As consumers get busier each day, they demand more from their brands in return. And, being constantly connected, consumers also expect better ongoing support from them. As such, brands rely less on brand loyalty to retain consumers. They need to meet consumers where they are, helping to ease challenges in their busy, chaotic lives.
Which is exactly what Brand Butlers do. Smart brands are responding to these consumer challenges by offering additional services that meet the needs of their customers at little or no extra cost. These brand extensions are designed to be helpful and simplify consumers’ lives. And Brand Butlers have a number of applications: they can address time concerns, add new elements to existing services or create temporary creative executions, among other things. But they all find innovative ways to predict consumers’ needs and then meet those needs in convenient ways.
For instance, Warby Parker enabled busy customers to take free vision tests at home. Consumers used their phone and computer for the test, and an actual doctor reviewed the test and responded with results. Additionally, Amazon recently developed “Echo Look,” a new selfie camera that provides fashion advice. The style check feature compares two pictures and recommends what to wear. Moreover, Pandora recently released the #soundslike hashtag and recommended music based on each individual emoji that people sent to Pandora’s Twitter account. This creative idea made it easier than ever to get a music recommendation.
Brand Butlers look at how and where they can make something easier for their customers. Any organization can be a Brand Butler—just assess how your brand can help a customer more easily get through a task. You can start by analyzing data to better understand their needs and preferences. And remember, as the examples above demonstrate, being a Brand Butler has diverse applications. Just keep the consumer at the center of what you do, and try to make their lives a little bit easier, and they’ll treat you a little better in return.
Trends inspired by trendwatching.com/premium