I’m preparing to head to Miami for Iconosphere- the annual Iconoculture Client Conference and I’ve really been noodling about my topic. I’ve even had a few title changes in the final weeks here leading up to next week. I’ve landed on:

Greatness Expectations:
Forging Emotional Connections with Consumers (And Winning Their Loyalty While You’re at It)

Things I’ve been noodling on:

Consumers today:

-Where do they stand in terms of spending/saving/ luxury/necessity and buying with intention?

-How wide is the trust gap?

-How much have consumers moved from angry to engaged? from waiting for companies to facilitate responsibility vs. taking personal responsibility for change?

-With all of this seeming connection- how much are we actually connecting?

And back to the marketing angle, what brands are connecting with consumers today and why? What matters most to consumers today- what values are most important ? (According to Icono quant research, “loyalty”, “integrity”, “honesty” , “justice” “repsonsibility”) 

And where I’m coming out is not revolutionary by any means:emotional differentiation, demonstrating shared values is the way to distinguish your brand with consumers today.

And I’m also interested in the notion that companies seem to be leaning in- the brands that win really touch emotions and demonstrate that they “get it”.

It seems to me, the reason emotional differentiation is working as a driver for loyalty (and sales etc), is because current consumer state of mind (or sentiment) is so wanting for connection that we have willingly created an opportunity for there to even exist an emotional relationship between people and brands…especially the ones we believe we share values with, we get each other. (it goes both ways)

Put that in your bpa free pipe and smoke it.

More soon.

I finally got around to watching all 29 minutes 59 seconds of KONY 2012. I won’t lie– I multi-tasked through it- surfed the Kony site, made some tea, replied to an email  and uncovered the very unfortunate announcement about Jason Russel(all the while listening to the video and at times watching).  I found the video interesting for all the “wrong” reasons– I found the narrative alternately compelling and narcissistic, the marketing angle sharp (but formed later than I thought it would be), and the message below maps very closely to all of the sentiment of community and re-engagement by community members and consumers I’m seeing.

“The people of the world see each other and can protect each other. It’s turning the system upside down, and it changes everything…We have reached a crucial time in history where what we do or don’t do right now will affect every generation to come. “

Now let’s see how KONY 2012 explains their co-founders behavior (and whether it matters to the 81 million people compelled positively or negatively by the video)  and April 20- anyone wanna get guerilla late night and poster the town? I’m game.

This year I have been asked by clients, “What makes a company great?” on a few occasions and I am currently working on a presentation on this subject for our May client conference.  A business/academic approach might allow for this answer: Great companies index #1 or 2 in their vertical in the mind of the consumers with regard to three things: Value, ethics and trust.  This is a good metric in many cases and in Chipotle’s as well…But they are doing more- they are evoking an emotional connection for their customers, they are exposing the difficult choices companies have to make and bring the consumer along their journey to getting better and more responsible in how they do business and they are creating a huge community of supporters along the way.  Chipotle is a self-proclaimed “work in progress” which maps to consumers too- we are all on this journey towards eating better, thinking more about where our food comes from, supporting companies that align with our values. We certainly still have our “cause blind-spots” but we’re getting there.

Fun to see the recent press: Is Chipotle Apple?

Fun to see them running their claymation-tear-jerker 2 min spot on national television, I dare you not to cry or at least get the shivers:

Back to the Start (note awesome song, Cold Play covered by Willie Nelson!)

And the press about it in the NYTimes etc.

Fun to see  a company lead the way via their foundation: Chipotle Cultivate Foundation

In short: Chipotle is nailing it.

SIMPLICITY + FLEXIBILITY:

a menu that is simultaneously limited and allows for personalization ( and has a great great kids meal)

CONSCIENCE, SUSTAINABILITY, TRANSPARENCY:

Slow but steady steps toward more responsible sourcing (from meat to produce to cutlery and big announcements about local produce sourcing)

AUTHENTICITY:

Boldy dropping their use of agencies in order to control the content and tone of their message, which they got right! And putting out a 2 minute spot “Back to Start” that is so so so well  done.

PLEASURE + PURPOSE:

Promos that are both fun + meaningful (e.g., dress like a processed food for Halloween to get a free burrito), lots of voice (see cups) and delicious food.

RESPONSIBILITY + LEADERSHIP:

Having a presence in the larger food movement and dialogue (e.g., sponsoring Food, Inc. screenings, creating a foundation, working to educate other farmers and customers)