Engaging Consumers

Council Chair Greg Whiteman previews the upcoming May 22 meeting and talks with us about the U.S. Postal Service’s efforts to understand its customers.

In a multi-platform, consumer-controlled world where brands compete to attract and retain customers, it’s more important than ever to understand what inspires a real connection with a brand. The ARF’s new Engagement Council spearheads the effort.

Engagement sparks a running debate in the industry. What is the best way to get consumers to develop a relationship with a brand that inspires them to act in a way that benefits an advertiser? What are the roles of media and advertising in creating engagement? And how can the results be measured most effectively?

With the jury still out on these questions, the Engagement Council is the place to be for the latest knowledge, case studies and perspective. Greg Whiteman, manager, market research at the U.S. Postal Service, will moderate the May 22 meeting at the ARF’s New York City office from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.

Bob Desena, managing director, North America at iO Global, will offer insight on how to gain a better understanding of consumers’ connection with a brand in his talk, “Engagement is not an E Score.” “It’s about committing to knowing your customers and prospects in a multidimensional way,” says Whiteman.  

Unilever’s Patti Wakeling tackles developing relationships that drive customer loyalty by presenting a case on marketing Suave to mothers. Patti LaPointe, managing director at Marketing NPV, follows up with on the insight “To Measure Enagement, Start by Defining It in the Right Context.”

We asked Greg for some background on the ongoing conversation about engagement – and a preview some of the topics he plans to discuss.

ARF: Is there a simple way to explain the concept of engagement?

Greg: The one definition of engagement that everyone understands is in the context of a marriage. You’re committing to a brand new relationship.

Most of the exposure to advertising through the internet is such that you can say, in most cases, that it will induce a relationship with the consumer. If I get search results and click on one of the listings, that’s engagement. I’ve enhanced a relationship with that brand.

When you think about it, all advertising could be thought of in context of a relationship. If P&G has a print ad in a magazine, hopefully what they’re thinking about is “What can I do with it that enhances my relationship with the consumer? Is there something I can do with the print advertising that gets them to take some action directly or indirectly as a result of the ad? Can I use a print ad to get them to go over and type my URL into the internet and get them to come to my website?” The industry is going to be rethinking advertising not as communicating a message but as a driver of new relationships. 

ARF: How has the definition of engagement changed in the past few years?

Greg:  When engagement was first identified four years ago, a lot of the conversation was built around one definition. It was written more from a research perspective, as opposed to a practical application. We’re now trying to talk in terms that are very relevant for an advertiser. Each company really needs to define what they want the consumer to do in context of the advertising – the change in behavior that would benefit the advertiser.

ARF: What is the best way to measure engagement?

GREG:  In the past, advertisers started with a media plan, saying, “This is what I expect to get in terms of reach and frequency.” For instance, they might say, “One of my objectives is to get as much exposure to the viewers of Lost as possible. In a perfect world, 100% of the people watching would be exposed to  my advertising and recall it.” That wouldn’t happen but that was the ideal.

Then people said it’s more than just the reach. You also want to change the way people think about whatever the subject of the advertising is. Their thinking was: “I want them to have the following perceptions about my product and company.” We then measured attitudes and awareness. If you met the targets, you had successful advertising.

People in our industry for many years have said that what you really need to measure in advertising is whether you have you changed the bottom line. Have you generated sales? Can you measure the influence on the advertising on revenue? A lot of people said there are too many variables that will affect whether you drive the bottom line, such as what your competitors do while you’re advertising. You could have a great advertising campaign and not have the full results because your competitors are getting in the way.

We’re now at a point where many people recognize that you need to measure more than just attitudes and awareness. You need to have an influence on the customer. We need to measure whether we are able to accomplish something that we need with our customers.

ARF: How does the U.S. Postal Service measure engagement?

Greg: The engagement the postal service needs to generate is different than what P&G is seeking when they’re running advertising to drive a product sale. Our advertising is largely built around radio, print and direct mail. The message is consistent across all the media. We want to measure what direct mail did by itself and in combination with print and radio.

Some of the things we’re measuring are: Did the customer go to the website to acquire information about our product portfolio? Did the customer make contact with the carrier service to schedule a pickup? We’re looking to find out what will drive the customer to purchase from us as opposed to one of our competitors.

Make a Reservation

Council meetings are an exclusive benefit for ARF members. Make a reservation by e-mailing councils@thearf.org. Space is limited, so make your reservation as soon as possible.
To attend virtually: Register online at WebEx.