Welcome back Mooers!
Today on my TheMooTalk blog, we'll explore my experiences and exposure to corporate messaging and marketing communications, relating theories learned in university to corporates' and brands' communication efforts!
The definition of communication changes throughout time, from the transmission of ideas & information to the meaning of a line or channel between places (Williams, 2015). Corporate communication influences stakeholders’ perception of the company’s identity, image, and reputation (Balmer & Gray, 1999). In a market with numerous products and services, companies desiring a competitive edge must adapt to evolving and changing trends, and discover innovative methods to engage their consumers while remaining
profitable (Karaosmanoglu & Melewar, 2006).
Every day, we see corporate and brand marketing around us. From commuting, to sometimes, even existing products in our homes - we might not even recognize them! With the rise of social media, many corporates are trying to adapt and shift their content marketing, and delivery of messages onto these channels, to communicate with their external stakeholders (Argyris & Monu, 2015). However, companies should consider if social media platforms are the most effective and appropriate channel to convey their messages to their target group! Sometimes, conveying messages could be more efficient and effective on posters on the facade of buses, where many people and drivers could see them!
One-of-a-kind TikTok Account
Speaking of drivers, if you're a car enthusiast like me, you might be already following your favorite car brand on their social media platforms, but have you seen Lotus's TikTok?
Lotus's premium vehicle prices are comparable with competitors such as Aston Martin and Ferrari (Guan et al., 2022). As a luxury car brand, people's perception of its content marketing would be posh and slick, presenting a prestigious image to its potential customers. But Lotus thinks otherwise.
This is just the tip of the iceberg of Lotus's humorous TikTok content. But why would Lotus, a Luxury car brand, upload such contrasting content compared to its brand identity? While some oppose the feasibility and relevance of its content, the views and profile engagements these clips generate prove otherwise, garnering over 3 million followers and 75.9 million likes. Besides showcasing their cars, Lotus's videos incorporate popular and current TikTok trends. The juxtaposition of Lotus's brand identity and TikTok content elevates consumers' curiosity, increasing the possibility of user engagement with its page and other content.
If a user spends more time scrolling through Lotus's content, TikTok's algorithm will recognize that the user likes Lotus's content and subsequently feature more of its videos on their feed in the future. Eventually, videos with rapid likes might become trending and appear on other users' feed, even if they don't follow Lotus. We could applaud Lotus for its "successful" marketing method for it has better user engagement compared to its competitors, Ferrari and Aston Martin. But who knows, could it just be a content marketing experiment?
Certainly, Lotus's other communications channels applied the "conventional" and "proper" corporate messaging methods to update its events, corporate news, and announcements. However, it's Facebook and Instagram followers are significantly lower compared to TikTok, which brings upon a few questions. "What is Lotus's audience actually looking out for in its content?", "What is Lotus trying to convey through its various channels?" and "How effective are these channels in communicating its corporate messages?". Is Lotus's TikTok audience just looking for a good laugh, or are they seeking information about the models and brand? Its objectives remain unclear. From my personal perspective, it could be a strategic move for Lotus to stay current with trends, and gain brand awareness through TikTok while maintaining its brand identity and image on its other channels.
Cringey Content Improves Publicity
With technological advancements, purchasing goods, with the exception of a few items, are mostly easily accessible with e-commerce. Locally, we have several E-commerce companies, and depending on monthly vouchers or deals, we would choose the option that offers the best value. Amongst the choices, I typically prefer Shopee as my go-to option for most of my purchases. From its cringy yet catchy advertisements to the frequent "free delivery" vouchers, it always draws my attention to visit the site periodically. I mean, look at these:
Initial reactions include frowning, finding a place to hide, or instantly swiping away from these videos. Don't worry, it happens to most of us. Shopee partners with local influencers in their campaigns, dressed in Shopee's iconic orange outfits, dancing to amusing nostalgic or trending tunes to promote respective deals.
These videos are uploaded across its social media sites and local television commercials. Maybe Shopee used an emotional message style, attempting to evoke nostalgia among its audience, which, didn't work for me. Objectively speaking, the tunes do grow on you over time and you'll start to hum subconsciously - speaking from experience. According to Berlo's SMCR model, we could say that Shopee's message content has been enhanced creatively by giving off a bubbly and positive vibe, and it's so especially effective on TikTok as 60% of TikTok users prefer humorous content (Henderson, 2023). More importantly, these campaigns drive great publicity when influencers and locals cover the dances, reaching a greater extent of audience.
Saving through Gaming?
Alongside its videos, Shopee gamified its platform, where users can earn Shopee Coins through games and also collect daily log-in bonuses. Essentially, play to pay! An example of Shopee's game is Shopee Farm, where players are rewarded for growing their plants. Additionally, you and your friends can assist each other in growing the plant. This encourages users to invite others into the game and more importantly, use Shopee.
Another game, Shopee Candy, which has a similar concept to Candy Crush, will reward you for advancing through stages. Alternatively, if growing a plant or candy solving is too tedious for you, there is Shopee Shake where you, well, just shake, and you will earn Shopee Coins. However, this game is only available during special Shopee events like mega sales.
Furthermore, Shopee has winnable coupons, customer promotions and sweepstakes, and prizes for new users (Shah, 2021). Users can use their incentives before checkout, essentially stacking discounts on top of one another. In addition to the mentioned games, Shopee offers other games that cater to different user preferences and demographics. Most importantly, these games are within the main application itself, which reduces the trouble of downloading another application.
We got Nudged!
Personally, I seldom visit fast-food chains, but when I do, I realize I would naturally gravitate towards their self-ordering kiosks. Before learning about nudge theory, I used to think: "It's quite clever of them to position the kiosks so prominently". So what's Nudge Theory? Essentially, it's deliberately designing how information is presented to people (Cai, 2019) or improving the direction of someone's decision while maintaining freedom of choice (Arno & Thomas, 2016). McDonalds passively nudges customers to its kiosks by placing them nearer to the entrances than its counters. If that's insufficient, its default page shows: "Order Here" which draws your attention instantly. Besides changing its environment, McDonalds' kiosk states your item's calorie count, which nudges customers actively. While being able to customize orders like burgers, these contextual cues act as a reminder to customers of the calorie intake of an un-customized order, but also details of individual ingredients, allowing customers to reconsider before checking out.
The True Dining Experience
On the topic of food, I'll share a favorite hotpot spot for Singaporean youths, Hai Di Lao (HDL)! On occasions like birthdays, festive celebrations, or if you're just feeling it, HDL pops into my mind almost instantaneously. From the quality of its ingredients to exceptional customer service, HDL performs outstandingly in both its products and services. I could continue praising HDL but the message I'm trying to convey is how HDL's commitment to its corporate personality has established a strong brand reputation.
Consumers often infer quality through brand name reputation. Strong reputations are linked to premium quality and allow pricing for its products or services to be at a higher price (Firth, 2002). While an individual's cultural differences may impact preferences for pricier brands, brand superiority often results in higher sales (Bristow & Asquith, 1999). So what did HDL do that set itself apart from its competitors? In addition to its quality ingredients, HDL's exceptional attention to service triumphs over its competitors. Let me walk you through the process!
Most hotpot places focus on improving diner's experience by providing fresher ingredients and enhanced customer services. However, the services of HDL begin even before the customer enters the restaurant. At most HDL outlets, not only do they provide seats, but they also serve snacks and beverages, and even blankets if you're cold to queueing customers. HDL could also help change your phone's screen protector while your girlfriend gets her nails polished by the staff. A crying baby could also be offered a toy!
Upon entering, you'll be assigned to your table, and a "dedicated" waiter who introduces the menu, replenishes your drinks, cooks your food, and regularly checks in on you. This waiter will attend to you throughout your meal and will become familiar with your preferences. If someone at your table is celebrating their birthday, they'll prepare a platter of fruits and sing you a birthday song! This is where HDL gets free publicity!
During some of its events, you can also receive tokens by saying its "code word", which for this token was: "I'm a Fairy!". But HDL's service has even more to offer. If you have enjoyed their food, you could even take away additional desserts, snacks, and drinks, and enjoy them at home.
What shapes HDL's corporate personality is its mission to create a lively dining experience for it customers by serving healthy and safe food while providing thoughtful services. Their vision is to create a comfortable environment, committed to encouraging communication between customers, and enhancing social networking (Haidilao 2023).
HDL's brand identity prism:
Physique Distinctive "HI" red circular logo | Personality Fun, lively, delicious food and quality services |
Relationship Offer trust through offering consistent and good quality food and services | Culture Safe and healthy food in a comfortable environment with thoughtful services |
Reflection Mostly TA are big groups of youths but is also opened to families | Self-Image Customers who see themselves enjoying quality food at a comfortable space |
"Sell the Feeling, Not the Product"
To enjoy the HDL takeaways at home, you'll need a comfortable environment, especially a cozy couch - which I have, from IKEA! When we think of IKEA (I hope it's not their meatballs), we instantly picture the expansive showrooms and the diverse range of products available for us to test out. Using showrooms, IKEA sells us an image and story of the room interior by positioning its furniture in its natural environment, which appeals to our subconscious mind (Clifford, 2019).
IKEA focuses its target market on consumers that prioritize affordability, between the ages of 16 and 34, consisting of bachelors, newly married couples, starting families, old couples, and many others (Karthikeyan & Rehman, 2023). To attract and engage their target audience, IKEA created these videos:
I've seen these videos before university, and thought, yeah, that's a great advertisement but I'm not convinced to purchase their products and I'm not the only one that feels this way!
But someone replied:
What IKEA did was storytelling, using a narrative approach to aid in making information tangible and unforgettable (McLellan, 2006). It creates coherence and progression related to the organization's brand, identity, and development (Hühn, 2014). In the videos, IKEA didn't explicitly promote their products, but rather the feeling of having them in your homes. Like what the comment said: "Sell the feeling, not the product". In actuality, it's to merge an idea with an emotion together, bringing across a message to persuade its target audience.
Piecing it Altogether...
Corporate communications are readily available and demonstrated around us, but how many do we recall and recognize? One could argue that the effectiveness of corporate messaging varies according to the communications platform they use, but does the messages actually move you? "If it doesn't move you, it doesn't reach you", is a quote from my professor with which I totally agree. With the ever-changing products and services, variation in demand, and consumer behaviors, organizations and companies should stay updated on trends and methods to reach their stakeholders to remain relevant.
See you in my next post!
References
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Arno, A. and Thomas, S. (2016) The efficacy of nudge theory strategies in influencing adult dietary behaviour: A systematic review and meta-analysis - BMC Public Health, BioMed Central. Available at: https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-016-3272-x (Accessed: 12 September 2023).
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Williams, R. (2015) ‘Definition’, in Communications. London: Vintage Digital.
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