It's a marketer's dream. Customers are so passionate about your product they actually crave it. In fact, outside of the US, your product is the number-one consumed fruit.
However, here's where the dream hits reality. You're in the US, where two-thirds of US consumers have never tasted a mango. You've been hired to generate sales during the Mexican mango season—which is only four months long.
One thing is crystal clear: You have to get it right the first time. Or mangos will be out of season and you'll be out of a job.
That's the situation that our firm, Lewis & Neale Public Relations and JRS Consulting, faced when EMEX, an association of Mexican mango producers and shippers, retained it to conduct a four-month campaign (limited to Mexican mango season) to increase fresh mango visibility and consumption in the US.
Our in-depth research for Mexican mangos showed that exposure to mangos wasn't enough; the key to increased sales was consumer education about the purchase, preparation, usage, and benefits of mangos.
Knowing about the mango's many healthful benefits as well as learning how to select and cut mangos and use recipes for cooking with them reinforced the more emotional appeal of the fruit and invited people to try it.
Fast-forward to four months later: Mexican mango sales increased 13%, the result of a bilingual educational campaign conducted via the media and at retail point-of-sale, using powerful imagery as well as practical information about preparation suggested by the research.
The Mexican mango case study is an example of the power of the "Attraction Advantage," the term I use to describe the ability to attract—rather than pursue—customers.
That unique ability is based on understanding and harnessing the essence of what attracts people to your products and services, and making sure that your entire organization delivers on this essence. The Attraction Advantage enables a powerful connection with key constituents that competitors can't duplicate.
Simply put, you don't have to work as hard to attract customers because you are saying and doing things that actually draw them to you.
During tough economic times, such as a recession, this kind of competitive advantage is particularly valuable because it allows you to use resources wisely. It doesn't necessarily require drastic corporate overhauls or expenditures. The essence of your Attraction Advantage is already there—you just need to identify and mobilize it.
Once you have developed a true understanding of your customers and their relationship with your organization, this understanding will effectively drive your operations, marketing, and product offerings.
Developing the Attraction Advantage is a three-step process, wherein companies focus on customers' needs and their relationship with their product. Typical market research often concentrates on validating a hypothesis or measuring whether a tactic has "moved the needle." Research to uncover your organization's core essence, on the other hand, avoids foregone conclusions by focusing on the customer's experience.
The three-step process focuses on the following questions:
- What needs do your customers have?
- What's their connection (or potential connection) to your organization?
- How can you and every employee deliver on this association?
Two other examples of companies and products that have benefited from this customer-centered approach:
Johnson & Johnson's Renova Anti-Wrinkle Cream: In focus groups, we learned that women are more comfortable thinking about a prescription cream that reduces wrinkles as a cosmetic. The idea of needing to apply the cream regularly is more acceptable if they think of it like coloring their hair rather than taking a prescription drug long-term.
This understanding led to the public relations launch of Johnson & Johnson's Renova at department store cosmetic counters staffed by personable dermatologists rather than a more traditional medical product introduction. Renova prescriptions increased dramatically as thousands lined up at Nordstrom's cosmetic counters.
Jim Beam Bourbon: Our research among Jim Beam drinkers discovered that they associate their brand with bonding among friends, their great interest in the outdoors, and a tradition of enjoying their favorite bourbon that began, for many, with their fathers.
This comprehension resulted in the creation of the brand's Kentucky Bourbon Circle association, which now numbers 80,000 premium bourbon drinkers who enjoy a newsletter and tasting events led by bourbon experts who address their interests.
In summary: Successfully developing and implementing the Attraction Advantage involves both understanding what attracts customers to your organization and ensuring that your employees can deliver what your customers need.
This insight enables a unique gravitational pull, attracting customers because your organization, products, and marketing are synergistically based on natural attraction.
