Once customers have formed an impression of your brand and what it stands for, it´s difficult to turn those perceptions around, should you feel the need to. That´s not to say it´s impossible, but like any strained relationship, it can take time for mutual respect to return.
Brand perception is formed over time through such things as previous experience with the brand; interactions with customer service and other employees; comments from friends and colleagues; reviews by reputable sources; and of course advertising.
So, what´s the answer when perception starts to go awry? According to Wander Bruijel, Philips´ head of brand, it´s content marketing.
As he suggests in an interview with Marketing Week, customers´ view of a brand can only be shifted by affording them the appropriate amount of time. Content marketing gives a brand both the platform and the time to make a real impression on its viewers and realign itself accordingly.
For Phillips, it involves shifting people´s perceptions about what Philips stands for, “namely a technology company that genuinely cares about you”. Its ´100 days of Life Changing Innovation´ campaign is still in its infancy, but Bruijel is confident it will be a success.
He adds that content marketing has also enabled the company to target the exact segment it wanted to. In Phillips´ case it´s the “sandwich” generation – “an influential group of individuals who [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][are sandwiched between] young families and ageing parents”.
To come into eyeshot of this group, it has partnered up with The Telegraph, meaning that Philips can reach its target audience across print, digital and mobile.
“Our aim with this campaign was to provide this group of influential individuals with engaging and shareable content about how innovation is addressing some of their most fundamental needs and concerns,” Bruijel explains.
Have you got any tips for businesses seeking to change their brand perception? What about some examples of obvious success stories?[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]