trendwatching.com’s April 2010 Trend Briefing covering “BRAND BUTLERS”.
BRAND BUTLERS | With consumers increasingly looking for control, for convenience, for assistance, and yes, to be cared for (both offline and online), brands need to shift their product development and advertising prowess to brand-consistent services (and an accompanying ‘butlering mindset’) thatassist consumers in making the most of their daily lives.
A few reasons why consumers are highly appreciative of BRAND BUTLER-style services:
- For consumers,time, convenience, control and independence are the new currencies: this need requires B2C brands to turn many of their ‘campaigns’ if not all interactions with their customers into broaderservices. In short: a shift from ‘broadcasting’ to assisting.
- Relationships with brands are now more down to earth and less reverential. From individualism to eco-concerns to decreased spending power in developed economies: for consumers, thepractical and pragmatic rule.
- Yet, in uncertain times, there’s also a consumer longing for institutions that truly ‘care‘ (please re-read ourGENERATION G briefing), which is more about showing empathy and providing customers with a status fix (please re-read ourPERKONOMICS briefing) than being purely practical. This too requires brands to master more service-oriented personae.
- On top of all of the above, the currentmobile online revolution is shifting these consumer expectations even further into the always-on, instant gratification online arena. (please re-read ourNOWISM briefing).
Full article @http://www.trendwatching.com/trends/brandbutlers/