We are living in a time of reduced if not a total rejection of many of the institutions , societal, political or philosophical constructs and beliefs we use for personal and collective value systems.
In 1966 John Lennon famously claimed the Beatles were "more famous than Jesus..." ( source: wikipedia) and whilst a deliberately provocative statement at the time , it is also true today that successive generations have progressively turned away from unquestioning belief in the trustworthiness of the state and its institutions ,figures of authority like politicians, or the media ,placing successively and generationally firstly more trust in certain brands and subsequently currently giving the most weight to the opinions of friends and social media feedback.......the most likely only truly disruptive legacy of social media ..?
On a personal level I prefer to believe we have not entirely replaced rational, evidence based discourse with celebrity and fake news, community with self ,and post WW2 aspirations of peaceful ,global ,borderless citizenship and thinking with unfettered Tribalism and "walls" of all kinds....but that would be straying into politics which is fair game for Twitter rather than Linkedin !
When we address the issues of rebuilding that diminished brand trust I think as do many others that it is obvious that not only do consumers have more choices and information than ever , but that the dynamics of these relationships have been altered beyond the comfort zone of many established businesses by today's technology and the accompanying paradigm shifts in access to new routes to market which consequently opens markets to nimble ,small startups.
It is not too much of an exaggeration to say many across any generational or economic divide believe the state and unrestrained capitalism have to varying degrees failed them ; worse still these people feel that "Big business" is actively and knowingly deceiving and even harming them in the pursuit of profit ,be it in food or indeed the world of pharmaceuticals for instance.
So what is the future for brands that wish to genuinely connect or indeed reconnect , as opposed to simply jumping on the latest bandwidth borne bandwagon....?
The answer is the same as in truth it has always been in any relationship with pretensions of durability and equality..It's more about the real person behind the facade , what you actually do and what you stand for, looking out for them.
Build trust by behaving and espousing values your consumers subscribe to , by delighting your consumer , delivering what you and you alone can do spectacularly well every time.
Like in all the best relationships , there is no room for secrets , silences or half truths; be transparent in what you do and why, respect my aspirations and beliefs..if I say I want organic food in sustainable packaging for example, be totally transparent in providing easy access to all the evidence , because it makes for a happier more durable relationship, and because it builds trust over time. It is no longer acceptable to simply demand trust , provide partial truths , or ignore my questions.
Trust needs to be earned and earned again each time I buy your brand.
Treat consumers with respect and take time to get to know what is important to your consumers if you want a meaningful relationship..I have been pretty disappointed on a number of occasions this year by what I saw as a most corporate type of response to my communications... no evidence of any human voice..
A customer experience /customer journey is more than just a new app, or a new chief customer delight officer, it's about a tone of voice, a way of treating consumers with respect, as in any relationship. Self evidently if you treat me like I have no value to you then we have no relationship going forward...
I'm done talking trash for this year , so may I wish you all the best for the forthcoming Holidays, and ask you to contact me if you would like to see how I might work with you and build your brands in 2018. Thanks for reading my posts during the past year.
Best,
Martin
