SAN FRANCISCO — Andrea Syverson urged attendees at the Direct Marketing Association’s Annual Conference & Exhibition here to “get emotional with your customers.”
The marketing strategist and president of IER Partners, Colorado Springs, CO, used three examples from MasterCard’s “priceless” campaign to illustrate the point during her Oct. 19 session, “Customer-Centric Product Creation: Why Customer Obsession is a Great Thing!”
The examples were:
* Seven nights/eight days in paradise: $1,500; cell phone buried in the bottom of suitcase: $80; laptop you’ll never unpack: $1,200. Being totally out of the loop: priceless.
* Hat, glove liners, gloves, glove warmers, long johns, parka, scarf, ski pants, sock warmers, socks, boots and skis: $1,225. Looking like you know what you’re doing: priceless.
* Workbench: $89; vise: $25; hacksaw: $19. Cutting down a putter for your grandson: priceless.
“The first is not selling a financial services product using a credit card,” she said. “It’s selling time off and sheer bliss. The second is selling confidence, an active lifestyle and being on top of your game. The third is also not selling a credit card, but a gift that will never be forgotten and a bond.
“Create a MasterCard-type ad for your product or service. So often we get hung up on selling the service instead of the emotional. Figure out what benefit you’re selling. Don’t sell me a financial service like a credit card. Sell me what money can’t buy. Get underneath to that emotional tug that you’re trying to accomplish with your customers.”
Syverson said companies need to do better at knowing their customers.
“So many companies have a generic customer profile,” she said. “They should go back and see if there’s a more creative way to see who their customers are. Do you really know what motivates them? This is psychographic information, not the typical demographic information.
“Try to find out more about their lifestyle. It is easier to create customer-centric products when you truly know who your customers are.”
