Consumer brands and retail

Shifting marketing tides

Today’s consumers don’t want to just participate in a brand’s conversation—they want to shape it, control it, sell it, evangelize it and sometimes even harm it. What’s also obvious is that customers across the globe are confronted with a dizzying array of choices, both in terms of products—think private label brands—and retail outlets. As a result, clearly differentiating brands is critical to success.

In the meantime, western brands are going east; eastern brands are heading west. On the horizon are more deals, more tie-ups and more relationships as brands look to become more relevant and more pervasive in expanding communities around the world.

Brands are also recognizing that innovation is a linchpin for future growth and success. By developing new approaches to products and finding unique ways to engage customers, companies create memorable and unforgettable brands that resonate even during the most difficult economic times.

Most important, there has been a fundamental shift in consumer values—toward austerity, sustainability and authenticity. These changes, coupled with a steep decline in purchasing power, have made direct-to-consumer marketing more challenging than ever.

The frugal frontier

Reduced customer spending is challenging brands on several fronts. In addition to fighting for shelf space with private label goods, brands are recognizing the need to change the way they communicate value to consumers. This is especially important when the media landscape is in constant flux, and customers have multiple channels and platforms to access information. The bottom line is that these brands need to have a presence where their customers are, including mobile devices, apps and all forms of social media.

Retailers are faced with consumers who are trading down, spending less on discretionary purchases and not upbeat about the future. According to a recent Citibank survey, nearly seven in ten Americans (69 percent) believe that the economy still has a way to go to reach bottom. To meet shoppers’ ever-increasing expectations for seamless cross-channel shopping experiences, retailers are recognizing the importance of connecting the dots between mobile, online and in-store offerings. Another way to deliver a satisfying customer experience is leveraging rewards and loyalty programs, which can forge long-lasting relationships.

Creating a compelling brand experience

At Siegel+Gale, we are experts in identifying the elements that truly define and differentiate organizations. An essential element of this process is helping companies discover—and refine—their Brand Voice™ across all channels and platforms. The result is a clear and unique verbal and visual expression of what a brand is all about, which allows customers to establish the direct and personal connection that drives brand loyalty for today’s consumers.

Our approach to customer experience strategies identifies what, when and how a brand should communicate to drive engagement, loyalty and satisfaction. We highlight which touchpoints should be enhanced and transformed to truly align a brand’s communications and experiences with consumer needs. Ultimately, the goal is to empower customers to own the brand.

We also specialize in creating names that elevate brands by shaping first impressions, associations and connections. This allows companies, products and services to make the most of this valuable piece of real estate and express the simple truth of who and what they are.

By bringing a creative approach and joyous eye to all our branding work, we produce results that are unexpectedly fresh—both visually and verbally—and very appealing to consumers. Consumer brands and retailers are coming to terms with a new reality: shoppers are entrenched in a permanent state of consumer caution. What hasn’t changed is the importance of creating clear and direct communications and memorable customer experiences.