Retailers across the country will be now be fully prepared for Christmas trading and many will be working towards 2010. Targets based on last year’s performance will vary. The economy is showing (albeit slow) signs of improvement and initial predictions for the Christmas trading are better than would have been expected 12 months ago. We often advise the brands we work with to evaluate just how successful they have been at building brand advocacy through the year before their busiest and most profitable time of the year.
One of the problems facing retail is that there are multiple influences – not only the economy and the continue increase in Tesco’s market share, but also technology and consumer expectations of brands to engage with them on specific issues and to conduct their business in an ethical, responsible and sustainable way.
Traditional marketing is dead. Advertising media has fragments and PR is much less impactful than in the past. Consumers see more communication messages each day than they have ever before and are increasingly cynical. Technology means that every consumer is now an opinion former. Successful brands have to focus on their reputation to increase their brand value and improve commercial performance.
So is it too late for some brands to build advocacy in time for Christmas?
Yes – it takes time to build advocacy and whilst even in the current economic climate, price, whilst still a key consideration, is not viewed by customers as the most important aspect of the whole customer experience. Brands need to focus on delivering the best possible customer experience. If this is done successfully then retailers can expect higher levels of advocacy for Christmas trading 2010. We have just released its whitepaper ‘building brand advocacy in retail’. If you’d like to read more about this subject you can request a complimentary copy by contacting enq@brandrep.co.uk
Graeme Crossley
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