Try before you buy market.
As a marketing agency are you best placed to market a business, product or service if you have not experienced or purchased it yourself? Or maybe the question is – would you be better placed to market that business, product or service if you had experienced or purchased it directly?
Any intelligent person would be hard pressed to say no. For that reason, the only logical next question is why is this not a prerequisite for any agency or individual marketing a product or service?
At Indago Digital we are lucky to work with Kirsty Phillips and Martyn Whitley at Ngāi Tahu Tourism who not only understand the importance of this concept, they demand it. For that very reason part of our team have spent the past five days in Queenstown enjoying ourselves at a number of their tourist experiences. We definitely had a blast but what was the client benefit and was the joint investment worthwhile?
Deeper understanding of clients’ core values pays off!
Values – On our first night their CEO Quinton Hall explained their company values in some depth, with great passion and in Te Reo Māori; family, looking after our people, expertise, stewardship, appropriate action and leadership. The reason he explained them in such depth is that they are the life blood of the organisation and are understood at all levels of the business. Shaun our guide on NZ Snowshoe exuded this more than most with his Māori welcome of Kia ora, his patience, keenness to assist at any point, his detailed explanation of the land and passion for the company.
Not only are we brand advocates, we are better placed to weave the Ngāi Tahu beliefs into their marketing campaigns as it is weaved throughout the fabric of the Ngai Tahu people, employees and brands.
Apply learnings: How did the campaigns benefit?
Creatives – Through research we previously understood the product sets but we now know them. The beauty that surrounds the deep valley and moraine of the Dart River that glaciers once carved and the transparent blue of the water that the glaciers now feed. The sheer power of the custom made boats thatskirt the sides of the Shotover canyon and the fact that they can operate in water too shallow for a kayaker to navigate over.
Our ability to produce more engaging creatives has increased and we almost look at what we’re produced to date with a sense of embarrassment.
Targeting – From speaking to the tourists on the streets of Queenstown and the customers who joined us, there is a better understanding that we need to associate more value to people who are researching their holidays and focus less on people who are buying online. Often the consumer is researching the experiences and attractions they wish to book, but only book them when they are actually in Queenstown. This also means we need more focus on local or radius marketing, targeting the potential customer when they are in situ.
Different experiences are also more suited to different ages and life stages and we now have a better understanding of that.
Invigorated – We now love the brands and the experiences we’ve been on. We’ve always wanted to do our best but there is now a certain je ne sais quoi that will drive us harder and ensure that we are always engaged. These brands are now dear to our heart and will take a certain priority when we’re working through our task lists.
Final thoughts: Why not take action?
Obviously it is not always possible to experience a client’s product or service – maybe it’s a medicine or service you have no need for. If that is the case, isn’t there more you can do to better understand the product or service? Should this not always be a focus when on-boarding that client?
Speak to the sales or customer service team, sign up and run through any client material or have feedback sessions with both happy and unhappy clients. Knowledge is power and I think we, as marketeers, often lose sight of that fact.
Now let’s go back to my original question – Would you be better placed to market that business, product service if you had experienced or purchased it directly?
If the answer is yes then then I suggest you do something about it.
