Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
visioncritical.com
By Vision Critical
The 10 Smartest Brands
How They Use the Competitive Advantage of Customer Intelligence
visioncritical.com
2 O F 26
TABLE OF CONTENTS
How to Get Customer Intelligence Working for You
The 10 Smartest Brands (In No Particular Order)WolverineESPNElizabeth ArdenAlliant EnergyDeWALTLinkedInNews Corp AustraliaCleveland ClinicSalomonWestfield Insurance
Last Words
PG. 3
PG. 5
PG. 7
PG. 9
PG. 11
PG. 13
PG. 15
PG. 17
PG. 19
PG. 23
PG. 21
PG. 25
visioncritical.com
3 O F 26
very brand wants its customers to care deeply about its products and services—to feel an immediate and deep connection to the brand. What no company wants is to be met with indifference: if consumers don’t care about you, and see something more appealing about
your competitor’s range of products and services, you’ve lost your market.
Brands with strong and meaningful connections to customers have made the effort to truly know and understand their wants and needs. They’ve embraced the potential of customer intelligence.
There are many possible sources of customer intelligence: transactional data, ad-hoc surveys, focus groups, anecdotal evidence from front-line employees, and so on. Yet global brands are finding that these traditional sources don’t provide the actionable insight required to make confident decisions. They’re in need of a source of customer intelligence that provides context to transactional data, that’s more dependable
HOW TO GET CUSTOMER INTELLIGENCE WORKING FOR YOU
visioncritical.com
4 O F 26
HOW TO GET CUSTOMER INTELLIGENCE WORKING
than ad-hoc surveys, that’s more agile and timely than focus groups and more rigorous than anecdotal evidence.
The 10 brands in the following pages chose a superior source of customer intelligence: an insight community.
Insight communities—with a membership of customers who join out of a personal interest in providing feedback about your brand—deliver the context, dependable insight, timeliness and rigor that you need to make smart business decisions.
These 10 brands have found that the customer intelligence supplied by an insight community has allowed them to create better products, better marketing campaigns and a better customer experience. Indeed, the intelligence from an insight community has led to higher sales, more loyal customers and an overall enhanced brand reputation. An insight community is their competitive advantage. Read on to find out how.
Brands with strong and meaningful connections to customers have made the effort to truly know and understand their needs and wants. They’ve embraced the potential of customer intelligence
visioncritical.com
5 O F 26
Wolverine Worldwide, a $2.7-billion manufacturer of iconic brands such as Merrell, Sperry, Chaco and Saucony, tests
and vets hundreds of new footwear styles with consumers before launching the product to market. Through five branded
insight communities, Wolverine Worldwide gathers instant feedback from 20,000 members, making consumers a strong and active voice in the product development process.
Product testing protects the consumer and holds companies and manufacturers
The Footwear Manufacturer Uses Customer Intelligence to Create and Sell More Shoes
TEN SMARTEST BRANDS: WOLVERINE WORLDWIDE
Click here to see how Wolverine increased its customer intelligence
visioncritical.com
6 O F 26
accountable for maintaining established performance, safety, compliance and quality standards. It also helps align product teams with marketing and sales, making sure everyone is on the same page. During the product development cycle, testing products is useful to ensure that the original concept
hasn’t been lost, to solve any issues early and guarantee the product is a success.
In one instance, Wolverine used customer feedback to convince a skeptical retailer that a new line of shoes would have wide appeal. The retailer, seeing the insight community give the design a vote of confidence, placed a significant order.
“Insight communities allow us to bring the perspective and needs of our consumer into the product development process early on. We understand their footwear desires and frustrations, and ensure that this insight is at the core of a new product launch. Then we test along the way to make sure we get the products right.”
—Kate Pinkham Vice President of Consumer
Insights and Market Intelligence,
Wolverine Worldwide
TEN SMARTEST BRANDS: WOLVERINE WORLDWIDE
Feedback from customers ensured the success of a new product line
CLICK TO TWEET
visioncritical.com
7 O F 26
ESPN, to remain the go-to source for sports coverage and stay nimble in a world of fast-evolving
media trends, needed a reliable and rich source of intelligence about its multi-platform
audience. The company’s solution was to launch ESPN FANography, an insight community of dedicated sports fans who provide ongoing feedback on everything from marketing and ad campaigns to program content and media usage.
In the business world, big changes are only as good as the intelligence
The Sports Media Company Uses Customer Intelligence to Improve Content, Ad Campaigns and Marketing Strategy
TEN SMARTEST BRANDS: ESPN
Click here to see how ESPN increased its
customer intelligence
visioncritical.com
8 O F 26
TEN SMARTEST BRANDS: ESPN
and technology that supports them. ESPN often utilizes the FANography community to test market receptivity to sponsorships and client campaigns. While this research can be outsourced to a third-party research vendor, the company prefers to in-source and consult with confirmed ESPN users. In 2015, this helped reduce research costs by as much as 85 percent.
When ESPN wanted
to know whether the inconsistency of the jersey colors of NFL players depicted in Monday Night Football promotions confused viewers, it invited NFL fans in FANography to participate in a rapid-fire response test to identify team jersey color associations. ESPN, discovering that fans preferred the home jersey colors for most teams, reworked future promotions. Members of the
insight community saw their feedback having a direct influence on decision-making at ESPN—which reinforces their personal investment in the brand.
“Most brands have consumers—we have fans. People’s fandom is so ingrained in who they are, it’s such an emotional thing. We want to leverage that to drive them to consume our content”
—Michael Kopech Marketing Director, ESPN
ESPN reduced research costs by as much as 85 percent and increased audience investment in the brand
CLICK TO TWEET
visioncritical.com
9 O F 26
TEN SMARTEST BRANDS: ELIZABETH ARDEN
Eighty-three percent of new consumer packaged goods products fail in the market. That’s a huge
margin for error, especially when your brand reputation—a company’s most valuable asset—is
at risk if the new product flops.
The global beauty brand Elizabeth Arden uses customer intelligence to define its products in relation to the market and what consumers want—and will want in the future. Tapping into Arden Insiders, the brand’s insight community
The Beauty Brand Uses Customer Intelligence to Create and Market Products that Meet Consumers’ Needs
Click here to see how Elizabeth Arden increased its customer intelligence
visioncritical.com
10 O F 26
TEN SMARTEST BRANDS: ELIZABETH ARDEN
of 4,000 beauty enthusiasts, the company connects directly with target consumers and discovers their needs and wishes.
The company engages with consumers at every stage of the marketing cycle. When planning an annual gift-with-purchase promotional program, the company asked Arden Insiders for feedback on two
different promotional marketing ideas. Elizabeth Arden quickly discovered that the insight community’s members had a clear favorite, and the impact on the program was not insignificant. “The consumer feedback allowed us to move forward confidently,” said Senior Director of Global Insights and Product Development Celia Tombalakian. “It allowed us to
influence decisions at all stages of our program development cycle.”
“Vision Critical’s customer intelligence platform allows us not only to identify our consumer’s likes and dislikes, but to stay current on who she is and where she’s going from a beauty point of view—typical focus groups or questionnaires just can’t capture this.”
—Celia Tombalakian Senior Director of
Global Insights and Product Development,
Elizabeth Arden
Four thousand beauty enthusiasts help guide the company’s decisions about hundreds of new products
CLICK TO TWEET
visioncritical.com
11 O F 26
The Energy Utility Uses Customer Intelligence to Raise Its Net Promoter Score
TEN SMARTEST BRANDS: ALLIANT ENERGY
Changing consumer expectations present new challenges to companies like Alliant Energy, a publicly traded electric and
natural gas utility company based in the Midwest U.S. To improve customer experience and build stronger
relationships, the company launched an insight community with a membership composed of 1,800 residential customers.
The company consults its insight community before launching most new offerings and services or updating existing programs. This
Click here to see how Alliant Energy increased its customer intelligence
visioncritical.com
12 O F 26
TEN SMARTEST BRANDS: ALLIANT ENERGY
Insight community feedback helped improve customer satisfaction by 15 index points.
allows for critical adjustments before implementing across a large customer base. The insight community members provide feedback on account number changes, outage communications, bill inserts and website enhancements—helping smooth transitions and clarify communications.
The customer intelligence that Power Thinkers
provides Alliant Energy is essential for meeting customers’ evolving expectations. Impressively, Alliant Energy’s regulatory complaint numbers have decreased by 50 percent over the last two years. At the same time, customer satisfaction increased by 15 index points and Alliant Energy’s net promoter score (NPS) increased by 88 percent—
growing from 17 in 2014 to 32 in 2016. It’s exactly this kind of customer experience improvement that all companies strive for.
“Our insight community gives us the data we need to quickly and cost effectively enhance customer experience.”
—Mike Thiede Customer Experience
Consultant, Alliant Energy
CLICK TO TWEET
visioncritical.com
13 O F 26
The DeWALT Insights Panel replaces the impersonal, expensive and time-consuming methods of traditional
customer research. With real-time access to more than 10,000 active tradespeople and
consumers, DeWALT tests, launches and demonstrates the value of premium products. With this knowledge, the company can target the general contractor or the Millennial, for instance, who works in commercial construction in a particular region and owns a hammer drill.
The Tool Manufacturer Uses Customer Intelligence to Build and Market Products for a Demanding Customer Base
Click here to see how DEWALT increased its customer intelligence
TEN SMARTEST BRANDS: DeWALT
visioncritical.com
14 O F 26
TEN SMARTEST BRANDS: DeWALT
Because DeWALT engages with the insight community on an ongoing basis, community members feel heard and are comfortable playing an active role in the design and product development process. Having rapid response rates from product testers allows research to play an integral role in the decision-making process throughout the product lifecycle and post-launch—
so there’s less risk associated with project decisions.
DeWALT saved over $1 million in study costs in 2016 and close to $6 million since establishing the DeWALT Insights Panel. The time and resource savings allows DeWALT product teams to add multiple iterations for prototypes and tests. “We can use one resource for the entire lifespan of a project,” said Shannon Chenoweth,
Market Research Manager. “Once products have launched, we can follow up easily with satisfaction and quality surveys.”
Consumers play an active role in product design—and save the company millions in study costs
“Our insight community is integral to us delivering new programs and projects, and growing the business. The speed of insight is one of the best things about using Vision Critical.”
—Shannon Chenoweth Market Research Manager,
DeWALT
CLICK TO TWEET
visioncritical.com
15 O F 26
The leading social network for professionals, LinkedIn is used by 450 million people in over 200 countries.
To continue driving growth, the company is focused on boosting value for its members. The company uses five
insight communities to engage with thousands of LinkedIn members and inform intelligent business decisions.
Feedback from its insight communities helps LinkedIn go beyond its big trove of user data and comprehend the why behind user
The Social Network Uses Customer Intelligence to Enhance Member Experience
TEN SMARTEST BRANDS: LINKEDIN
visioncritical.com
16 O F 26
Customer feedback helped improve the premium membership model—and drive revenue
“Through insight communities, we can gather what I like to refer to as ‘little data,’ or information from research methods other than Big Data, that helps paint a more complete picture of the customer.”
—Tony Tong Senior Market Researcher,
behavior. Direct feedback from users allows the company to catch nuances that aren’t discernible from behavioral data alone. And it provides intelligence at the speed required by the fast-moving technology industry, where the product development cycle is
measured in weeks, not years. LinkedIn notably uses customer intelligence from its insight communities to drive revenue: feedback from the community helps create strategies to increase adoption of premium memberships on the social network.
TEN SMARTEST BRANDS: LINKEDIN
CLICK TO TWEET
visioncritical.com
17 O F 26
News Corp Australia, one of the largest media companies in the country, owns more than 130 publications and
brands, and reaches nearly 16 million Australians monthly. The company’s commercial intelligence
department needed to find an edge for its brands and for national advertising clients who demanded more from ad investments. News Corp Australia found a solution in an insight community of 5,000 media consumers who provide the customer intelligence
The Media Leader Uses Customer Intelligence to Drive Strategy and Fuel Sales
TEN SMARTEST BRANDS: NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA
visioncritical.com
18 O F 26
Customer insight helped advertising sales skyrocket
“Using insight about our audience’s attitudes, motivations, considerations and behaviors, we can better inform our stakeholders, providing them with a thorough understanding of their market to make better decisions.
—Rebecca Colquhoun Research Manager,
News Corp Australia
necessary to drive business decisions.
The company regularly consults its insight community to improve advertising, editorial and product innovation. In a regional marketing study, community members examined and compared engagement levels of online versus physical
communities. The insight gleaned from the study sparked interest from a local newspaper. Within a six-month period, the study directly contributed to an advertising sales increase of more than $500,000 in revenue and $3.2 million in open opportunities for the publication.
TEN SMARTEST BRANDS: NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA
CLICK TO TWEET
visioncritical.com
19 O F 26
Founded in 1921, Cleveland Clinic is now the second largest employer in the state of Ohio, with almost 50,000
employees. In 2015 alone, the physician-led multispecialty academic medical center provided patient care in the
form of almost seven million visits in its 150-plus locations throughout Northeast Ohio, Florida, Las Vegas, Canada and Abu Dhabi. The company has been ranked by US News and World Report as top in heart care for 22 straight years.
Cleveland Clinic’s success is in no small part due to its commitment to
The Renowned Medical Center Uses Customer Intelligence to Improve Patient Experience
TEN SMARTEST BRANDS: CLEVELAND CLINIC
visioncritical.com
20 O F 26
Changes based on patient feedback led directly to increased engagement and visits
“Our insight community enables us to generate insight at the speed of business and connects us to trusted advisors to talk about intimate topics. We can find people who have had specific experiences or interactions and ask them exactly what they think.”
—Misti Allison Senior Market
Research Analyst, Cleveland Clinic
TEN SMARTEST BRANDS: CLEVELAND CLINIC
putting patients first. The company uses an insight community to engage with 5,000 members on an ongoing basis. Members have participated in over 100 studies on a range of subjects that impact patient experience—cafeteria food, room design, marketing materials, interactions with nurses, doctors and other staff, and many other touchpoints.
By engaging with patients and finding
out about their changing needs, Cleveland Clinic has seen an increase in its unique patient visits, new patients and direct website visits for its access campaign. At a time when patients and health plan members are demanding better services from health care providers and plans, growing organizations like Cleveland Clinic can’t not prioritize patient and member engagement.
CLICK TO TWEET
visioncritical.com
21 O F 26
The France-based sportswear and sports equipment manufacturer, to maintain its lead in a competitive market,
craved a closer and more meaningful connection to its customers. The company, needing a tool that would allow
it to proactively ask questions and create better products, launched an insight community of 5,000 sports enthusiasts.
The brand looks to its community to help with product co-creation, concept testing and product positioning. Subsets of the community even test prototypes for the company—in
The Sports Equipment Brand Uses Customer Intelligence to Test and Improve Products
TEN SMARTEST BRANDS: SALOMON
visioncritical.com
22 O F 26
one case, wearing a pair of shoes from a new line for a two-month period. The company sent the testers questionnaires and conducted face-to-face interviews, and
Equipped with customer insight, the company can confidently introduce new products to market
“The insight community is the real voice of our customers. Compared to traditional ways of doing research, members are engaged with the brand and they don’t receive systematic incentives. They are our most trusted advisors.”
—Philippe Havard Global Market Research
and Consumer Database Manager,
Salomon
TEN SMARTEST BRANDS: SALOMON
used their feedback to refine the final shoe design. In this case and others, the insight community’s trusted feedback significantly improved Salomon’s products.
CLICK TO TWEET
visioncritical.com
23 O F 26
Westfield Insurance sells a variety of insurance products exclusively through a network of more than 1,000 agents.
The company is also a major employer, with 2,400 employees nationwide, including 1,700 people in its home office, and
nearly $2 billion in revenue.
It’s important for Westfield to engage employees and ensure its exclusive network of independent insurance brokers and agents feel important and well-informed. The company’s solution: the Westfield
The Insurer Uses Customer Intelligence to Engage and Retain Employees and Agents
Click here to see how Westfield Insurance increased
its customer intelligence
TEN SMARTEST BRANDS: WESTFIELD INSURANCE
visioncritical.com
24 O F 26
Employee Panel, an insight community of over 1,000 employees, and the Westfield Agency Panel, with more than 800 agent members.
The Employee Panel helps with productivity and nurtures pride in the company, raising the employee engagement rate to 87 percent, higher than industry and U.S. company benchmarks. The community also
provides Westfield with specific actionable insight on employee facilities and benefits, improving the employee experience.
Likewise, the Agency Panel allows the company to track industry norms and ensure it’s consistently delivering an effective and streamlined service for agents. The ongoing feedback Westfield gets from
its agent community enables the company to prioritize and focus future investments for the biggest impact.
Acting on insight community feedback has increased employee engagement to 87 percent
“The insight community helps Westfield be who we say we are—we share knowledge and we build trust, not only with customers and agents, but with our own employees as well.”
—Amy Feeman Research Professional,
Westfield Insurance
TEN SMARTEST BRANDS: WESTFIELD INSURANCE
CLICK TO TWEET
visioncritical.com
25 O F 26
o company can afford to operate without solid customer intelligence. To get that quality of insight, and be able to make decisions at the speed of business, you need to establish a meaningful, authentic connection with your customers—and maintain that
connection. The 10 companies profiled in this e-book built a truly authentic connection to customers through an insight community. They’ve discovered that an insight community provides actionable customer feedback and empowers decision makers throughout the organization. Without feedback from an insight community, they wouldn’t be able to make choices about the direction of new products, how that product is marketed or how the product makes it into the hands of the customer. Insight community feedback provides the dependable customer intelligence required for these 10 brands to grow and succeed.
LAST WORDS
BETTER PRODUCTS
•Drive smart product building
•Generate winning ideas
•Build customer-informed market
knowledge
BETTER CAMPAIGNS
•Build impactful messaging
•De-risk go-to-market strategies
•Optimize campaigns
with customer feedback
BETTER END-TO-END EXPERIENCE
•Drive business results
•Make CX scores actionable
•Optimize the customer journey
Vision Critical’s software gives you valuable feedback from a trusted community of customers, helping you make data-backed decisions when you need them most: throughout the product-customer lifecycle.
WATCH THE DEMO visioncritical.com/demo
