On the 4
th of December, Microsoft hosted a masterclass session at the virtual Web Summit 2020 entitled:
Marketing with purpose: Building trusted brand experiences.
During this session, Microsoft Advertising’s Regional Vice President for Continental Europe, Mascha Driessen invited modern marketers to reimagine brand experience based on purpose. At Microsoft, we live and breathe “the more voices are heard; the better the decisions are made-culture”. Equally, by focusing on people and their values, businesses can build deeper connections with customers and elevate their marketing strategy. This is not just a sentence in a blog, it is true!
The journey begins by recognising that
purpose is at the heart of our very best work. Our research shows that purpose driven brands have consumers that are
more loyal because they are more
trusted and
loved.
The “Marketing with Purpose”
playbook was created for you to find out
how best to create a trusted relationship with your customers. I highly encourage you to take a moment to read and absorb.
Why is it important for your marketing strategy?
It starts with trust, and the building blocks to trust are:
responsibility,
values, and
inclusion which all contribute to build your ‘
Loyalty Curve’.
Responsibility is not just what is legally required of you – it’s about being a good steward of the customer experience. 85% of people surveyed said they will
only consider a brand if they trust it. And this is not a ‘tick-in-the-box’ exercise, without authenticity, you achieve the opposite.
The significance of trust is even greater when looking into vertical product categories.
A trusted brand versus an un-trusted one drives a multiplier effect of
- 7x in automotive
- over 6x in travel
- almost 5x in Financial services
-
and almost 3x in retail
If you need to convince your typical traditional board, what about this: with over a billion people living with disabilities and a spending power of $3.2 trillion annually, there is a real opportunity for accessible marketing to make a difference. I am sure this will draw their attention. One way of doing so is by leveraging the
ten accessibility principles and integrate it into your marketing strategy.
Microsoft’s mission is to “
Empower every person and organization on the planet to achieve more.” Becoming a people centric brand
begins with culture. At Microsoft, it has allowed us to be more authentic moving from a
know-it-all-culture-to-a-learn-it-all focused-on people.
An important line in our mission statement is ‘
every person’. It challenged us as a company to ask the question – are we truly empowering every person? This has led to our
cultural shift to be more diverse and inclusive.
The Xbox adaptive controller is a great example of
inclusive product-design at its best. Its design makes it easy for gamers to use their feet, chin, or other parts of their body.
How can you use advertising for your customers to not only see your ad, but also make them feel seen and understood?
Our research shows that brands representing diversity in their ads, are
more authentic and more trustworthy. It’s not just doing multi-cultural marketing, seen that been there. It goes much deeper. It’s to think about
what you market,
who you market to, and
how you market with an inclusive lens. The following two ads from OTTO, European leader in eCommerce, are a great reflection in time about the shift toward inclusion. 🤵🧡🤵
Ingo Bertram, from OTTO goes further and explains that at a time when racism, exclusion and intolerance have become acceptable in some circles, advertising with same-sex couple has been critical for OTTO to take a stand as an inclusive and authentic brand.
We not only know our purpose, but we live it, and we talk about it.
Ingo Bertram, Press Spokesman at OTTO
In closing, Marketing with purpose is the difference between
earning a customer for a day and gaining a customer for life. The
Marketing with Purpose playbook is an in-depth step-by-step guide created to help you action the three strategies around responsibilities, value, and inclusion as part of your brand experience and marketing. Something to think about during the holidays.
As the new year approaches, I am thrilled to invite you to our Microsoft Advertising next ‘Open Perspectives Unplugged’ session, which will take place on March 04. For more information, check out the
registration page.
Stay safe and happy 2021!