In this post, we continue our journey up the four levels of the Personal Cybersphere to the “Third R”: RESPECT.
If you have managed to enter the Cybersphere of your most profitable customer, congratulations. It shows that your overall strategy is promising -- and that you possess the “Secret Password”.
You should also be praised for having passed through R1 (Recognition) on to R2 (Response). If you now stand before the third hurdle, it shows that you are well-entitled to enjoy the benefits of “Respect”.
Still, it won’t be easy. Let me show you why.
A Social Media post we created for Unilever here in Spain using Facebook's new reaction Emojis
as a means of speaking fans' language on that social platform
“R-E-S-P-E-C-T”. Even before songstress Aretha Franklin literally spelled it out for us, we have known how difficult it is to gain – and to keep – respect. Not only on a personal, relational level; it’s a challenge for the most famous of Brands.
In the case of the Digital Citizen you wish to “convert” into a loyal and happy client, it is especially difficult. Not only because of the barrier of her Personal Cybersphere. Her adept use of media, her myriad product choices, and the constant roar of millions of messages in the “Matrix” clamouring for her attention only exacerbate the problem.
Your communication must be quick, clear and simple. You must not only gain her attention (R1), impress her with your reputation, service and speed (R2). You must also capture her imagination, her admiration. In essence, seduce her.
The easy way to do so is to place all of your messages in a very special place: “The Magic Mirror”. This is my term for 21st-Century Advertising. Each potential customer you wish to win over must see himself in the mirror, along with a reflection of his needs, fears, and aspirations.
The “Ah-ha” moment you seek to create will open the “Third R” to you. If he sees that you speak his language and understand his Digital Lifestyle (DL), your Brand will increase in Relevance. And Respect.
One of my favorite campaigns of recent Digital Marketing shows a clear understanding of Advertising as a Magic Mirror. In a series of spots created to promote a new line of sandwiches, fast-food chain Wendys hired scriptwriters and actors to create short “Love Stories” based on actual comments of Social Media fans about the new “Pretzel Pub Chicken” line. The result is fresh, fun and engaging.
“Speaking her language” in the case of a young Millennial customer is vitally linked to understanding her Digital Lifestyle: i.e., which devices does she use daily, even hourly? Her favorite Social Media? Her preferred channels of communication? How does she express herself? Using her tablet keyboard? Dictating orders to Siri? Or does she overdose on emojis using WhatsApp on her Android? J
Understanding where and how to communicate with your best customer is essential. One study (eMarketer, 02/2016) shows that B2B purchases influenced by Linked In have the highest value versus other social networks. And recent Carat CSS data demonstrates that 76% of Gen Z consumers (under 18) “cannot live” without their smartphones.
If you don’t understand their DL, you are neither where your customers are, nor do you speak their language. A very poor starting point for gaining their Respect, wouldn’t you say?
In Barcelona’s Mobile World Congress this past February, Marcus Weldon, CTO of Nokia and President of Bell Labs, went even further. In his view, a true 21-Century “Star Trek Existence” is already possible.
Key Points
- R3, the third of four levels in the Personal Cybersphere, is RESPECT.
- Respect is gained by “speaking their language”, understanding their “DL”
- Advertising: I call it “The Magic Mirror”, where your consumer sees herself
- Key: humor, empathy, authenticity, as well as excellent quality & relevant response
Read the entire series:
Introduction · R1: Recognition · R2: Response · R3: Respect · R4: Relationship
Download the Eurobest presentation:
Free download of Paul Fleming's speech at Eurobest 2015 in Antwerp, Belgium
* “The Cybersphere, A Theory in Full Expanision: Sociology, As Well As Advertising, Validates a New Thesis about the Digital Generation”. CONTROL, September 2001.
"The Personal Cybersphere" and "The 4 Rs" are © Copyright Paul W. Fleming.
"The Personal Cybersphere" and "The 4 Rs" are © Copyright Paul W. Fleming.
