Widgets and the future of CRM

Recently OgilvyOne  Paris released a widget for Croquons la Vie , Nestle France’s  revamped online Consumer Relationship Marketing Program . Aided by what appears to be a concerted digital PR campaign targeting blogs and digital influencers and using  its inherent  widget -portability or share-ability  , it appears to be making some traction. Readily downloadable from the  main site  Croquons la vie  its easily  transferable to Netvibes  or iGoogle where you can make a number of choices on where and how you want to display the widget.

When it comes to looking at CRM practices this widget doesn’t disappoint from the marketer’s,  and more importantly, the consumer’s standpoint. Loaded with a rich content offering of  monthly recipe videos, recipe links , and  coupons , this widget provides the “value add”  that consumers expect from relationship marketing programs.   As well, it also adds the  possible concept of social marketing and content distribution into the CRM mix  as it extends the digital marketing ecosystem beyond  websites into the desktop world and potentially into mobile phones overtime. 

What is clear about using widgets  is that  you can extend the CRM based  services and value added content , personalize it , and use them as your own private  brand driven media channel  , pushing content or marketing communications to the widgets, where ever they may be. By simply adding the widget the consumer has actively subscribed to the brand communications , placing  themselves very clearly in control of the content they will  view as it changes over time. The relationship is nurtured through a constant evolution of  digital content offerings and the promise of discounts via coupons that can be claimed directly through the site.  What  will become apparent over time   is that  as  the install base for the widget  expands dramatically,  so does its propensity to become a media conduit for other brand communications . Content could even extend to  retail partnerships  as a  way of  subtly  extending the shopper  communications that may link consumers back to instore promotions or e commerce applications.    

What is also clear  is that in the coming year through consumer uptake of  iPhone an or smartphones and the development of  Google’s Android ( Open Handset Alliance Project)  in 2009/2010, is that the mobile phones will become “widget compatible” . The consumers use of smartphone or  Androïd platform, will not be bound to simple static applications but open to a diverse range of content services  that can be streamed onto the phone , although for the time being the support of Adobe’s Flash file format  seems hard to accomplish on phones.  

As Bruno Walther  , CEO of OgilvyOne Paris  says “The more time passes, the more I am certain that the widget is the future of the client relationship (CRM). ” , and  on this note I can only agree  with him wholeheartedly. Pick the widget up from Netvibes 

Tags: CRM, digital ecosystem, digital marketing, Digital PR, e commerce, social media

The Email Marketing Media Channel - The Tool of “Digital Dialogue”

In the world of “Digital Dialogue” Email  is possibly one of the most accessible forms of media and communication for consumers and as such should be considered as a pivotal media channel.  In todays marketing world where the  pundits description of  a consumers exposure to media is “fragmented “,  it is best to consider Email  as a marketing imperative not  a “nice to have” or  a one off throw away campaign .  Email impacts  brand relationships and loyalty and should be considered as a integral personalized communication channel in any marketing mix.  

 Its use  or misuse can also effect a brand’s image or the trust a consumer can have in a brand. In a time where we consider the consumer in control of their media consumption, via a myriad of choices, Email,  in the consumers mind  has become the most convenient and controllable channel available. In the digital world where consumers are taking charge, Email is a tangible, flexible media they can control. Take it. Leave it. Delete it. Opt in, Opt out. Respond to it. Pass it on:  Think about it ,  who do you know that hasn’t received an email that contains a witty piece of humour, movie, picture, or  link passed on from a trusted colleague or friend who knows them well?    

And when it comes to looking at consumers and consumer trends surrounding Email marketing the question of whether you want a Digital Dialogue channel with your consumer base  it becomes a no brainer. 

• Consumer have the power to choice with  an Email  e.g. do I  want to receive , open,  save , delete or act on an email
• 90% of consumers will use email to engage in and determine the value of a relationship with a company -JupiterResearch
• Consumers ranked email ahead of traditional media like newspapers, magazines and radio as a good way to learn about new products - American Marketing Association, Mplanet
• •68% of consumers said they were prompted to browse a Web site after receiving an email from a retailer  -RightNow Technologies & Harris Interactive 
•  25% of US internet users share content via Email (word-of-mouth) on a daily basis; 63% share on a weekly basis - eMarketer, Email and Word-of-Mouth

Here are some other facts  to mull upon:

• 50 million people per day  check email 5 times per day
• Email drives 80% on retail sales
• Email is an everyday activity for most us
• 94 % of companies use email
• Marketers worldwide are sending 5.2 million  promotional Emails per month
• On average email users receive 41 messages per day – 34% receive 31 or more messages per day
• 45% of Email users say they are interested in receiving email about products and services
• 53% say they unsubscribe when the Emails are irrelevant

Source: Jupiter Research LLC 05.2007

•  Email is a Highly Effective Branding Tool
• As advertisers ask for accountability, more agencies are launching email disciplines
• In 2007 email marketing generated $21.9 Billion in sales**
• Email will be a $4 Billion industry by 2011*
• Email is the 3rd Major Media Channel!

Source:  Forrester Research 2008

Tags: digital dialogue, digital marketing, Digital PR, email marketing, engagement, media, media channel, word of mouth

Digital Marketing ?

The many faces of  Digital Marketing

Is it a website,  a media campaign, a banner ad or pay per click?, rich media ?  Is it  an email campaign,  mobile campaign or maybe a microsite, SMS or Intelligent Voice Messaging (IVM)? consumer generated content ? 

What  about blogs, Twitter, Social Media Networks , Bebo,  Hi-5,   Linked-in, e-acadamy and Facebook, or Web2.0 dynamic, distributive content-driven websites. Does it include optimized keyword searches (SEO), SEM SSM, Digital PR or buzz? Is it e commerce , widgets, or mobile location-based marketing?

Digital marketing is all of the above - born out of the information age  at the end of the 20th century  it’s simply marketing in the digital age.  Consumers’ lives have becoming increasingly connected. Convergence and “always on” connectivity is becoming  increasingly mainstream, and new important channels of communication and opportunities are opening to marketers.

Social Media Marketing is emerging as one of the most important, if not the most important, source of information for the consumer but also for the marketer in listening too, responding and measuring consumer sentiments. 

Marketers have now gained the ability to enhance, empower, interact, converse and otherwise live within ever deeper segments of consumers’ lives, well beyond the reach of traditional media.  In the 21st century, the database is the marketplace and the way in which a consumer interacts or engages with a brand and vice versa may well be a new form of marketing . And one thing is clear - data is and  will be at the centre of it all. 

Digital marketing is  not digital for the sake of digital but an application of established marketing practices  re-thought or re engineered in the digital world. It is  all about permissioned based , persuasive and at times pervasive consumer engagement.

Tags: buzz, data, Digital PR, engagement, mobile, net, SEM, SEO, social, Social Media Marketing, SSM, web2.0