A data-led approach to marketing, Always-on marketing offers customers useful and timely communications at critical touch points along their user journey. Through social, email, digital and mobile, you can build better relationships by engaging personally with your customers on a consistent basis.
Many brands use this approach, instead of, or in conjunction with, other types of marketing. Sometimes though you may need additional support from a creative marketing agency such as Hub. Here are a few we admire:
Nike is the Big Dog in Sports
Nike doesn’t lack for global recognition. However, around 2010, it noticed returns from big-budget advertising were starting to slow. A new generation of digital-focused customers were looking for a conversation, not a one-sided lecture.
So Nike combined new technology with data analytics and social media to speak to this new audience. Nike+ tracking devices were developed. Not only do these monitor peoples’ exercise regimes they also generate huge amounts of data. Nike used this to understand behaviour and create online communities for its new fans.
It then moved its social team in-house to monitor data and the conversations it was generating. It is also focused on storytelling – more inspiring and aspirational stories instead of one big overarching product message. This created authenticity within the community and enabled Nike to understand and engage with a wide range of subcultures from basketball to swimming.
Combining the power of data with engaging content generated huge success. Nike has by far the biggest social following of all the big sports brands, driving a huge increase in profits despite the change in direction leading to an overall increase in marketing spend.
Gucci Connects a Younger Audience
Gucci is another brand that has leaned heavily into youth culture. In an interview with CNBC, CEO of parent company Kering, Francois Pinault, noted that 50% of sales now come from people aged 35 or under. These are numbers many luxury brands are finding it hard to replicate.
The key to this success is a revamped digital strategy, using data to achieve a level of personalisation this demographic loves. Gucci CEO, Marco Bizzarri, says the aim is to give shoppers “a direct connection to the Gucci community that is seamless, always accessible, personalised experience.”
The personalisation process is further enhanced by technology. Gucci’s ArtLab factory takes ideas from customers and transforms them into products using new materials and packaging faster than ever before.
Artificial intelligence is being employed to reduce waste and give sales assistants real-time information on past purchases, product availability and collection points.
Data Powers Personalisation at Moonpig
The online greeting card and gift company switched to an ‘Always-on’ marketing approach during the pandemic instead of concentrating on peak trading periods. The aim was to increase customer awareness and drive new customer acquisition.
In the first full year since its 2021 IPO, this new strategy has driven higher revenue from new customers than pre-Covid. There has been ‘significant growth’ in the customer based and higher purchasing frequency.
Moonpig credits insights from first-party data for this uptick in customer loyalty, and its ‘relentless focus’ on creating and sustaining long-term relationships. Content is used to engage customers and ‘encourage them deeper’ into its data-driven ecosystem where personalisation is a key focus. ‘Hyper-personalised’ customer journeys include personalised landing pages, upcoming occasion reminders, personalised search results, and personalised promotions.
Fujitsu Mines Data to Become an Industry Leader
In the B2B space, we love how Fujitsu uses ‘Always-on’ marketing to establish itself as a thought-leader, build awareness of the brand, and demonstrate its ability to guide and advise.
A combination of videos, research reports, practical guides, opinion pieces, and social media polling is used to generate customer feedback and support marketing innovation, boost competitiveness, and generate new business opportunities.
Through a wide-range of touch points, Fujitsu is able to create an industry-leading community that generates new prospects and provides the sales team with valuable insights.
The content library is an excellent example of full-funnel content, which through data mining, has allowed the brand to build better customer relationships and adopt new marketing and sales strategies.
To find out more about an ‘Always-on’ marketing approach, watch our webinar and learn about the kinds of content that drive this kind of strategy, discover how get to your content in front of the right audience for you, and get more examples of major brands that have successfully implemented their own ‘Always-on’ marketing strategies.
You can also download Hub’s white paper on ‘Always-on’ marketing where you’ll find case studies on our work with Janus Henderson and Asset Value Investors, as well as further information on how to develop your strategy, the role of content, and how to overcome the potential challenges.
If you’d like to find out more about how we’ve helped our clients achieve ‘Always-on’ marketing success, or simply want to discuss how we can help your business, please leave us a message to arrange a call back.
