Effective Naturally

I love you! So does the person you’re sitting next to (OK, maybe not). But if it was the case how would you know which of the two of us had the strongest feelings? We may try to show it in special ways but there really isn't a way to measure on paper the strength of an emotion.  » Read more

The Effective Naturally perspective gets back to the basic foundations of good business and this next point I raise may very well create some debate or comment (let’s hope). For the small business owners it may not directly apply to you but the point is still worthwhile on your smaller scale.

Tuesday's Touchpoint

Marketing has become a very processed scenario. Many companies and organisations that don’t actively promote brand experience are leaving their target audience without a warm fuzzy feeling. But now I’d like to take it a step further.

Focus Groups! Arghhh!

They have their place in market research but it should only to be to track if public perceptions are in line with your existing solid brand. They should NEVER be used to help you make your brand or set your direction.

The recent election is a perfect example of this. Many political reporters and candidates are saying that this was the worst campaign in memory – I tend to agree. They give the reason that both parties (especially Labor) were too reactive to niche issues raised within focus groups. Because of this we never saw any passion, unique policy or vision. Even the polling companies were bagging the major parties for their reliance on focus groups. It has also resulted in the highest levels of informal votes since 1984 and lower voter turnout attributed to the fact that neither party differentiated them selves. Funnily enough, focus groups run by both parties probably took in the same information, so with similar reactions it made both choices of major parties, very similar.

Now this isn’t just limited to politics. Many companies OVER USE focus groups. When you start focusing on all of the minor problems and pandering to individuals it’s easy to want to become everything to everyone and the danger is you become nothing to anyone.

The Point? Once you know your foundations of promise, value, personality and difference and it is ingrained in your culture then focus groups may be ok to solidify your position and see if their perspectives match your vision of your brand. What you can’t do is start employing focus groups as ‘consultants’ to tell you what your business should be doing – it’s like asking your friends around to tell you how they want you to act. At the end of the day anything you do in reaction will be short lived and not a true reflection of the real you. 

‘Landed’ transforms an everyday object (Henty House) in to an entity that creates an emotional connection and takes the audience on a journey. Effective Naturally chose to support this project because of our similar values – transforming the average in to an amazing feature that ignites some WOW factor!
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Each week ‘Perspectives’ is raised to share, live and understand the importance of two things – brand and touchpoints. Don't forget to see who the organisations are that are recognised for their touchpoints that grow or detract from building a great brand. It could be you! » Read more

In the structure of the Effective Naturally program we highlight and focus on 4 basic pillars that provide the foundations of a brand that communicates with people internally and extrenally. » Read more

First, a big thank you to those people who have 'shared Perspectives' in the past two weeks. It's great to see that readership is growing and we've also had some feedback from the companies mentioned. Once again, our brand essence is 'Simplified, Positive and Proactive' so the very nature of this newsletter is to open perspectives, stir debate, allow comment and share the opportunity to learn from the mistakes of others or even better promote some great initiatives. » Read more

Welcome to the 2nd edition of Perspectives. Last week we covered the importance of delivering on your brand promise. Before heading in to this week’s perspective I thought it best that I cover something important – the meaning of ‘Brand’. Feel free to skip down to find out the 'WooHoo and BooBoo of the Week' if you feel you already know about Brand. » Read more

Welcome to the first edition of Perspectives - our Effective Naturally newsletter, released each week to provide exactly what we state in the title - 'perspective'. We're determined to begin a revolution in Australia, one where businesses both small and large strive to build iconic brands, with engaged teams and a customer experience that truly delivers what they promise. » Read more

We know that there are exceptional customer experiences every day - those interactions that truly delivered on your expectations that make you want to be a real ambassador for the product or service. Now we have provided the space for you to share either the entire experience or just a single touchpoint that really blew you away. Don't keep these to yourself, the more you share the more we encourage all organisations to step up. Click here to post. » Read more

Anyone who knows even the slightest part of the Effective Naturally program will be fully aware that we advocate identifying the Moments of Truth in the customer experience, then work to make them all positive (or at least make up for the negatives that we can't control). The moments of truth don't end until the client pays the bill, and companies that make it tricky for the payment to take place have simply missed a huge opportunity to end the transaction on a 'positive' note. » Read more