Looking ahead to 2008, expect to hear a lot more from me about Marketing as Service. It’s not that I’ve lost interest in Marketing for Good, on the contrary, it inspires me every day. But the reality is that Marketing for Good can seem a little airy-fairy to nitty-gritty marketers who want to sell more of their products and services. In contrast, Marketing as Service seems to resonate with every marketer I talk to. These marketers instantly see the profundity of transforming their communications from mere messaging to delivering a genuine service. And the reality is, when marketers apply Marketing as Service they are also being good, typically by enhancing their product offering.
The funny thing about Marketing is Service is that the mere act of providing service above expectations is headline news. In a “big box” retail world where help is impossible to find, a little bit of service goes a long way and a lot of service is a earth-shaking, loyalty-inspiring, game-changing move. Barneys and Nordstrom’s were rewarded for adding concierge service with a front page story on the Wall St. Journal and increased customer loyalty:
In the race to attract customers, luxury emporiums are doing what
the best hotels have done for decades — installing concierges.
Customer service has always been the hallmark of luxury retailers.
But Barneys New York (a unit of Dubai World) and
Nordstrom Inc.,
in particular, have kicked it up a notch by stationing concierges at
several of their highest-profile branches to fulfill an array of
customer requests that have nothing to with shopping — for example,
obtaining seats at the best restaurants or arranging admission to
the hottest clubs. In return, the stores say they gain new customers
and foster deeper loyalty in their old ones. It is another way for
retailers to set themselves apart in a world where even the best
stores often carry similar brands.
We have a client who is building an online “university” that will help train their resellers that will ultimately lead to higher customer satisfaction. We have two clients for whom we are building social networks both of which will enable their constituents to share, learn and network. This is Marketing as Service in action. Rather than spend their marketing dollars on messaging ads, these clients elected to create programs of real value for their customers–value that will be exchanged for increased loyalty, positive word of mouth, fatter margins and generally higher ROI. Look for more evidence on these pages in the coming year.