Don't create ads, create advocates

People ignore brands that ignore people. Companies that spend large amounts of money on advertising, but pay very little attention to the needs of their audience have no future.

By Brian Carter

1 Oct 2019

Image credit: Katarina Šikuljak on Unsplash.

According to research by Nielsen, 92% of consumers trust brand advocates over other forms of advertising

So what makes a great advocate I hear you ask? No, it's not an influencer, it is customer experience. The actual experience that the customer has with your product or service has a greater impact on whether or not they will continue using it (and speak to others about it) than advertising does.

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In fact, the average lifetime value of a loyal customer is worth 10 times more than the first purchase.

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The theme park analogy

To help understand the customer journey better, let us use the example of a theme park.

The numbers are down and marketing decides to run an ad campaign to attract new customers. "The best ride of your life" headlines would read.

When customers arrived, their expectations were set by an idealistic advert. Only, they could not find parking, the queues took hours and there was no shade or food. Their experience was not only the rides but also the entire process.

Customers who had a bad experience here would not be back in a hurry and would likely share their bad experience with others.

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CX in the digital age

Industry disrupters like Uber have set expectations on digital platforms. Customers expect an on-demand service that is intuitive and personalised. Loyalty is only given to brands that provide value through the experience they offer.

Understanding the real customer needs will unlock more business value than throwing resource into advertising. In fact, advertising a broken product could do more harm than good.

Research and empathize with the people that use your product/service. Define who they are and their behaviour. Then ideate around ways to create a better experience.

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Lastly, but very importantly, test those ideas.

About Brian Carter

Brian Carter is the Executive Creative Director at Liquorice, a Digitas company. As the man at the helm of the creative department of Liquorice, he is responsible for the innovative work produced across Africa for the digital network. Brian has swooped up numerous awards and international recognition, acting as tributes to his innovative ideas and expertise in the field.