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Do you knowwhat customersvalue now?Proting rom shi tingconsumer behaviors

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I N T E R B R A N D B R A N D S T I M U L U S S E R I E S | D O Y O U K N O W W H AT C U S T O M E R S VA L U E N O W ? | 2InterbrandBrand Stimulus Series

In this series, youll learn howweve developed brandingsolutions that have stimulatedgrowth or some remarkablebusinesses around the world.

Keep your head down. Work harder. Brace or the storm.Expect hard times. These are some o the tough messageswe've become used to receiving on a daily basis. Perhapsworse, no one knows when the mood will brighten. Is it anywonder people are worn out? Still, in every stage o theeconomic cycle, there are opportunities or those who arealert and adaptable poised to make changes as thecompetitive context shi ts.

Today, consumers are considering value more thought ully than ever and redeningwhat value means to them. What does value mean in your industry? More importantly,what does it mean to each o your customers? How do you know which customergroup, and which notion o value, is most important to stimulating the growth o your business? I you could understand these shi ting attitudes towards value, whatwould you do diferently? What actors would guide your decisions today?

Economic conditions have orced many companies to make tough decisions to

control costs, including reductions in their work orce. While these measures may becritical or keeping the business aoat, they can be demoralizing or the team thatremains. Trying to introduce changes that will inspire and engage customers whenemployees arent inspired or engaged is going to be challenging. So when it comes tostimulating your business, brand can be the critical lever you need to propel andguide innovation that is relevant to your customers.

As the current economic cycle un olds, customers can shi t allegiance quickly.Remaining inactive while waiting or a recovery or leading indicators to start pointingup just isnt an option. Get out in the eld now and become reacquainted withyour customers. What you need to do to stimulate your business should be basedon insights into their changing perceptions o a reasonable exchange o valuebetween you and them.

Rather than attempting to develop strategies and tactics based on industry ormacroeconomic trends, use your brand as a beacon or change it represents whoyou authentically are as a business and let it guide how you will be ready to meetthe evolving needs o your customers.

A great brand stimulus is going to be diferent or everyone. To gain insights intowhat your customers value, and be able to act condently on that in ormation, youneed to clearly understand whats important to them. Use your brand to stimulatethe kind o change that is right or you as an organization and or your customers.Spend the time and efort to deepen the relationships with your customers so thatyour brand will retain their trust and loyalty.

Redening relevance and valueInterbrand had the opportunity to help a global mid-market hotel business gain adeep understanding o what value means to their guests, and make smart decisionsthat repositioned their brand or growth.

A ter its 50-year reign as a global hospitality leader, this hotel company ound itsel losing momentum with the lucrative business traveller. Despite good nancials ormore than 3,000 properties worldwide and aggressive new property rollout plans,competitors were gaining ground. But it wasnt just competitive pressure that wasmotivating the company to make changes.

Does your business needa brand stimulus?


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We helped a global mid-priced hotel brand gaina deep understanding o what value means totheir customers, and make smart decisions thatrepositioned their brand or growth.

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Tracking shi ts in behaviorIn every region, hotel operators and their teams were noticing signicant shi tsin the behaviors and pre erences o their business traveller guests. Like so manyconsumers today, this group was revisiting what kinds o eatures and benetsthey wanted, what their basic assumptions o value were in the business travelexperience, and what it would take or a hotel to exceed their expectations.

The company knew that it would have to become more responsive to customer

needs in an ever-changing industry, but there was a lack o clarity on how toapproach what needed be done. What would it take to retain their core businesstraveller? What was most important to this guest, and how were they missing themark in delivering it? Could they satis y them consistently worldwide, or shouldthey cast their net more broadly to try to attract more market segments?

The company needed guidance on how to move orward in a way that would betrue to their brand and relevant to their customers changing needs. It was criticalto understand how to isolate the most protable opportunities to create value

or customers.

While cra ting an aggressive new vision or the company, Interbrands team set outto discover where value really lived or hotel guests: the moments where delivery o the brand promise would have the biggest impact on the guest, and ultimately thebottom line.

We applied analytical rigor to delve deep into the competitive context and uncoverwhat the hotel brand would have to do diferently to succeed. Research was donewith hotel employees in three global regions to uncover business insights (such ascultural belie s, business needs and ranchisee relationship in ormation) essential incra ting a business case or change. In addition to the company's consumer data,Interbrand added the vital missing element: emotions. Guests emotional responseswere drawn out with the help o environmental designers, and ethnographystudies assessed guest behavior, rom receptivity to hotel signage on the highway,to non-verbal cues between guests and hotel staf. Target segment customersdocumented their overnight stays to uncover pain points and satisers.

Revitalizing the brand experienceLeveraging multiple data inputs, Interbrand synthesized customer needs, emotionsand desires into an actionable plan to trans orm the guest experience. We reviewedpotential brand strategies by ltering them through current positioning, customerneeds, experiential research, brand expression, and regional adaptation to deter-mine which ideas would align best with the brand and the business. A customerexperience map detailed guest activities and emotions, and when matched withpotential brand innovations and optimized experiences, resulted in the most

ruit ul ideas or quick wins and long-term, strategic decisions.

What emerged was a clear sense o the highest priority target or the brand: theeveryday hero. This is the hard-working traveller who wants a hotel experiencethats unpretentious, trustworthy, connected, stylish, and gives them more controlover their stay. By dening the everyday hero and his ideal experience, the hotelhad the ability to make decisions based on realizing that experience. They thenneeded to equip and engage everyone in the organization, at every hotel, to use thebrand as a guide or consistent delivery o a remarkable experience.

While the new brand positioning inuenced decisions about hundreds o criticaltouchpoints, it was also brought to li e in ways that would best ulll the emotionalneeds o customers. In the hotel industry, riendly service is the expectation. Being


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Want to nd out more? Please contact us.bev.tudhope @interbrand.com416 628 2060

ted.graham @interbrand.com

416 628 2080www.interbrand.com

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able to deliver a unique service that supports the everyday hero was necessary tomake the brand experience exceptional. To dominate the mid-market space byconsistently delivering the genuine service the brand aspired to own, each employeehad to understand how to shi t their current behaviors to ones that were moreapproachable and straight orward.

Today, value has to be proven to every stakeholder. The new hotel brand was broughtto li e or employees, customers and executives and even shareholders. At an

investors con erence, the brand was creatively introduced in an experiential exhibit.Investors were thrilled to be able to absorb a whole new atmosphere around therevitalized brand. They were able to experience the moments where customer-

ocused innovations have the strongest emotional impact, sustain satis action, anddrive the greatest diferentiation.

As marketplace dynamics continue to impact this global hospitality business, main-taining relevance and growth will depend on the companys ability to remain true toits brand and continue to deliver an experience that is aligned with changingcustomer needs.

Read the entire Brand Stimulus Series

1. Do you know what customers value now? Proting rom shi ting consumerbehaviors.

2. Brand port olio management: Now is the time to prune and grow.

3. Delivering the brand experience. Is your organization aligned to meet itspromises to customers?

4. Is your marketing measurement just good enough? Getting better in ormationto optimize your marketing mix.

Sure, its messy out there. Many o the brandscustomers used to trust have caused them toquestion their loyalty. But they wont eel difer-ently until they have a reason to believe things canbe diferent and better.

At Interbrand, we believe its up to brands tore-establish condence by creating real value orcustomers and going beyond expectations todeliver experiences that delight and inspire. Byleveraging act-based and actionable insights toguide business decisions, you can create remarkable

brand experiences that oster trust and loyalty. Wecan stimulate business growth in ways you mightnever have considered.

What kind o stimulus will help you get the mostvalue out o your brand?

Interbrand started in 1974 when the world stillthought o brands as just another word or logo.

We have changed the worlds view o branding andbrand management by creating and managing brandsas valuable business assets.

We now have nearly 40 o ces and are the worldslargest brand consultancy.

We bring together a diverse range o insight ul thinkersmaking our business both rigorously analytical andhighly creative.

Interbrand has the broadest geographical presence ofering more people, more disciplines, and moreknowledge tailored to our clients. Our work goesdeeper and urther.

We create and manage brand value by making thebrand central to the businesss strategic aims. Were notinterested in simply being the worlds biggest brandconsultancy. We want to be the most valued.

Key takeaways

Regardless o economic conditions,there are ways to capture opportuni-ties through addressing changingcustomer needs.

Understanding shi ting perceptions o value will in orm the changes to yourbrand experience that will be mostrelevant to your customers.

Leveraging your brand internally andexternally to stimulate both employeeand customer engagement will posi-tively impact business per ormance.
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