweets. As plenty of high profi le businesses will testify, getting the tone right in this context is easier said than done.
“Challengingly,” says Markey,
“we’ve also allowed our local branches to have their own Twitter feeds, which can have a powerful benefi t at a local level. We’re grappling with how you maintain a really strong brand tone-of-voice and keep that consistent when it’s fragmented through potentially thousands of different Twitter feeds for different branches. It’s a tricky balance. At the moment it’s in an okay place, and we’re looking at governance versus how you unleash all these small businesses and enable them to connect with their communities so they can show the role of - and relevance of - the Post Offi ce in their area.” That balance between the local and the national combined with a close focus on customers’ daily needs is key in the digital development of an organisation like the Post Offi ce. And, like many well-loved institutions adapting to the digital age, one of the biggest challenges will be to implement those changes without alienating loyal existing users. postoffi
ce.co.uk
Po a
key, CMO at the xplains how the olving to take w technolog r need
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