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by Denise Lee Yohn on 24 March, 2010 - 00:39
Attention: fast food marketers – you’re wasting half of your advertising!
But I’m not talking about the waste that John Wanamaker was referring to in his famous quip about not knowing which half of his advertising was being wasted. I’m talking about the average of 48% of people who say there’s a big difference between what you promise in your advertising and what they experience at your restaurants.
This gap between your brand promise and your brand reality is one of the findings from research I recently conducted on QSRs*.
It’s no surprise that the everyday fast food experience doesn’t measure up to the fresh food, friendly service, and fun environment depicted in category advertising — but a disconnect of this degree is disturbing. Even more troubling is that up to 66% of customers report a gap between the brand promise and brand reality for some chains!
I’ll keep the names of the worst offenders confidential, but I will reveal that the list includes a company which recently undertook a “rebranding” effort (i.e., new logo and visual identity) and another which recently announced plans to roll-out a value promotion. While these changes might have been important, I can’t help but wonder if the effectiveness of these efforts will be limited because their in-restaurant experience isn’t delivering on the brand promise.
The findings from my research have serious implications for marketers in the fast food category and beyond. Given that 64% of CMOs and brand managers at a wide range of organizations say their brands do not influence decisions made at their companies (see a previous post of mine on this shocking finding), it’s likely there’s a disconnect between the brand aspirations and operational reality at most companies.
The brand promise:reality gap suggests that instead of fretting over brand campaigns, companies’ brand-building efforts might be more successful if they were directed toward the actual customer experience.
Sure, the company’s ops department is responsible for ensuring operational excellence in the customer experience – but for most chains, competitive advantage is largely dependent upon the values and attributes which differentiate the brand. So, operations must be about more than delivering efficiency and quality. Aligning the customer experience with the brand vision is critical to establishing and sustaining a strong brand.
Furthermore actions speak louder than words and the research findings make it clear companies need help putting brand values and attributes into action.
One way to do this is to use a brand toolbox to inspire, inform, and instruct everyone in your organization how to interpret and reinforce your brand.
A brand toolbox is a collection of tools such as:
Importantly a brand toolbox isn’t some yay-rah-rah feel good “invertising” effort which simply promotes the brand to employees. Nor is it a dense training manual which collects dust on a shelf. It’s a dynamic resource integrated into the company’s standard operating procedures.
It requires active engagement and consistent updating – and an investment of time and money. Come to think of it, developing and managing a brand toolbox is similar to developing and managing a brand campaign. But instead of simply promoting an image, it helps translate that image into remarkable customer experiences.
In today’s resource-constrained environment, a company cannot afford to spend its precious marketing dollars on a brand campaign only to see them wasted when the customer walks through the door. Closing the brand vision:promise gap needs to be a top priority.
p.s. A brand toolbox is only one of several ways to close the brand vision: promise gap. Please contact me to learn about others: mail AT deniseleeyohn DOT com.
* survey was fielded among over 200 moms with kids
Image source: Christian Cable
Original Post: http://deniseleeyohn.com/bites/2010/03/22/the-brand-promisereality-gap/
This blog reflects the personal opinions of individual contributors and does not represent the views of Futurelab, Futurelab's clients, or the contributors' respective employers or clients.
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Ryan Alley says:
25 Mar 2010, 19:09
Great post, Denise. The discrepancy between brand promise and customer experience is getting airtime in many industries, and the growth of social media allows consumers to immediately amplify positive or negative feelings related to interactions with a brand. Taking a look at some of the more publicized social media attacks you get a sense of the potentially disastrous effects of a poor consumer experience or failing to live up to brand promises.
You give some great examples of how employees can reinforce their brand’s philosophy, but a customer-centric view should be considered as well. If brands want to ensure the user experience is meeting their customers’ expectations, they should go right to the source! Social media allows brands to connect directly with consumers- companies can use public or private online communities to ask consumers about their preferences, listen to their feedback and apply it to their business. Larger public communities ensure a wide reach and can create positive buzz or momentum around events and initiatives. Smaller private communities offer brands the chance to have more intimate conversations with customers, while soliciting input from a core group on products, services or initiatives before they are launched to the public. Regardless of the medium, however, the best way to deliver on your brand promise is to ask your customers what they expect from your brand, and adjust accordingly.
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