Wow!

Unfortunately I have never experienced the delights of travelling first class on an Emirates flight but if I ever win the lottery I might just add this to my top 10 list of things to do before I die. I quite fancy my own ‘cabin’, an in-flight shower, food on demand and cocktails at the bar.

Last month I was lucky enough to attend “It’s the customer stupid!” the latest conference organised by the Levitt Group, The Chartered Institute of Marketing’s market interest group for senior marketers. One of the keynote speakers was Craig Lee, an affable South African who is the Dubai airline’s Head of Customer Experience and CRM Programmes. It was one of the best presentations I have seen.

What he did not talk about was CRM systems and loyalty programmes. What he did talk about was the Branded Experience, Journey Mapping, touch-points, ‘valued’ customers, Net Promoter Scores, moments of truth and other business insights.

In essence Emirates have identified 37 different touch-points along the customer journey such as Preparing to Travel, Check-in, Taking the Flight, Disembarking and arriving at the Final Destination. Each touch-point is recognised as either a point of Tension, Frustration, a Maker (an opportunity to build rapport and correct earlier problems) or a Breaker (especially Check-in, Boarding the Plane and post-flight).

Through rigorous qualitative research Emirates knows to what extent each touch-point has an emotional impact on the customer – naturally some are perceived more important than others. To help the airline gain a more detailed understanding of these dynamics Emirates regularly gathers a Net Promoter Score at each touch-point.

This not only highlights the real ‘moments of truth’ but also enables Emirates to track performance and redesign touch-points to eliminate points of pain, tension and frustration. This includes training.

The airline employs personnel from 120 countries and has to deal with many different languages and cultures. Consequently it uses fabric maps, cards and other visual aids as well as story-telling to describe what good and bad customer experiences ‘look like’. For example, each member of the cabin crew is taught three examples of things they must do to deliver the ‘Branded Experience’.

Craig gave numerous other examples of the ‘Branded Experience’ including the physical environment of the first class cabin, the levels of service, booking and checking-in procedures, marketing communications and pricing. He also offered these five tips:

1. Understand and then be understood.
2. Eliminate points of pain, tension and frustration.
3. Redesign touch-points from a customer’s perspective.
4. Context empowers (advocating the use of story-telling).
5. Show me, don’t tell me.

And here’s another list –the four stages you have to go through to make it all happen:

1. Define customer values.
2. Design branded customer experiences.
3. Equip people and deliver consistency.
4. Sustain and enhance performance.

The payoff is a stronger emotional connection with customers leading to word of mouth advocacy, a strong brand identity and higher prices and margins.

We can’t all be one of the world’s most profitable airlines but we should all aspire to deliver a first-class customer experience.

Your organisation’s brand is vital. It unifies your offering and lets customers know what you stand for. Whether it’s a good or bad impression, your brand image will be remembered. That’s why it’s so important that your brand is reflected in a distinct and positive way at each step of the customer’s journey.

Depending on your product or service, their journey may include the dialogue with staff at a call centre, the product’s website, the in-store display materials or the employees at the front desk. Often, customer experience is treated as a communications exercise for the marketers in the organisation, but operational, IT and customer service functions are equally as important as they all feature in the customer’s journey to buy your products. For example, if a customer is on your e-commerce website purchasing a summer t-shirt, the brand can be strong and the design can be good. But, if the customer experiences a technical fault with the checkout system online, the reputation of your brand is going to be tarnished.

Book the customer experience event - 8 September

We’ve got an event right up your street which will help you discover more. Taking place on 8 September, the event is entitled: Increasing the value of the customer experience - How to deliver a great customer experience at all touchpoints’. It’ll show some of the common mistakes that are made so you can avoid them, and prove how you can develop an outstanding customer experience which is profitable for your company. Book now for this event and see how you can brand the customer experience for your organisation. And you’ll get 1½ hours CPD, towards gaining or retaining Chartered Marketer status.

Practitioners checklist from industry leaders

Fast-track your understanding of this important topic by tapping into the latest thinking. The Marketing Transformation Leadership Forum is a group of marketers who meet to generate ideas and shape the direction of marketing. It’s been brought to the profession through a unique relationship between the Institute and Thomson Reuters. The Forum has tackled the issue of how management teams can manage the customer experience. Download the report - ‘Customer experience management: A practitioner’s checklist for driving change’ - and see where your approach can be improved.

Insights from London members

What do our members think about branding the customer experience? We asked for your thoughts in the May issue of GLR News and here are a few of your comments.

What systems play a key role in differentiating your brand?

Which do you have the most control over?

The majority of members that gave a view believe they have the most control over the face-to-face experience. This shows how important it is that customers see a clear brand throughout the entire buying process. Other responses included having control over the online experience, so keep this in mind for branding your e-commerce sites..

Facts, guides and more

There are a number of resources on branding and the customer experience available from the Institute:

• There’s the ‘Introduction to branding’ workshop run in London on a variety of dates this year.
• If it’s a light read you’re after, try downloading the Customer Relationships Management fact file which is full of useful tips.
• For a more comprehensive account, have a look at the 10 Minute Guide to Customer Service, which will give you the low down on managing customer relationships.
• Or, for an external resource, try the British Brand Group website, which has a number of reports you can download.

Calling all women! And men who market to women!

Are you a woman in marketing who has achieved great success? Or, are you a male marketer responsible for marketing campaigns aimed at women? Then you should be entering the Women in Marketing Awards to be recognised for your achievements. Plus, if you know a member or colleague who you think deserves to enter, you can nominate them.

Get the recognition you deserve - entry deadline 6 September

Launched this year, these awards celebrate excellence in marketing by women and for women in the Greater London region and are an extension of the hugely successful Women in Marketing event series. The deadline for entries is Monday 6 September, so you should be putting together your entries now as we’re already receiving them.

Which categories will you enter?

You can enter one, two, or all of them! We just need a separate entry for each category, but as they’re free to enter, make the most of it and broaden your chance of winning.

An evening to remember – 3 November

The Awards ceremony will be on Wednesday 3 November 2010 at the glamorous May Fair Hotel, London. To be part of the first ever Women in Marketing Awards, visit the website for hints and tips for how to enter, it’s really simple! And book your place at the Awards.

Be a sponsor

Swarovski have already become a founding supporter of the Women in Marketing Awards. To find out how you organisation can sponsor these inaugural Awards download the Sponsorship Opportunities brochure.

Revive your motivation

We usually know what we should be doing, but often feel that we ‘lack the motivation’ to do it. If you’re waiting to hear about your results, take some time out to benefit from this self diagnosis test from The Chartered Institute of Marketing study experts, the Student Support Group. It’ll help you pinpoint the cause of common motivational dips and point you in right direction for getting back on top.

So, which of these sentences represents how you feel?

2010 has been quite a year one way or another. So, surely you deserve a little break! And we’ve got the perfect setting. The Chartered Institute of Marketing has arranged for one lucky winner and a friend to win a fabulous spa break at the luxury Marriott Hanbury Manor in Ware, Hertfordshire.

This historic Jacobean country house will make the perfect getaway for one lucky pair. With excellent facilities, delicious food and wonderful views over the parklands, this is a first-class prize.

Enter the prize draw, and one lucky winner and a friend will receive:

• An overnight stay at Hanbury Manor.
• One free spa treatment per person during your stay.
• 3 course dinner for two in the contemporary Oakes Grill restaurant.
• A full English breakfast before you travel home.

What are you waiting for - enter the prize draw today!

The Getin2marketing website from The Chartered Institute of Marketing is packed full of information, resources and advice about embarking on a career in marketing.

One of the main services Getin2marketing offers is the work placement and internship service. Getin2marketing makes it easy for both marketers looking for work experience opportunities and for employers, to spread the word about what they can offer.

Take a look at Getin2marketing for a list of over 100 companies that offer, or have recently offered placements and internships. And if you’re an employer who’d like to take on someone as an intern, there are details about how you can advertise the position.

And here’s a current internship opportunity from one of our London members.

Summer’s here! Travel and Tourism market interest group

Sun, sea, sand. As the summer months are upon us, now’s a good time to focus on something topical – The Chartered Institute of Marketing Travel and Tourism Market Interest Group (CIMTIG). They’re one of the largest and most influential cross-sector travel groups in the UK. So to keep up with the latest information, this is definitely a group to join.

CIMTIG is an active group with over 1,000 members. It regularly holds events in central London which reflect the interests of its members. The annual Travel Marketing Awards run by CIMTIG recognise, reward and showcase the best and most original work across the sector.

Meet the North London Team

Did you know…?

Volunteers within The Chartered Institute of Marketing form regional committees to run events and networking opportunities for members. It all adds value to your membership.

This month, we focus on the North London team, headed up by Joanna Orphanou. One key reason for this team’s success is their diverse industry backgrounds. Some are involved in telecoms, some have a financial background and others have healthcare experience. This means they each bring different qualities and knowledge to the table and it’s a combination that’s working, with new events and initiatives being scheduled regularly.

They’re an interesting bunch of people, so in a This is your life special, let’s meet them.

And the lucky winner of last month’s prize draw is…

Karen Landor, Donor Development Manager, Naomi House. Congratulations to Karen, who won a free place at one of The Chartered Institute of Marketing’s events. Well done!

Enter this month’s prize draw for the chance to win a fantastic spa break.

Branding and The Prostate Cancer Charity

Tour of Britain 2010 in London on 18 September

This September, cycling fans across the UK will have the chance to take part in Britain's ‘best bike race’. Following the success of last year, The Prostate Cancer Charity and The Tour of Britain have again teamed up to Unite ByCycling to deliver a unique cycling experience for cyclists to ride in the tyre tracks of the world’s best professionals.

The 2010 route has been designed to give cyclists of all abilities the chance to experience the official route of The Tour of Britain. You can test your endurance on one of the toughest professional stages, challenge yourself over half the distance or get everyone involved in a scenic family ride. The London stage, plus family 20k is on 18 September.

Media Trust – Community Voices

Outreach Manager, Kim Townsend tells us about the new Community Voices project from the Media Trust.

How easy is it to find your voice and get it heard? For the experienced marketers amongst us years of training mean that getting your voice heard or indeed anyone else’s for that matter, can become second nature. But for many people, navigating our ever changing and fast moving media landscape to highlight issues that are important to them and engage audiences can be very difficult.

Media Trust is currently running a project called Community Voices specifically working with disadvantaged and isolated communities who are often unheard. We are supporting them with funding, skills-based mentoring, training, and resources to develop their own media project that will give them a voice and make a meaningful difference to their lives.

We believe that when communities are empowered to help themselves the results can be amazing. In London we are already working with several diverse community groups who have identified their needs and have come up with their own ideas for digital media projects to help make a difference.

The Goldsmiths Residents Association in Catford is working on a project to record residents’ memories of the Excalibur Estate before it is demolished. They will be exploring what the idea of home and identity means to those who have lived there, with a view to giving a voice and preserving the history before it is lost.

And Club Soda, a group of people with learning disabilities in Croydon, will be developing a media team which will combat the isolation that the learning disabled community often faces by setting up a website and promoting through film, accessible events for their community to take part in.

Across Media Trust we are keen to encourage marketing and communications professionals with digital skills to help support projects. Your skills, support and expertise are invaluable to them and could make a real difference to their lives. Indeed making new connections and volunteering just a little bit of your time to help communities thrive, may even change your life!

Brand engagement for ParalympicsGB

The British Paralympic Association (branded as ParalympicsGB) is the charity responsible for sending the best prepared team to compete at the Paralympic Games. London 2012 gives them a once in a lifetime opportunity to change the way people think, feel and behave towards people with a disability through the inspirational performances of British athletes.

To ensure the public can engage with the Paralympics and become genuine fans, it is vital for ParalympicsGB to have a strong brand to underpin all their marketing and communications activities. The advert, Superheroes is one step ParalympicsGB have taken to profile their brand and the incredible athletes who compete for Great Britain. You can view the advert here.