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Generative AI is everywhere now. You see it in content, campaigns, customer experiences, and even internal workflows. It promises speed, scale, and efficiency, but there’s a harder question sitting underneath all that progress; Do your audiences actually trust it?

Trust in the Age of AI: What Consumers Really Think About AI Generated Content

Today, PR teams aren’t just tracking media coverage and share of voice. They’re also measuring how their brand shows up in AI-generated answers, search summaries, and large language models (LLMs). This new LLM visibility layer is quickly becoming a critical part of PR performance.

15 Must-Have PR KPIs and How to Track Them

See how one platform can power every decision across PR, communications, and marketing.

The Meltwater Blog

Blog Topics: Generative Engine Optimization, Media Intelligence, Media Relations, Social Listening, Consumer Intelligence, Influencer Marketing

Find out how you can leverage Facebook to boost your brand's online presence and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

Facebook Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage Instagram to boost your brand's visual appeal and gain a competitive edge. Explore our category page today!

Instagram Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage LinkedIN to grow your professional network and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

LinkedIn Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage TikTok to elevate your brand with creative content and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

TikTok Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage X / Twitter to engage your audience effectively and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

X / Twitter Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage YouTube to create engaging video content and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

YouTube Blog | Meltwater

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is transforming how brands show up in AI-powered search. Explore insights, strategies, and best practices to help your content rank and resonate across conversational engines like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot.

Explore insights and strategies for Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) to help your brand stay visible and discoverable in AI-powered search.

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) Blog Collection | Meltwater

Every day billions of conversations take place on social media: tweets, posts, comments, blogs, reviews, podcasts, and much more.
Learn how to use social listening to make sense of all of that data.

On our social listening category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around social listening and social media monitoring. Read more.

Social Listening Blogs | Category

Business Reputation Management: What does it take to add reputation management to your marketing strategy? More importantly, how do you keep your reputation sparkly and shiny? Here’s your all-access guide to online reputation management for the long term.

On our reputation management category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around business reputation management. Read more.

Reputation Management Blogs | Category

From your brand's logo to your website, your social media presence to your customer support—these elements combined are what constitutes a brand in the minds of customers. But, there are thousands of other businesses that have a logo, website, social media presence, and website. So, how can you position your business on the market and make it stand out from the competition?
The key to success is branding & brand management!

On our brand management category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around brand management. Build your strategy and reach your goals!

Brand Management Blogs | Category

Competitive intelligence and the act of collecting competitive data can be seen as growth drivers for a company. Our guide will help you understand the concept of competitive intelligence (CI) by answering questions such as: What is the definition of competitive intelligence? How is competitive intelligence useful to organizations? What is the goal of competitive intelligence? And more.

On our competitive intelligence category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around competitive intelligence. Learn how to stay ahead.

Competitive Intelligence Blogs | Category

Let’s dive into the customer journey framework and how to optimize the process by creating a customer journey map and using metrics that matter when analyzing the customer journey.

On our customer journey category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around mapping and understanding the customer journey.

Customer Journey Blogs | Category

What Is Data Analytics? [Beginner’s Guide 2023]
How can I grow my business? 
How do customers interact with my newly launched product?
How do I increase the productivity of my employees?
How do I know if my marketing efforts are working?
We have just two words for you...Data analytics!

On our data analytics category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around AI and data analytics. Technical and still easy to understand.

AI & Data Analytics Blogs | Category

Public relations and media relations can add impact to any marketing strategy. It’s an opportunity for brands to grow their reach beyond traditional sales messages. PR helps to shape the image you want people to have of your brand.
So, what is PR and how do you use it? This guide shows you everything you need to know to build a strong public relations foundation.

On our public relations (PR) category page, you find all our blogs covering public relations and communications topics. Step up your PR game.

Public Relations (PR) Blogs | Category

We all know exactly what the roles of sales or accounting are in a company, right? We might even have a slight idea of what the IT guys are doing.
But there is another business discipline, that plays a crucial role in organizations, even more so during the pandemic – internal communications!
But what exactly do we mean by that, what purpose does it serve and what steps can you take to ensure you and your employees will communicate effectively?

On our internal communications category page, you find all our blogs about internal comms topics. Learn about the intranet, internal newsletters, and more.

Internal Communications Blogs | Category

As the internet has taken root in more areas of our lives — everything from entertainment to shopping to paying bills and more — traditional marketing is becoming less impactful. As any marketer knows, you need to focus on where your audience is if you want to reach them. Since the average person spends about seven hours a day online, it’s no surprise that content has maintained its hold on marketers.

Here's a closer look at what content marketing is and why it matters more than ever in our digital-first economy.

On our content marketing category page, you find blogs about content marketing topics. Learn about strategies, KPIs, tips, and more. Make your content king!

Content Marketing Blogs | Category

The rise of the influencer marketing space – today a $10 billion industry, growing 50% per year – is one of the clearest examples of how social media is transforming traditional marketing. These days having a business website, presence on social, PR coverage, and your own content isn’t enough to compete.
We'll dive into the intricacies of influencer marketing to help ensure that you're equipped with the insights needed to be successful in this space.

On our influencer marketing category page, you find blogs about influencer marketing topics. Build your strategy, find influencers, and measure results.

Influencer Marketing Blogs | Category

Have you just launched a new product or service that you want to get the word out about? Maybe you want to share with consumers why it is awesome and how it is so much better than the one your competitors offer.

Well, then, there is one thing you can't do without...Marketing!

On our marketing category page, you find blogs about marketing topics. Learn about all the different angles and types of marketing and improve your results.

Marketing Blogs | Category

In this guide, we want to give you a peek into the definition of social media management, the daily schedule of a social media manager, social media platforms to promote your business, and the do’s & don’ts of social media management.
Are you ready to begin the journey of becoming a social media superstar?

On our social media management category page, you find blogs about social media management topics. Build and manage your online community.

Social Media Management Blogs | Category

Building a following and using social media platforms to reach a wider audience requires a well-planned social media marketing strategy. In this guide, we’ll be looking at why social media marketing is so essential and how you can make it work for your business.

On our social media marketing category page, you find blogs about social media marketing topics. Learn how to get the highest paid social ROI!

Social Media Marketing Blogs | Category

In the fast-evolving realm of digital marketing and public relations, utilizing the right tools is crucial for success. Our interdisciplinary category showcases all the pertinent tools for digital marketing & PR. These tools help in enhancing your online presence and effectively reaching target groups, whether through reputation management, influencer marketing, or social media management.

On our digital marketing and PR tools category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around mapping and understanding the customer journey.

Digital Marketing & PR Tools Blogs | Category

Over 15 000 social media mentions on ‘#adidasxIVYPARK’ globally, resulting ina social reach of 146 Million people on 18 January 2020. That is just a quick glance at the impact that American artist, Beyonce, had when she launched her IVY PARK collection in collaboration with Adidas. Already, her name is a brand that easily sends her fanbase, affectionately known as the ‘Beyhive’, buzzing at the slightest peeks into her life. But with the launch of the much anticipated collaboration with Adidas, Beyonce’s marketing strategy extended far beyond just using herself as the face of the collection. 

Number of Social Reach vs Social Volume, Globally, on #adidasxIVYPARK [caption for the above image]

With the use of high-profile influencers and creating content that her fans continually engaged with, Beyonce relaunched her IVY PARK athleisure wear. It sold out in a matter of minutes. It trended on the day – all because her marketing strategy was designed in such a way that ensured this success. So, what can you learn from the Queen Bey? Let’s explore more.

Using the Right Influencers for Your Brand

As an industry that is set to reach $10 billion by 2020, influencer marketing is highly lucrative for any brand and business. While some fans would have wanted Beyonce to send press drops of her collection to loyal members of the ‘Beyhive’, there was a reason why celebrities and macro-influencers were used predominately for this campaign.

For one, celebrities and macro-influencers have a much higher follower – from 500 000 followers upwards – which increases the exposure that a brand receives when working with influencers like this. For a global launch like ‘#adidasxIVYPARK’, it makes sense to use some of the biggest influencers to not only create global exposure, but target their market in a way that was cost effective and would have a higher return on investment. From the Generation Z appeal that Zendaya has to Reese Witherspoon, who represents the modern working mother, reaching wider buyer personas through influencer marketing was made possible for this campaign, resulting in the collection selling out in minutes.

If you look at the Instagram post from Ellen DeGeneres below, her post received over 2 million views and over 260 000 likes – all of which are potential buyers. By using influencer marketing in this way, your chances of reaching a wider audience are greater.

Thank you, @Beyoncé. I love my big orange box. Your new clothes are really cool too. @WeAreIvyPark @adidas

Second, one of the social media trends on the rise in 2020 is the use of vertical video platforms like Tik Tok and Instagram Stories. More online users are consuming video content, and when it comes to vertical videos, the more followers the user has, the bigger the success in views and engagement. This proved to be true for the celebrities and macro-influencers used for this campaign.

From the Live video that Laverne Cox shared as she tried on clothing items, to the IGTV videos from Yara Shahidi, the combination of using vertical videos and top influencers resulted in an increased awareness on the upcoming collection, the brand trust being built throughout the campaign, and ultimately turning these viewers into buyers.

What can you take away from this? That no matter the size of your business, you can utilize the power of influencer marketing. Global fashion brand, Zara, localised their #DearSouthAfrica campaign by using about 60 South African micro-influencers to achieve their own success. If you know how to find the right influencers for your specific brand, you can achieve the same success.

Marketers know that with any campaign, you need to have a hashtag. They’re important for cutting through all the other digital noise that arises but also helps finding posts easier, particularly on social media platforms like Twitter and Instagram. This makes standing out of a digitally noisy crowd easier, which is exactly what Beyonce did. 

Trending Themes on #adidasxIVYPARK in South Africa [caption refers to the above image]

If you wanted to look for all the content that was coming up for the launch, but only typed the word ‘Beyonce’ in the search bar on Twitter, a variety of posts would come up, and you would have to scroll through it all to find anything ‘Adidas’ related. But because there was the branded ‘#adidasxIVYPARK’ hashtag, this categorised the content specifically to the clothing collection, creating a user experience where people interested only on the collection had an easy way of finding content for it. Hashtags like this also allowed for a community of people to come together and join the conversations on the hashtag, which then creates an engaged community.

BEYONCÉ LEGION on Twitter: "❤️🧡 #BeyHive! Reply to this tweet with your adidas x IVY PARK pics 🧡❤️

#adidasxIVYPARK… "

From a business point of view, using a branded hashtag increases your social media presence by making your content accessible to those interested in your brand. As social media users use hashtags to engage with each other, brands can do the same. If, for example, you use a media monitoring tool to help you discover trending topics, like #adidasxIVYPARK, you’ll participate in high-traffic conversations that lead to more brand visibility. And the more brand visibility you have, the larger the audience you reach which can then generate more leads for you.

Everyday, millions of content marketing pieces are being created. With that, the question becomes: how do you stand out? The answer? By ensuring that the content you create is valuable, relevant and connects with your audience. 

For Beyonce, the content marketing for her #adidasxIVYPARK collection already began in December 2019 for an interview with ELLE magazine. Not only did Beyonce wear clothing from the collection, but she answered questions that were asked by her fans, allowing her to connect with her audience while providing valuable and relevant content for her collection.

But, there’s more to her content marketing strategy:

If there is one sure way to grab the attention of an online user scrolling through Instagram, it’s  by using great visuals. Because people process visuals faster than text, our attention is drawn more to better looking imagery. 

Ivy Park on Twitter: "adidas x IVY PARK January 18 #adidasxIVYPARK  https://t.co/TnQqOEXquZ… "

Looking at all the images and videos that Beyonce released for this collection, you’ll notice two things:

That a consistent colour scheme was used. The warm, bold orange and burgundy colours compliment each other, and stand out against the white backgrounds on Twitter and Instagram, making these images more eye-catching on social media.

Hardly any text was displayed on the visuals, other than the IVY PARK branding. ‘A picture is worth a thousand words’ and this was true for this campaign. As one of the 3 E’s of visual branding, the content created for #adidasxIVYPARK was easy to consume because there were very few words used and the images and videos were high quality, making it easier for people to share and engage with the content.

While Beyonce did create teaser images and videos during her ELLE interview and in early January 2020, once celebrities and macro-influencers received the collection, the online frenzy began as they shared their own images and unboxing videos showcasing #adidasxIVYPARK.

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#beyonce #beyoncé #queenbey #ivypark #ivyparkxadidas #adidas #athleisure #fashion #clothes #jayz #jayonce #thecarters #like4likes #likeforlikes #photooftheday #jayz #hov #hova #athletics #beyhive #beychella #newyork #la #australia #usa #adidasxivypark #athleisure #athleticwear

It was the images of these celebrities walking in the street or the unboxings that happened in their homes, shared all over Instagram and Twitter, that helped generate thousands of online mentions. By having these celebrities and macro-influencers create their own user-generated content, their global recognition gives brands free exposure as their content reaches audiences quicker.

While this was a global launch, there are aspects of this campaign that you can take away, localise and apply to your own marketing strategies:

Make sure you have the right influencer that are the right fit for your brand.

Use a branded hashtag to keep track of mentions and engage with your audience.

Have a killer content marketing strategy that incorporates visuals and user-generated content.

From finding Social Influencers to tracking mentions during your campaign, we have a solution for you: Check out Klear's leading Influencer Marketing platform.

3 Things to Learn from Beyonce’s #adidasxIVYPARK Marketing Strategy

The airline industry is infamous for difficulties in maintaining profit margins amid a number of internal and external factors that consistently threaten to throw them off balance. From rising competition and consumer demands, to labor deficits and union strikes, to fluctuations in fuel prices, airline decision-makers need to constantly adjust their strategies and find new ways to cut costs and increase revenue in order to remain above ground.

Large carriers and low-budget airlines alike are facing mounting struggles globally to maintain profit margins while facing a number of external factors that are causing disruption.

According to the US Bureau of Transportation Statistics, airline travel in the US has increased 15% from 2007 to 2017, while flight prices are seeing all-time lows. Worldwide, air traffic has nearly doubled since 2007.

While demand has increased, so have profits for major airlines, predicted to sit around $33.8B in 2018. However, this hasn’t come easy and has led to some significant changes in customer experience.

Looking out at some of the external factors impacting airlines emphasizes the need for leaders at the top to remain acutely aware of any changes that might impact their business, in real time.

As the demand for labor in the airline industry continues to rise, workers are in turn demanding higher salaries and more benefits. From budget carriers like RyanAir to Air France and United, firms are facing labor union strikes, increasing wage pressure across the board.

According to Reuters, labor costs surpassed fuel as global airlines’ biggest single expense in 2016, at 22 percent of costs against just under 21 percent for fuel. “That is expected to jump this year to 30.9 percent versus 20.5 percent for fuel.”

“As airlines have been making profit, the workforce has got market power, so that is pushing up the cost of labor,” IATA Chief Economist Brian Pearce said in an interview. IATA forecasts that unit cost, or the measure of how much it costs an airline to operate each kilometer and seat flown, will rise 4.3 percent this year versus 1.7 percent in 2017.

Airports are currently facing demonstrations from workers globally – affecting those that operate an estimated 36% of world travel, from Sydney, to France, Germany, Brazil and the US. According to a press release from SEIU, airline industries continue to gain profits off of low worker wages as they subcontract out to ‘low-bid, irresponsible contractors” amid aggressive cost-cutting.

“The global airline industry is leading a race to the bottom that’s hurting communities across the globe,” says Stephen Cotton, General Secretary of the International Transport Workers’ Federation. “Airline companies keep coming up with new ways to drive down wages, cut benefits, and increase workloads. But the world’s airport workers will be at every corner to fight these injustices. Our movement to win fair pay and union rights is catching on and spreading all over the world.”

While the existing labor force continues to demand a higher salary, many airlines are struggling to find talent at all, particularly when it comes to commercial pilots. The ‘desperate’ shortage has caused a significant disruption in the form of route cancellations, including the all-out pilot boycott Ryanair experienced earlier this year, causing the carrier to cancel 1 in 6 flights globally during peak holiday season.

This is due in part to changing requirements that have deterred young people from undergoing necessary training to become a pilot, and a general decline in interest for the career path. Due to the shortage, pilots also face demanding schedules and less flexibility.

As a result, salaries are spiking, and benefits offered to new pilots have increased dramatically. Business Insider cites an increase at budget airline GoJet from an entry salary of $20,504 in 2014 to $61,512 in 2018, inclusive of a sign-on bonus.

Further impact: More cancellations means less available flights particularly in smaller communities and regional airports, as smaller airlines tend to be disproportionately affected by understaffing. As a result, passengers need to either cancel travel plans entirely or find farther, less convenient options.

Wages aren’t the only factor cutting into airline profits. We’re facing a slump in crude oil prices globally, hovering at around $50/barrel. While the US puts pressure on Saudi Arabia to bring prices down, the producer is pumping out record volumes of crude.

Low oil prices of course mean lower costs for airlines. But at any minute this can change. Those that hedge on jet fuel – like European carriers – will find the impact of higher fuel prices coming through later than those who haven’t.

Robust global economies, along with a dip in oil prices, have contributed to greater demand for consumer travel, and with it, more airlines offering more routes and more options for the discerning traveler. However, as competition increases, airlines are forced to consider tradeoffs between sacrifices in customer experience, flight prices and other cost-saving efforts vs the potential of losing customers to other carriers.

As well, more flights that take off and airlines that operate out of global hubs means greater competition over space at these airports. Airports are already facing crowding, and greater demand means they can charge higher prices for a spot at one of their gates. However, more flights and passengers can also mean more delays if operational efficiencies aren’t increased accordingly, which cut into airline profits.

Competition comes also in the form of data-driven technology that is threatening to undermine the age-old infrastructure airlines continue to operate on. Google can more quickly offer real-time information and is working to use AI to predict flight delays before they’re announced. As well, Uber’s deep understanding of the connection between consumer and transport positions the brand perfectly to step in with a better customer experience and take over traditional airline sales channels.

What makes tech companies an even more significant threat is that they’re not tied to a single airline, potentially forcing more fair and streamlined pricing and expectations for consumers across the board if a brand hopes to remain in the competition.

Beyond these factors, elements like climate disasters fueled by rising climate change, political unrest and disputes among nations, and mechanical maintenance or update costs all contribute as forces that impact an airline’s ability to increase profits. Further internal issues like organizational silos and lack of collaboration or feedback loops also inhibit these massive organizations from reaching their goals.

According to a study by BCG, the PMOP – or, profit-maximizing operational performance – approach can help airlines improve profitability by taking an integrated and analytical perspective and evaluating all potential tradeoffs.

This comprehensive analysis combines internal and external sources of data and perspective for an Outside Insight approach. “Internal sources are usually very detailed and accurate. But by themselves, they often do not provide a comprehensive perspective on how the company is doing, compared with others operating under similar circumstances. PMOP starts from a relative perspective, looking at an airline’s performance, compared with that of several peers.”

For each airline, the answer will be different but the key will be to find the right balance and the right tradeoffs that offer increased profitability that doesn’t come at a great cost to customer satisfaction or employee happiness.

External data factors impacting airline profits

It used to be (back before the Internet, smartphones and social media) that if you wanted or needed to speak to a client, you picked up the phone – or you sent her a letter. Today, however, there are many ways to communicate with clients. However, not every method is right for every situation or for every client. Indeed, choose the wrong communication strategy and you could wind up alienating valuable clients.

To help you navigate the various options, we’ve compiled a list of the most popular, and effective, communication methods (listed alphabetically) and included advice from client communication experts regarding when and how to use each one.

7. Social Media (LinkedIn, Facebook & Twitter Messaging)

Email allows you to “communicate in a way that respects the client’s time and attention, as both are scarce resources,” says Anne Janzer, an author and marketing consultant. “That means sending short email messages, with the most important content in the first sentence and a clear subject line [as] some people never read past the first line of any email.”

Email is particularly good “where multiple parties need to be kept in the loop on something,” adds Adam Weissman, account supervisor, Max Borges Agency, a communications and digital strategy firm. “Plus, with email, there is always a record that is easily searchable.”

“It seems rather counterintuitive but we actually send a paper copy of a newsletter to our clients,” says Nick Espinosa, CIO, BSSi2, an IT services company. “I thought this was a bad move when we first tried it, but I was amazed at how many responded asking questions about articles. And I have actually spotted our newsletter on the desks of our clients!”

“When one needs to work with a client in detail and manage the nuances of the conversation, a phone call is still the best communication channel,” says John Kinskey, founder and president, AccessDirect, which provides virtual PBX phone systems. “At times a staff member will forward to me an email chain from a client and ask me how to respond. I say ‘pick up the phone!’”

Indeed, while good for certain types of communication, “email responses at certain points can become counterproductive,” he says, and can lead to misunderstandings. “With a phone call (using a VoIP desk phone) we have a chance to show that we care about solving a client issue quickly, along with apologizing for any misunderstanding,” he explains.

“We use email to keep a recorded history of client requests, but all of our client follow-up and engagement is done by phone,” says Espinosa. “As an IT service corporation we are following up with clients roughly 24 to 48 hours after work is completed. Our phone communication is constant and we consistently receive excellent reviews from clients,” he reports. “I personally use between 3,000 to 4,000 minutes a month on the phone, and it really pays off.”

“For regular communications, we try to maintain a weekly or bi-weekly Skype call with clients, with or without video (based on need and bandwidth),” says Weissman. “These weekly ‘calls’ can typically last 30 to 45 minutes and offer a great way to connect multiple people in different locations.”

“Skype is great for conference calls and international clients, as it’s free,” says Michelle Garrett, owner, Garrett Public Relations. “It’s [particularly] useful when you have people in multiple countries coming together for a meeting.”

[Google Hangouts provides a similar free video chat and messaging service.]

“Slack, one of my favorite team messaging applications, allows me to stay in touch with clients on a day-to-day basis when launching a new campaign, or updating [them] on current project developments,” says Nina Tomaro, a content strategist. “It takes away from the clutter of email and keeps all communications in one location, where the client can choose to check and respond at their convenience.”

“We use Slack to get clients out of email and into a chat room format,” says Kate Finley, CEO, Belle Communications. “We can make communication much more personal [using Slack] and decrease the need for lengthy meetings or the trap of multiple correspondence channels like text, email, phone and social media.”

“Don’t dismiss ‘snail mail,’” cautions Deborah Dumaine, CEO, Better Communications Writing Workshops. “Today almost all of our communication is delivered through our phones or computers. To stand out to new prospects [and even existing clients], a mailed letter can make a far bigger impression than yet another email in an overflowing inbox,” she says. “Letters are so rare that people can be intrigued and will open them. Try it.”

One of the most significant upsides of staying in touch with clients over social media is that you’re meeting consumers where they’re already spending their time,” says Bruce Milne, executive vice president, Socialware, which helps clients manage social media across the enterprise. “Use social media networks to regularly share content, updates and your own tips with clients, thus establishing yourself as a credible expert in your field and a top-of-mind choice when your type of services are required. In situations where discretion is necessary, [use] Facebook Messenger, Twitter direct messages (DMs) [or] LinkedIn InMail.”

Another advantage to using social media is “communications can be attended to at a client’s leisure,” he adds. “That means you [don’t have to worry about] interrupting [an important meeting or] dinner [or messages] getting buried in their email inbox.”

“I always give my clients my cell number and let them know it’s OK to text me about urgent matters,” says Tomaro. “This not only helps me stay on top of things that need my immediate attention, but shows my clients I truly care about their business.”

“Some of my service providers (doctors, salons) have moved to text messaging, which is really effective as a way to remind clients of their appointments and of special deals they may have going on,” notes Garrett. “It gets my attention much more so than an email that just sits in the inbox with dozens of other messages.”

“As businesses look to woo the critical millennial market and break through today’s cluttered communication channels, SMS/text-based messaging is one of the fastest and most efficient ways to accomplish this goal,” explains Tim Fujita-Yuhas, director Product Management & New Product Strategy, OpenMarket, a mobile engagement solution provider. “Businesses should also look to text-enable customer service phone numbers to streamline requests internally and to allow clientele to reach out and interact when it’s convenient for them.”

How to choose the client communication strategy that’s right for your clients

“The best way for businesses to stay in contact with clients is to discuss with them the best means of communication,” says Kyle Brigham, director of Accounts, Marcel Digital, a boutique digital marketing and web development agency. “Give them the opportunity to tell you how to reach them best. [And] never assume one [method] of communication works for everyone.”

“Once you have [ascertained] their communication preferences, record that information in a customer relationship management program,” says Zach Schaefer, president, Spark the Discussion. “Then follow the preferences that they [have] given you. The worst thing a service provider can do is ask their clients about their communication preferences and then ignore that information.”

Remember to be respectful of clients’ time (and patience)

Whichever method of communication you use, “make sure you are delivering value in your communications and ensure the method and frequency of communications is welcome,” says Erika Goldwater, vice president of Marketing, ANNUITAS, a demand generation company. “Contact or notify customers with useless information or a few too many promotional emails and you may lose them as customers.”

This article was written by Jennifer Lonoff Schiff from CIO and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network.

8 Ways to Effectively Communicate with Clients

The tell-tale sign of an effective campaign is one that still resonates with us no matter how many years ago they ran. Not only will their catchy slogans or iconic logos be preserved for years to come, but their impact on our collective identity as a nation continues to be profound.

Great marketing campaigns make customers feel like they’re part of a family, not just another sale. Although big-budget campaigns stemming from the USA and Britain have traditionally been more popular worldwide (think Nike’s Just Do It and Coca-Cola’s Open Happiness), social media has evened the playing field and there are now a growing number of Indian campaigns reaching international audiences.

Here – in no particular order – are some of the country’s best marketing campaigns (and what you can learn from them).

The “best car and bike tyres manufacturer in India” can also produce some of the best marketing campaigns.

In their marketing campaign, #ItHelps, CEAT illustrates that their tyres are the best to have in case of an unexpected occurrence while raising awareness about road safety in India. In the TVC, a jaywalker spontaneously runs across the street, causing a motorcyclist to screech to a halt, resulting in a series of ripple effects that essentially put everyone out.

What made their #ItHelps campaign so effective is that they tapped into a common issue that Indians throughout the country are affected by; that of the daily traffic struggle. Not only can the traffic situation in Indian cities be a nightmare, but the constant thread of cheeky and oblivious jaywalkers affects everyone too. The campaign captures the minute nuances of the daily traffic struggles of an average commuter and refers to the CEAT user as the good Samaritan.

Top Tip: Explore messages that are common to your country or city, that then can be related to your product (i.e. tyres to road safety in India). The #ItHelps campaign is shot on high-definition with high-quality equipment and uses freeze-frame features – this was no cheap project. If you have the budget, look into getting a talented agency on board and creating high quality and high-value campaign. If you’re anything like CEAT, it’ll be worth it.

CEAT MOTORCYCLE TYRES #ItHelps

No list of the top marketing campaigns in India without a mention of Brooke Bond Red Label, the tea manufacturing giant that focuses on social issues, including transgender rights and religious conflict.

Their latest campaign, under the Swaad Apnepan Ka and T for Togetherness campaign, “Forgotten,” is about a woman who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease. The TVC, by Ogilvy and Mather Mumbai captures the loneliness that a number of elderly members of society are forced to live with, and touches all the right notes. 

Forgotten

The video Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg called one of the most powerful she’d ever seen, BBDO’s #ShareTheLoad campaign for Ariel Matic encourages men to do their fair share of housework.

The video story is told from the perspective of a father who watches his career-minded daughter come home from work and clean up for her husband. He then composes a letter to his daughter, in which he laments the fact that his own behaviour has contributed to her situation and vows to change it by helping out at home.

Top Tip: Ariel asked a simple question – “Why can’t the man do the washing?” This drew attention to the powerful global truth that there should be no difference between what is considered “men’s work” and “women’s work” and that it certainly isn’t the defining feature of what makes a good husband or wife. The objective was to launch Ariel Matic, a new premium detergent in the Indian Subcontinent, including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, but the message went much further – going viral in 22 countries in 16 languages. Ariel used the content as far afield as Germany, Portugal and Spain. From this, we can take the lesson that sometimes simply questioning the status quo can go a long way to changing it.

ARIEL: Dad Share The Load (Best Thoughtful Ad) must watch

Bajaj Avengers, producers of the nation’s trendiest and most beautifully-designed motorcycles, created an advertisement for India’s Independence Day that went down as one of the greatest marketing campaigns in the country: #RideYourIndependance.

The commercial depicts a young woman, riding her Bajaj Avenger through the city; doing, listening to, wearing and going where she wants. Travelling alone with the wind in her hair, the air of freedom in the ad is almost tangible. Ending with Mahatma Gandhi’s quote rounds it all off, “The day women can walk freely on the roads at night, is the day we can say that India has achieved independence.”

Top Tip: There are so many different ways to portray and to celebrate the independence anniversary of a country. Bajaj Avenger decides to focus on the importance of empowering women in society and communicates their belief that only once women in India (or any country) are free, equal and independent, the country is. This is how to tell a story and connect with an audience. As a by-product, more Avengers are sold.

Bajaj Avenger Independence day Film | #RideYourIndependence | Bajaj Avenger

If you’re looking to make changes to your marketing strategy, then ensure you’re equipped with the social media monitoring tools necessary to measure whether you’ve hit the mark, or need to go back to the drawing board. For more information on how to better measure your return on marketing investment, get in touch with the Meltwater India team.

Tips From the Top: India’s Best Marketing Campaigns

Around the world, retailers face a difficult challenge.

Consumer habits and behaviours are changing dramatically, while traditional brick-and-mortar stores battle for survival in an increasingly digital world. Indeed, many onlookers are speculating whether there will, in fact, be a place for physical stores in five to ten years’ time as more consumers are turning to the convenience of e-commerce and online browsing.

Like almost every industry in 2019, the retail sector has to consider digital transformation. For retailers, this will mean shifting from an inventory-led ecosystem to what many have dubbed a more “experiential environment” – whereby shopping offers some kind of unique, engaging and very personalized retail customer experience. Moreover, retailers have to begin to consider emerging trends such as cashier-less checkout, live shopping, social commerce, and data-driven merchandising. 

Top Tip: For more insights on digital disruption, watch this free, on-demand webinar on How Digital Transformation is Changing Our World with Accenture’s Digital Transformation Lead, Greg Cress. 

Notably, African retailers and brands have an opportunity to leapfrog traditional approaches to retail – and to embrace key shifts at an early stage. The first step, however, requires an understanding of what the customer of the future looks like.

To start with, brainstorm what the customer of the future will look like by asking yourself these questions:

How will they look to integrate technology and wearable devices with physical shopping?

Will they expect dynamic and tangible experiences?

How much personal / human-to-human interfacing will they really need?

Only once retailers and brands have explored and understood what these needs will look like, can they intelligently and adequately plan, design and build. Arguably, looking ahead to what the customer of the future will look like is absolutely imperative to future sustainability and growth. Standing back and simply responding to customer demands, as they evolve, is a surefire way to be overtaken by more nimble and agile competitors. 

With this in mind, we consider what the customer of the future will look like..

With the skyrocketing popularity of cash-free or cashless innovations such as Uber and Lyft, even credit and debit cards are beginning to look obsolete. Indeed, some market insiders are forecasting the evolution of an entirely cashless society – and consumers are increasingly demonstrating their keenness to abandon cash.

It’s not as far away as we think: Sweden is expected to become the world’s first cashless society by March 2023. Unsurprisingly, innovations around mobile and contactless payment methods have ballooned, with mobile transactions booming. 

In the United States, mobile payment transactions were valued at $49.3bn in 2017, but this figure was overshadowed in just a ten-month period by China, where they reached a whopping 81 trillion Yuan between January and October 2017. 

In South Africa, many are already leaving their bankcards at home as smartphones become the new [digital] wallet. According to a study by PayPal, 85% of respondents used their mobile phones to make a purchase in 2017, and 46% said being able to shop on their mobile phones has made them buy more. Tellingly, the majority of South Africans would rather leave home without their wallets than leave home without their mobile devices! 

Given the South African social media statistics and social media trends in Africa, the message for retailers is plain: the customer of the future will demand a mobile, friction-free, and almost invisible payment ecosystem.

According to agency We Are Social and Hootsuite’s Global Digital 2019 reports, internet users are growing by an average of more than one million new users every day. There are 5.11 billion unique mobile users in the world today, up by 100 million (2 percent) in the past year, notes We Are Social. Astoundingly, there are 4.39 billion internet users in 2019, an increase of 366 million (9 percent) compared to January 2018. It goes without saying that more internet users have massive ramifications for retailers in every market. The more connected people are, the more informed and tech savvy they become – which radically changes the nature of consumer expectations. 

Moreover, along with more people becoming connected, more ‘things’ will become connected – with devices of all kinds constantly generating and sharing data. This is the Internet of Things (IoT), which will become integral to individual lives and purchasing decisions. In homes, for example, connected fridges will automatically send notifications when certain basics are running low – and may even send a grocery list directly to the owner’s smartphone. Notably, the Ericsson Mobility Report forecasted that in 2018, mobile phones were surpassed in numbers by IoT devices, which includes connected cars, machines, meters, wearables, and other consumer electronics. 

For retailers, the rise of the Internet of Things and overall, 24/7 internet connectivity means that consumers will be very particular and focused in what they are looking for – and will demand that the retail experience deliver on their needs both seamlessly and instantly. Retailers will therefore have to harness technology, including IoT, to create a slick and ‘friction-free’ environment. 

For example, strategically placed sensors and connected beacons can inform shop assistants when inventories are running low, and the use of chatbots can ensure that when consumers are online they receive quick and data-driven feedback. Even a slight delay in response times could lead to eroded consumer loyalty and damaging feedback on social platforms. 

Indeed, as Facebook’s group director Martin Harbech commented to Wired UK, “companies will have to keep up with the standards set for customers by the top brand in the field. And the way to do so is to completely remove friction from the shopping experience – to become friction-obsessed.” 

Top Tip: Read more on how Augmented Reality (AR) in particular, is drastically changing and improving Customer Experience. 

With so much of the world’s attention being drawn to the grim predictions of climate change, consumers are becoming increasingly aware of their environmental impact – which includes their daily purchasing decisions. Arguably, this awareness and ‘earth consciousness’ will likely grow in intensity and fervour, making it increasingly important for retailers themselves to embrace sustainable and environmentally sound operational practices. 

According to research firm J. Walter Thompson Intelligence, ‘consumers expect brands to be sustainable and are willing to pay more to support those that are.’ In a 2018 study titled New Sustainability, the research team unveiled that 89% of those surveyed ‘care personally’ about protecting the planet; 92% said they are trying to live more sustainably, while 83% would always select the brand that has a better track record of sustainability. 

Notably, Millennials are at the forefront of the global ‘green consumerism’ movement, with research company GlobalWebIndex revealing that Millennials (aged 22-35) are more likely than any other generation to say that they would pay extra for eco-friendly or sustainable products. The market research company further notes that over 60% of Millennials have this inclination, compared to 55% of Gen X (aged 36-54) and just 46% of baby boomers (aged 55-64).

This shift, in itself, presents a clear opportunity for retailers and brands to connect with customers and build new relationships around the values of sustainability and green living. Indeed, as Peter Diamandis, executive chairman of the XPrize Foundation, has stated: “The world’s biggest problems are the world’s biggest business opportunities.”

With these three major trends in mind, retailers and brands can begin to incorporate new technology as well as new values into their product and service offerings. Only through constant innovation and a willingness to ‘disrupt from within’ can retailers ultimately survive – and thrive – in a rapidly changing consumer landscape. 

If you’re interested in learning more about how to thrive in the digital age, disrupt and transform with ease, cater for the customer of the future and take your business to the next level with media intelligence, reach out to the Meltwater Africa team today via the following form.

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