Shopping on line can be easy, simple and save you lots of money. It can also take a lot of your time, frustrate you, and result in unwanted purchases. Now the same can be said for regular high street shopping, but with the vast opportunity presented by the Internet it will pay you to spend a few minutes reading this and understanding how to better optimize your Brand Engagement shopping experience:
1. Compare - without doubt the biggest advantage that the Brand Engagement offers shoppers today is the ability to compare thousands of Brand Engagement at a time. This is a great thing, but not necessarily all the time! Too much can be daunting at times so take advantage of the great comparison sites and where possible let them do the hard work for you.
2. Research - if it has been said it will be on the internet. Ignorance is no longer a justifiable reason for buying the wrong thing. Take the time to research in detail everything that you could possible want to know about
3. Testimonials - don't know anybody that has bought a Brand Engagement? Wrong! If the Brand Engagement is good the internet will let you know. Use the Internet as a friend and get testimonials before you buy.
4. Questions - Got a question about Brand Engagement then search the Forums, FAQ's, Blogs etc. Don't be afraid to ask .....
5. Reputation - Never heard of the company selling Brand Engagement? Don't worry, no reason why you should know every company in the world, but you know someone that does! Use the internet to find out what people are saying about Brand Engagement and build up a picture of their reputation for sales, returns, customer service, delivery etc.
6. Returns - still worried that even after all of the above your Brand Engagement wont be what you want? Check out the returns policy. There is so much competition now that someone, somewhere is bound to offer the terms that you are comfortable with.
7. Feedback - happy with your Brand Engagement then let people know, after all you are depending on others people input in your buying decision, so why not give a little back.
8. Security - check for the yellow padlock on the Brand Engagement site before you buy, and the s after http:/ /i.e. https:// = a secure site
9. Contact - got a question about Brand Engagement, or want to leave a comment then check out the sites contact page. Reputable companies have them and respond.
10. Payment - ready to pay for your Brand Engagement, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.
In marketing, brand management is the application of a range of efforts seeking to increase a product/service's perceived value to the customer and thereby increase brand franchise and brand equity. Much of this reputation is maintained in the minds of the consumers.
Brand Engagement is a term loosely used to describe the process of forming an attachment (emotional and rational) between a person and a
brand. What makes the topic complex is that brand engagement is partly created by institutions and organisations, but is equally created by the perceptions, attitudes, beliefs and behaviours of those with whom these instutions and organisations are communicating or engaging with.
As a relatively new addition to the marketing and communication mix, brand engagement sits in the space between
marketing,
advertising, media
communication, social media,
organisational development, internal communications and
human resource management.
There is still lack of clarity and debate about whether this is a “soft” or hard measure, and whether it can be linked to any consumer or employee behavior change – e.g. sales activity, trial, or recommendation.
External Brand Engagement
Brand engagement between a brand and its consumers/potential consumers is a key objective of a brand marketing effort.
In general, the ways a brand connects to its consumer is via a range of "touchpoints" -- that is, a sequence or list of potential ways the brand makes contact with the individual. Examples include retail environments, advertising, word of mouth, online, and the product/service itself.
section needs development
Internal ("close stakeholder") brand engagement
There are two broad areas where brand engagement is relevant within an organisation (employees and close stakeholders such as franchise staff, call centres, suppliers or intermediaries).
The first area is ensuring that the employer brand promised to employees is delivered upon once employees join the firm. If the employee experience is not what is promised, this could result in increased
employee turnover and/or decreased performance.
The second area is ensuing employees and close stakeholders of an organisation completely understand the organisation's brand, and what it stands for -- and to make sure that their activities on a day to day basis are contributing to expressing that brand through the customer experience.
In general, this requires an ongoing effort on the part of the organisation to ensure that its employees and close stakeholders understand what the brand is promising to its customers, and to help all employees clearly understand how their actions and behaviours, on a day to day basis, either support or undermine the effort.
This often raises the issue of the value of investment in "brand engagement." It is a discretionary expense of the part of the organisation. Proponents of brand engagement would argue that this is an investment -- that is, the benefits to the organisation outweigh the cost of the programme.
Within any organisation there is competition for resource, so there is a significant need to demonstrate
Return on Investment in employee engagement/internal communications. While it is generally accepted that it is important for internal communication professionals to demonstrate the value this function delivers to the organization, it is difficult to place a discrete figure on this contribution.
Best practice in internal communications generally adheres to certain principles:
- Understanding the stakeholder (audiences)
- Knowing what messages and information is appropriate for each audience
- Ensuring that there is a feedback mechanism in place so communication is a dialogue
- Measuring effectiveness
- Enhancing participation and collaboration.
An aspect of internal brand engagement is Brand orientation which refers to "the degree to which the organisation values brands and its practices are oriented towards building brand capabilities
The Measurement Angle
Much internal communication and employee engagement practice is based on measurement of effectiveness or business contribution. The key elements in creating a model of employee engagement is the measurement of "engagement drivers" -- that is, what are the factors or combinations of factors which have an impact on productivity and commitment and can be monitored and addressed through people, process or technology changes?
Many of the “engagement drivers” currently in use internally are HR focused, and in many cases do not delve deeply into the employee’s role in delivering the brand/
customer experience as a distinct element.
Example
Probably the most compelling example of this is the
service-profit chain. The first real case study of this appeared in "The Service Profit Chain" (the so-called Sears Model, Harvard Business Review, 1997). This statistical model tracks increases in employee “engagement drivers” to correlated increases in customer satisfaction and loyalty, and then correlates this to increases in
Total Shareholder Return (TSR), revenue and other financial performance measures.
Since the service-profit chain emerged, it’s been developed, and criticized, but the general consensus is that employee engagement can contribute roughly 20% to an organization’s TSR (various Vivaldi, Watson Wyatt,
Towers Perrin studies 2004, 2005, 2006).
Collaboration and Connectivity vs. Content Management
While some organisations are realising the benefits of collaboration and workflow online, there appears to be significant focus on publishing and managing content, generally via
Content Management Systems.
There is an emerging school of thought that organisational perspectives on technology are frequently misaligned with the actual requirements and desires of the users of the technology. That is,the nature (or intention) of a technology may not always determine the nature of its use – the telephone, for example, was originally intended as a broadcast medium. Its designers were focussed on delivering content, while its users sought – and still value – connectivity(1).
The
social media phenomenon presents emerging evidence that this quest for connectivity is rapidly becoming a core focus of communication technology within organisations. This potentially creates a disconnect with more traditional content-driven models of internal communication -- delivering (or making easily available) the right content at the right time to the right people using the right media.
Therefore, there could be a great deal of potential within organisations, using their existing technologies, to derive cultural and performance benefits from re-thinking how they communicate, make decisions and work virtually.
See also
NOTES
1. Understanding the psychology of online behaviour: From content to community, a presentation by Dr. Adam Joinson Institute of Educational Technology, The Open University, 2002.2. Self-disclosure in computer-mediated communication: The role of self-awareness and visual anonymity Adam N. Joinson Institute of Educational Technology, The Open University3. In the European Union, Employee Consultation is a legal requirement.4. See Owen,Harrison. Open Space Technology: A User’s Guide. Berrett-Koelher Publishers, San Francisco, 1997 and Bunker, Barbara and Alban, Billie, Large Group Interventions, John Wiley & Sons, San Francisco, 1997.5. M Lynne Markus, Brook Manville and Carole E Agres What makes a virtual organization work? Sloan Management Review Cambridge Fall 20006. Surowiecki, James. The Wisdom of Crowds. Little, Brown; London: 2004.7. An Initial Examination of Observed Verbal Immediacy and Participants’ Opinions of Communication Effectiveness in Online Group Interaction, Paul L. Witt Texas Christian University.8. Joinson, A.N. (in press) Internet Behaviour and the design of virtual methods. In C. Hine (Ed.). Virtual Methods: issues in social research on the Internet. Oxford: Berg.9. Kiesler, S., Siegal, J. and McGuire, T. W. (1984). Social psychological aspects of computer mediated communication. American Psychologist, 39, 1123-1134.
In marketing, brand management is the application of a range of efforts seeking to increase a product/service's perceived value to the customer and thereby increase brand franchise and brand equity. Much of this reputation is maintained in the minds of the consumers.
Brand Engagement is a term loosely used to describe the process of forming an attachment (emotional and rational) between a person and a brand. What makes the topic complex is that brand engagement is partly created by institutions and organisations, but is equally created by the perceptions, attitudes, beliefs and behaviours of those with whom these instutions and organisations are communicating or engaging with.
As a relatively new addition to the marketing and communication mix, brand engagement sits in the space between marketing, advertising, media communication, social media, organisational development,
internal communications and
human resource management.
There is still lack of clarity and debate about whether this is a “soft” or hard measure, and whether it can be linked to any consumer or employee behavior change – e.g. sales activity, trial, or recommendation.
External Brand Engagement
Brand engagement between a brand and its consumers/potential consumers is a key objective of a brand marketing effort.
In general, the ways a brand connects to its consumer is via a range of "touchpoints" -- that is, a sequence or list of potential ways the brand makes contact with the individual. Examples include retail environments, advertising, word of mouth, online, and the product/service itself.
section needs development
Internal ("close stakeholder") brand engagement
There are two broad areas where brand engagement is relevant within an organisation (employees and close stakeholders such as franchise staff, call centres, suppliers or intermediaries).
The first area is ensuring that the
employer brand promised to employees is delivered upon once employees join the firm. If the employee experience is not what is promised, this could result in increased employee turnover and/or decreased performance.
The second area is ensuing employees and close stakeholders of an organisation completely understand the organisation's brand, and what it stands for -- and to make sure that their activities on a day to day basis are contributing to expressing that brand through the customer experience.
In general, this requires an ongoing effort on the part of the organisation to ensure that its employees and close stakeholders understand what the brand is promising to its customers, and to help all employees clearly understand how their actions and behaviours, on a day to day basis, either support or undermine the effort.
This often raises the issue of the value of investment in "brand engagement." It is a discretionary expense of the part of the organisation. Proponents of brand engagement would argue that this is an investment -- that is, the benefits to the organisation outweigh the cost of the programme.
Within any organisation there is competition for resource, so there is a significant need to demonstrate Return on Investment in employee engagement/internal communications. While it is generally accepted that it is important for
internal communication professionals to demonstrate the value this function delivers to the organization, it is difficult to place a discrete figure on this contribution.
Best practice in internal communications generally adheres to certain principles:
- Understanding the stakeholder (audiences)
- Knowing what messages and information is appropriate for each audience
- Ensuring that there is a feedback mechanism in place so communication is a dialogue
- Measuring effectiveness
- Enhancing participation and collaboration.
An aspect of internal brand engagement is
Brand orientation which refers to "the degree to which the organisation values brands and its practices are oriented towards building brand capabilities
The Measurement Angle
Much internal communication and employee engagement practice is based on measurement of effectiveness or business contribution. The key elements in creating a model of employee engagement is the measurement of "engagement drivers" -- that is, what are the factors or combinations of factors which have an impact on productivity and commitment and can be monitored and addressed through people, process or technology changes?
Many of the “engagement drivers” currently in use internally are HR focused, and in many cases do not delve deeply into the employee’s role in delivering the brand/
customer experience as a distinct element.
Example
Probably the most compelling example of this is the
service-profit chain. The first real case study of this appeared in "The Service Profit Chain" (the so-called Sears Model, Harvard Business Review, 1997). This statistical model tracks increases in employee “engagement drivers” to correlated increases in customer satisfaction and loyalty, and then correlates this to increases in
Total Shareholder Return (TSR), revenue and other financial performance measures.
Since the service-profit chain emerged, it’s been developed, and criticized, but the general consensus is that employee engagement can contribute roughly 20% to an organization’s TSR (various Vivaldi, Watson Wyatt,
Towers Perrin studies 2004, 2005, 2006).
Collaboration and
Connectivity vs.
Content Management
While some organisations are realising the benefits of collaboration and workflow online, there appears to be significant focus on publishing and managing content, generally via
Content Management Systems.
There is an emerging school of thought that organisational perspectives on technology are frequently misaligned with the actual requirements and desires of the users of the technology. That is,the nature (or intention) of a technology may not always determine the nature of its use – the telephone, for example, was originally intended as a broadcast medium. Its designers were focussed on delivering content, while its users sought – and still value – connectivity(1).
The
social media phenomenon presents emerging evidence that this quest for connectivity is rapidly becoming a core focus of communication technology within organisations. This potentially creates a disconnect with more traditional content-driven models of internal communication -- delivering (or making easily available) the right content at the right time to the right people using the right media.
Therefore, there could be a great deal of potential within organisations, using their existing technologies, to derive cultural and performance benefits from re-thinking how they communicate, make decisions and work virtually.
See also
NOTES
1. Understanding the psychology of online behaviour: From content to community, a presentation by Dr. Adam Joinson Institute of Educational Technology, The Open University, 2002.2. Self-disclosure in computer-mediated communication: The role of self-awareness and visual anonymity Adam N. Joinson Institute of Educational Technology, The Open University3. In the European Union, Employee Consultation is a legal requirement.4. See Owen,Harrison. Open Space Technology: A User’s Guide. Berrett-Koelher Publishers, San Francisco, 1997 and Bunker, Barbara and Alban, Billie, Large Group Interventions, John Wiley & Sons, San Francisco, 1997.5. M Lynne Markus, Brook Manville and Carole E Agres What makes a virtual organization work? Sloan Management Review Cambridge Fall 20006. Surowiecki, James. The Wisdom of Crowds. Little, Brown; London: 2004.7. An Initial Examination of Observed Verbal Immediacy and Participants’ Opinions of Communication Effectiveness in Online Group Interaction, Paul L. Witt Texas Christian University.8. Joinson, A.N. (in press) Internet Behaviour and the design of virtual methods. In C. Hine (Ed.). Virtual Methods: issues in social research on the Internet. Oxford: Berg.9. Kiesler, S., Siegal, J. and McGuire, T. W. (1984). Social psychological aspects of computer mediated communication. American Psychologist, 39, 1123-1134.
