For decades, most companies have targeted market niches with new and unique products and services. Now that the level of global competition is increasingly fierce, marketers gradually understand that if they only launch a new, unique product line into the market, they will not be able to position themselves. uniquely different from our competitors.
“We believe that the quality and nature of the customer relationship and experience will be the next frontier of competition.”
Michael Dell, CEO Dell Computer
Perhaps many marketers think that the success of companies like Dell is because they have everything that helps them create groundbreaking and innovative power that many people envy. Above all, they sell groundbreaking technology products of the era.
For decades, most companies have targeted market niches with new and unique products and services. Now that the level of global competition is increasingly fierce, marketers gradually understand that if they only launch a new, unique product line into the market, they will not be able to position themselves. uniquely different from our competitors. Simply judging by the offer to provide a unique product that is innovative and groundbreaking is simply not enough. It makes it even easier for competitors to steal or copy new products or services within a few months, or even just a few weeks.
There are countless examples of this case such as the mobile phone industry. How many similar machines are there if you ignore their overlapping features? Only positioning a brand based on the corporate name and breakthrough technology to make a difference no longer creates an effective strategy.
While companies like Dell are experts at bringing innovation to new products, deep within these brands there is something that creates enormous momentum. For example, Apple has always proven that its customers have an extremely strong affection for the Apple brand. The way they do it has made consumers become their fans completely.
However, deep inside there is still something going on. While business experts correctly recognize the importance of breakthroughs in new products, only a few understand that breakthroughs lie in the design stage. Design even goes beyond developing groundbreaking, creative features for products.
The roots of creating a great design are not far away but are drawn from the results of customer research. The design stage must highlight the basic and most important value of all products and services. While creative consultants understand this, their partners are not always on board or supportive of this idea. But now reality is gradually changing.
The most important point is to find an idea that represents the highlight of each department in the company, then elevate it to strength to create a different, unique identity for the brand in particular and the company. company in general. Marketing expert Tom Peters always believes that the design stage plays such an important role that we need to create a work schedule for it, discuss and discuss with design consultants in every meeting. meetings of each individual department in the company.
But how do we understand a comprehensive design? And why should every company understand and take pains to cultivate it as a unique selling proposition that unifies all internal and external efforts in the branding process?
Advancement of design and marketing
This idea has only just emerged in a few companies, especially leading companies in certain fields. They turn design into a close step with the company's marketing strategy. It is something that has never happened before. This step gradually creates a strong influence on the executive board's perception of the value of the design. It opened a new school of thought - Experiential Marketing. (Experiential Marketing – EM).
According to this new perspective, we can find more ideas, more possibilities and more new and necessary thoughts. According to EM theory, it is not until consumers buy your product or service that they officially experience the company brand. It is the intangible elements surrounding products and services that consumers interact with and experience over and over again that gradually shape consumers' concepts, thoughts, emotions and attitudes. used with the company's brand.
The combination of these intangible factors extends beyond the products or services the company provides – which consumers can also buy from your competitors. Successful brands are those that know how to create a unified experience from design, management to every customer contact point.
So how to create truly meaningful experiences for customers? They start with the design of the product or service and then develop into an overall design strategy that connects every point of interaction between the company and the customer: communication levels, product packaging/ services, website sales, mailings, special customer gifts, support centers, advertising, promotions and more.
All of these are a harmonious part of the whole, helping to create a comprehensive experience for customers. Experience cannot simply create customer satisfaction at a certain place, at a certain time. Building an "experiential" brand requires viewing experience as a process and every interaction point with customers needs to be carefully designed and managed to fit the proposed brand strategy.
Company executives should aim to create environments where consumers can experience brand-related emotions by designing them. Over time, this level of emotional engagement becomes the brand's voice and gradually creates a deep relationship based on trust. What are the results? Brand loyalty levels will be increasingly solidified with the number of repetitions of these positive experiences.
Executives understand that the overall design that creates the customer experience is the fundamental difference that builds assets for the brand and company. They also know that it is not just the sole responsibility and obligation of the marketing department but also of every department in the company. Each employee plays an important role in creating customer experience with the company brand.
Company management and creative consultants and employees need to understand that the key to excellent design lies in customer research. This research observes and explores the interactions between customers and products and services to gain valuable information. Such research helps companies introduce their brand first and then their products and services. Observing how consumers interact with a product or service and then receiving feedback to understand their likes and dislikes as well as their preferences will help companies and creative consultants design create an experience that satisfies customers the most.
This allows the company to test the positivity of the design experience process for consumers. How much better are products developed this way than simply relying on R&D and marketing's guesses about consumer needs? Is this type of research closer to consumer needs?
The pioneers
Many corporations are very interested in the idea of designing a process so that customers can experience their brand, products and services as a whole. It is not surprising that the majority of companies that choose this method are giants in their respective fields: P&G, Samsung, IBM, Harley-Davidson, BWM, Apple, Disney. Yes, and there's Dell too.
Alan G. Lafley, CEO of P&G said: “I want P&G to be the most consumer-oriented company in the world, so we need to make design part of our entire strategy. We need to include it in our breakthrough process.”
In a recent interview, he said again: “We want to design the whole process that customers will experience when making a purchase… we want to design every element of the product and communication. That's all in a nutshell.”
Mr Lafley clearly understood what he was saying. Therefore, he promoted Claudia Kotchka to the board of directors as the person responsible for designing a more innovative and creative strategy. She hopes to move P&G towards what she calls "design-centric culture". When the CEO of P&G sees the marriage between design and marketing as a defining factor of success, it will signal a new trend about to explode in companies.
Both the worlds of business and design are gradually finding ways to work together. Choosing a balance between branding strategy and design strategy will become a decisive factor in companies' future success. Therefore, introducing courses that teach creative thinking and design for students to choose from is becoming a trend in top business schools such as Harvard, Georgetown, UC Berkeley and Northwestern...
Stanford University is launching a new institute dedicated to teaching design strategy for businesses and design students. Similarly, some design schools, especially in the UK, have added business courses for design students. Every year, AIGA Academy also organizes a seminar for design leaders to discuss business aspects of design at Harvard University.
It is clear that developing design-led strategic thinking is becoming a trend among future business leaders. If leaders are expected to be creative, capable of solving problems and making breakthroughs to always push the company forward in a fiercely competitive global environment, then are not the premises Will design help them do this job more effectively? We can call this a step of integrating right brain (including creativity, innovation and design) and left brain (including analysis, management) ways of thinking.
Editor-in-chief of Business Weekly - Steven J.Adler has mentioned the new trend of these companies as "the rise of the creative economy". Today's business and creative leaders need to support this economy as it is born. Companies and design departments need to blend analytical and creative problem-solving skills with design solutions in a way that has never been possible before. This will help us build an increasingly better, closer experience with customers based on trust. That is where we realize the hidden power of brand loyalty and equity.
