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Many a times organizations discover that their customers don\u2019t do what they say they\u2019ll do. They agree to certain things during a survey, but don\u2019t quite go by it when their feedback has been implemented.<\/p>\n
For e.g. When Electrolux was contemplating offering free washing machines and charging customers by the wash, consumers welcomed the idea. But when a trial was run in Sweden, the response was poor causing the project to be shelved.<\/p>\n
While many marketers assume that is the nature of experiments, there\u2019s another angle to it \u2013 social identity.<\/p>\n
Social identities are important for marketers because they guide people\u2019s behaviors which will bolster and support the group they associate with. There\u2019s a reason why successful athletes or chief executives buy similar cars, frequent similar clubs, read similar magazines\u2026 so on and so forth. And it\u2019s quite a challenge to uncover this social identity through surveys.<\/p>\n
Hence, another plausible explanation for Electrolux\u2019s failed experiment may be that the target consumers didn\u2019t want to be perceived as someone who couldn\u2019t afford a washing machine.<\/p>\n
How Social Identities Shift<\/p>\n
Everyone has a certain image of themselves \u2013 our self-concept. A social identity is the part of our self-concept that we derive from our perceived membership in a group. Our social identity helps us understand how to act in a specific context to stand apart from the crowd, and assume a certain status. Vey often our social identity depends on who\u2019s around us or what\u2019s being told to us.<\/p>\n
Managing Social Identities<\/p>\n
If social identity shapes decisions, then a marketing strategy should encourage customers to associate with an identity that pushes them towards interactions with the brand \u2013 such as visiting a website, going into a store, buying the product or service or getting more value from it. This helps in spreading a positive word-of-mouth and helping to design a better product.<\/p>\n
In order to aptly manage consumer social identities, companies should shift their focus from an individual\u2019s attitudes to his\/her social self. Consequently, it becomes easier to see what identities the consumer might be selected at the moment he or she encounters a brand.<\/p>\n
Interviews and other research techniques will help you discover the various identities that might be influencing your target consumer\u2019s decision, but not determine which identity was selected when. To find that out, it\u2019s necessary to observe consumers over time. In some sectors, insights into social context can be derived from careful analysis of social media postings. Another brilliant option is real-time experience tracking, a research approach wherein consumers are asked to report in by text message whenever they encounter a certain brand. (Better Customer Insights \u2013 in Real Time, HBR, September 2012.)<\/p>\n
Once the range of possible social identities has been surfaced, the marketer\u2019s strategy should be to achieve one of the following goals:<\/p>\n
Boost the message<\/p>\n
When consumers identify with a social group that has a well-defined, positive image, they tend to select products that most clearly broadcast membership in it.<\/p>\n
Help customers associate better<\/p>\n
In some cases, a company\u2019s communications may inadvertently suggest that using the product will clash with behaviors required of members of a relevant social group. This can often be fixed by simply reframing the messaging.<\/p>\n
Create a new goal for social identities<\/p>\n
Social identities aren\u2019t supported by just one behavior but by a collection of behaviors. Hence marketers can add a new behavior to the recognized set by suggesting a new goal to the group.<\/p>\n
Adjust your message in line with your target audience\u2019s social identify<\/p>\n
Sometimes customers encounter a product when they\u2019ve adopted a social identity that promotes behaviors at odds with a product\u2019s value proposition. In such cases, marketers should look for ways to trigger, or prime, a more constructive identity.<\/p>\n
Create a new social identity<\/p>\n
Creating new social identities, therefore, need not involve a big commitment. Marketers can inspire specific behaviors by quickly creating temporary groups with new and distinctive social identities by passing the baton to the customers. For e.g. Frito Lay\u2019s Crash the Super Bowl contest, held since 2007, asking consumers to develop their own TV ads for Doritos and post them on a website. Doing so, not only engages consumers but also instills a sense of pride and belonging \u2013 a new social identity! Marketers can use this strategy with new brands that have no previous customer relationships to draw on, or an established business and deep pockets.<\/p>\n
It takes constant effort for a brand to ascertain the right audience, the right social identity and then fine tune the apt consumer interaction. But investing in the regular consumer interaction will definitely help a brand rub on to its consumers in the right way \u2013 enforcing brand value and customer loyalty. Now isn\u2019t that what every marketer dreams of!!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Many a times organizations discover that their customers don\u2019t do what they say they\u2019ll do. They agree to certain things during a survey, but don\u2019t quite go by it when their feedback has been...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5124,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-322","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-httpfieldsense-in"],"yoast_head":"\n