WHY CX SHOULD STAND FOR CREATIVE EXPERIENCE, Schemes and Mind Maps of Business

Download WHY CX SHOULD STAND FOR CREATIVE EXPERIENCE and more Schemes and Mind Maps Business in PDF only on Docsity! The go-to guide for turning creativity into a growth accelerator WHY CX SHOULD STAND FOR CREATIVE EXPERIENCE F o re w o rd Customer experience (CX) is one of the most popular phrases in marketing, with google searches nearly tripling in the last decade and hashtags like #CX being thrown around like crazy. The concept, however, is still misunderstood. Your CX is your brand - it communicates why you are in business, who you are, what you stand for and how you are dierent com- pared to all those other brands out there. In a world of chaos, CX is your anchor. It is how you set your brand apart from others and entertain, engage but also inform and guide your customers. But how exactly do you create an exceptional CX? Some marketers might say “You need technology to transform your CX!” or another favorite “You need the emerging technologies of today to shape the CX of tomorrow.” But let’s dig a little deeper, into what truly makes a great CX and dierentiates a brand. 2 | FOREWORD 1 - In tr o d u ct io n Over the past 5 years, the rat race to own the CX has been on. Across industries, brands have increasingly invested time and resources to design, manage and improve their CX. In fact, re- search by Reports and Data indicates that the CX management market will grow at a compound rate of almost 30% per year for the next six years. The secret is out, every marketer knows how impor- tant their CX is for brand dierentiation. As a result, marketers have invested and adapted technology at an unprecedented rate. Fear of failing to keep up and following the outdated marketing dinosaurs into extinction had tech spend skyrocketing - with the global MarTech industry now estimated to be worth a whopping $121.5 billion. But where do we draw the line for relying on technology to im- prove the CX? Can you even dierentiate your brand and create a memorable experience with tech alone? We don’t think so…and probably most of you do too. Heck, even the researchers at Forrester agree. 5 | INTRODUCTION 6 | 1 - In tr o d u ct io n In one of their recent reports, Jay Pattisal, Forrester’s principal analyst, looked at how brands can set themselves apart by focusing on creativity instead of solely investing in technology to improve the CX. He writes that “CX has become homogenized and table-stakes technology have created a sea of digital sameness.” Customers are no longer able to distinguish one brand experience from another. Which is pretty easy to demonstrate. Grab your phone and go to two of your food delivery apps, followed by a browse at the sites of three major banks in your city and four beauty retailers. It’s not dicult to notice how similar they are. The same applies to when you book flights or a hotel room. As Forrester describes, “every brand oers the same digital experience because they all address the same customer needs, use the same technology platforms, and design for the same mobile use case.” Any obsession always comes with a cost. In this case, a stagnant CX. It’s hard for customers to buy your products if they can’t remem- ber who you are in the first place. So, how can brands set them- selves apart and grow their customer base? The answer is creativity. 7 | 1 - In tr o d u ct io n Think about how Aesop quietly conquered the world by embracing design in a unique way, how Aldi revolutionized grocery shopping by positioning the brand as the “good dierent” and how Pixar combines storytelling with technology to dierentiate from the com- petition. These brands are successful because they apply creativity to all customer touchpoints and put it at the heart of the experience. 2 - C X is k in g Technology is created to help us scale our marketing and commu- nicate our brand to more people than we could have ever imag- ined. Unfortunately, at some point, we got so caught up in the process, that we forgot what we were using it for in the first place: as a tool, an enabler, to get us closer to the people we wanted to reach. We have been suering from the shiny object syndrome It’s easy to over rely on technology. But technology without a vision or purpose will never create a distinctive and memorable CX that meets your customer expectations. Despite what some sales people say, you can’t just plug in a tool and expect magic to happen. 10 | eae A v4 ao Shiny Object Syndrome y NaN] = Pe earree De wawenawvas arr eee 2 - C X is k in g What if CX stands for creative experience instead? Where we com- bine creativity and technology for a transformative sweet spot. Because, in our opinion it’s not a question of one or the other, you need both to create a CX that dierentiates your brand and ex- ceeds customer expectations. Now, however, the balance is out of whack. Like yin and yang, the Ancient Chinese philosophy of dualism, where contrary forces complement and interconnect with each other in the natural world, creativity and technology can and should exist together in harmony. The true meaning of CX 12 | 2 - C X is k in g We brought this vision to life by using creativity as a dierentiator and bringing this to the forefront of the CX, where the brand, content and product come together. Hybrids, a trending animation style, that combine illustrations, photography and film, were devel- oped and became the creative focus. They were hand-drawn and convey the promise of FWU by making a customer’s dream world a reality. 15 | 16 | 2 - C X is k in g The artwork shows the target personas in real life, while the hand-drawn illustrations display their dreams and goals. The vivid and original animations connect with the audience on an emotional level, painting a dream world where all of their life goals are reached. The hybrids support FWU’s brand narrative, set it apart from competing brands and make it appealing to FWU’s target audience. 2 - C X is k in g It’s tough to define what a brand stands for and then communicate the brand consistently in everything an organization does. You need skills to understand your brand, what it stands for and how to connect this with an audience. These are precisely some of the skills that are lacking today. 17 | FWU is a great example of integrating brand, content and product into a CX that engages and converts. Working alongside a bold client who is not afraid to innovate certainly helped us to use creativity as a differentiator. Michael Vromans DPDK Creative Director 3 - T h e t e ch n o lo g y cu rs e It’s an understatement to say that marketers have become ob- sessed with technology. It’s easy to see why - any book or article that you read or conference that you go to is always talking about the next trends in technology you should not miss out on or invest in. When you look around, everywhere you see people on their phones, laptops or ipads, trying to stay connected to one another. 20 | THE TECHNOLOGY CURSE Even though we have tried to improve CX by investing in technolo- gy, unwittingly CX has become stagnant instead. Customers are having diculties distinguishing one experience from another. Nowadays, everyone is “customer-obsessed”, “green” or “innova- tive” and digital sameness has taken the center stage. Technology has become the star of the show, but at what cost? 3 - T h e t e ch n o lo g y cu rs e When you go online and look at websites or apps of travel, retailers, banks or food delivery, it’s not dicult to see the striking similarities. Functionality is prioritized above everything else. How are customers supposed to choose between hundreds of brands that are more or less the same? Kinda like Doug, the dog from the Pixar movie Up, who gets distracted every time he sees a squirrel. The same goes for customers, they are tuning out and losing their attention. 21 | 3 - T h e t e ch n o lo g y cu rs e Your technological solutions and oerings can be perfectly on point. But did you think about making an emotional connection? You might just have homogenized your brand and find customers slowly losing appetite. The relationship you have with your customers is powered by people, not technology. Your customers are human and make a lot of decisions based on their emotions. Connecting with their hearts and minds is the foundation of an emotional, unique and dierenti- ating brand. This is done best when you include that emotional connection in every aspect of your brand’s development, from artwork, logos, slogans, social media engagement, helpdesk, e-commerce, supply chains and more. Vittorio Bonori, CEO of Publicis Groupe Italy, said last year that “Technology has become a commodity, while culture, creativity, and strategy make all the dierence.” It’s a message that we as marketers know to be true. It’s also probably why most of us became marketers in the first place. Using creativity to dierentiate our brand and spark growth, is one of the cornerstones of suc- cessful marketing. Tech-enabled experiences powered by emotional creativity 22 | 3 - T h e t e ch n o lo g y cu rs e CX is the experience a customer has when interacting with your company or brand. It connects all aspects of the customers’ expe- rience, the business and the brand. It maps customers’ needs, expectations and highlights major opportunities. UX is usually product or service-specific. It is the experience a customer has when interacting with that product. This makes UX a subset of CX. At DPDK we see CX architecture as the only way to truly dierenti- ate your brand. CX architecture is a combination of your unique brand identity, innovative products and engaging content. Which should be brought to life with tailored strategies and custom code. A customer experience architecture that is based on a templated framework, standardized software package and a basic under- standing of customer needs can not and will not support your brand promise. At best it will give you a mediocre experience that just functions. Which is exactly the problem, it just works. Why CX architecture is not User Experience (UX) 25 | An exceptional and unified CX is the only way to truly differentiate as a brand. 3 - T h e t e ch n o lo g y cu rs e Be critical of success stories of people who have an innovative new take on something and stu this into yesterday’s processes without thinking twice. If it was that easy, anyone could do it. You see what happened here? Building a CX architecture is like designing a building. Architects give meaning to space and create unique buildings from scratch that enhance people’s lives. They believe that every inch in and around a building should enrich the overall experience. Architects are masters of merging form with function and plan, design and execute their work meticulously. Here’s how our own team of architects has created a CX architec- ture that supports the brand promise of a brand that needs no intro- duction. 27 | 3 - T h e t e ch n o lo g y cu rs e On top of that, the digital part of the React experience won multiple Webby’s, Lovie’s and CSS- awards and turned out to be a perfect example of technology hitting the emotional sweet spot between brand, CX and business requirements. 30 | 4 - P u t yo u r m o n e y w h e re y o u r b ra n d is A brand promise is an extension of your brand positioning and essentially comes down to the experience customers can expect every single time they interact with your brand or company. It’s called promise for a reason and holds you accountable to a certain standard. The more you deliver on that promise, the stronger your brand is in the mind of your customers. A good brand promise defines you as a brand and sets you apart from others. It’s the reason why you get out of bed every day beyond making money. Fedex “peace of mind”, Lego “endless play” and BMW “the ultimate driving machine” are all examples of successful brands that are consistently delivering on their promise. When you’re building a digital experience, it’s important not to lose sight of your brand promise. It’s what should shine through in everything that you do, whether this is a website, portal or online campaign for that matter. More often than not brands are prioritizing technology and chasing eciency and in the process lose touch with their values and quali- ties that made them successful in the first place. Eciency focuses on optimizing what there already is and by doing this you often miss out on the opportunity to create something better. 31 | PUT YOUR MONEY WHERE YOUR BRAND IS 4 - P u t yo u r m o n e y w h e re y o u r b ra n d is As mentioned above, your brand promise should be reflected in everything that you do, it’s the foundation from which you start building your CX. But, instead of applying creativity at the end of your CX process as part of a defined checklist, you should put crea- tivity at the heart. It’s not easy: 3 considerations for bringing creativity into the experience 32 | Creativity doesn’t follow a set-out process. That’s why it’s called creativity Without a defined path to take, many brands struggle with applying creativity on a brand level. Creativity is hard to grasp, let alone manage. Creativity has to have elements of surprise, needs to challenge and be daring, while inspiring at the same time. Marketers look at peers and best prac- tices and build generic solutions on that. Without keeping the core of your brand in mind, digital sameness lures on the horizon. Ed Catmull, co-founder of Pixar Animation Studios, descri- bes creativity as: "Unexpected connections between unre- lated concepts and ideas." We would add to that: “Unexpected connections between unrelated concepts and ideas, at the right time for the right audience.” 4 - P u t yo u r m o n e y w h e re y o u r b ra n d is Digital Realty: the foundation of a strong brand The San Francisco based global data center provider asked us to design a best-in-class online experience that positions Digital Realty as an industry leader and differentiates them from com- peting brands. To understand the brand better, we started with multiple work- shops between brand advocates and stakeholders. This led to a redefinition of brand fundamentals, as well as renewed brand and campaign messaging. We found freedom of use within the Digital Realty realm one of the most important dierentiators w hen c ompared t o c ompetitors. Clients of Digital Realty have the freedom to work with any tech- nology partner inside their data centers. Competing brands on the other hand work with a “walled garden” concept, which is a closed platform in which all operations are controlled by the operator. Essentially this comes down to no freedom of choice whatsoever. This brand promise was further amplified by visually explaining and showcasing Digital Realty’s technical capabilities. Focusing on the people behind the expertise and staying away from the more 35 | 4 - P u t yo u r m o n e y w h e re y o u r b ra n d is corporate identities of some competitors. Positioning Digital Realty as the trusted foundation for digital ambitions, leading to freedom. A logo is a key part of a brand’s digital identity. It’s a symbol cus- tomers connect with their memory of what your company does and even more importantly how it makes them feel. Digital Realty’s logo - a building with squares, where the squares represent data - needed a breath of new life. We created an animated waterfall of data that pours into the logo and into their new corporate website. Next to the website, we also built a client portal. The newly devel- oped client portal turned out to be a great example of a brand promise that meets business requirements by connecting techno- logy and customer needs. As an important touchpoint in the cust- omer journey, it became living proof of Digital Realty’s ‘Freedom’ proposition. 36 | “Managing customer expectations always starts with a strong, clear and consistent brand. It's a crucial and powerful starting point for any CX, that's often overlooked in the process.” Rob Nolten DPDK Creative Director Brand, Campaigns and Content Establishing the foundation of your brand is key for CX success. 4 - P u t yo u r m o n e y w h e re y o u r b ra n d is A workshop is a great tool to keep all involved aligned and gather insights and inspiration from dierent levels within the organization. Bringing in outsiders with a fresh view on things works wonders when developing a brand from an existing culture, product or com- pany, but is equally valuable when creating a brand from scratch. Brand foundation workshops often bring out solutions that were hidden in plain sight, but would never have seen the light of day without proper guidance. “Why didn’t we come up with that our- selves?” is usually the best compliment we get. Wonder of workshops 41 | 5 - B ra ce f o r im p a ct Continuously delivering an experience that surprises, delights, engages and connects with customers while exceeding their expectations, is a company-wide undertaking. It’s certainly not something left to marketing alone. Customers expect to engage with brands, but we force them to deal with departments. Every department creates its own experience, from sales to customer service all the way up to IT. Someone has to stand up and define what the overall experience should look like and work with each department to get their input. The CX architecture helps brands understand how each depart- ment can maximize their impact through an exceptional customer experience. 42 | BRACE FOR IMPACT 5 - B ra ce f o r im p a ct Exceeding customer expectations in 4 steps 45 | Bring out your unique brand qualities Start with your brand foundation. Find your narrative, define your purpose, your why, who, what, how and deliver on a great brand promise. It is your brand, but customers have to embrace it. Emotionally connected products that bring success to customers Whether it is customer service, AI chatbot or remotely accessible locker boxes for delivery, make sure your oerings come from business requirements, address customer needs, solve a real problem and creatively and emotionally connect to your brand promise. Only then you entered the sweet spot of maximizing relevan- cy and preventing digital sameness. It’s all about creating a mindset and culture that embraces and cele- brates exceptional customer experiences. 5 - B ra ce f o r im p a ct 46 | Brand awareness through engaging content Make an emotional connection by leveraging story- telling. Create engaging content from the heart and soul of your brand that focuses on the story you want to tell, not the story you want to sell. Do that and be prepared to be remembered by customers and potential cus- tomers for a long time. Unsilo A strong creative mindset should be in your company's DNA and is not owned by a specific department. Start by instilling creativity company-wide and foster an envi- ronment where creativity is valued. Tearing down silos is also key for getting a complete overview of customer needs and wants. By integrating departments and critical data across the organization, you’ll get a better understanding of your customers and can provide a better CX. It is crucial to go beyond boundaries of departments and roles. “What can make one brand different from another when the experience is built from the same common technology platform, designed to solve the same user or category need, and programmed for the same two devices? Creativity.” Forrester, 2019 The Cost Of Losing Creativity Don’t hesitate to get in touch and see where we can take you. 50 | START YOUR CREATIVE EXPERIENCE NOW pim.van.helten@dpdk.com dpdk.com @dpdk @dpdk @dpdk_digital Recognized for digital excellence 51 | ABOUT THE AUTHOR Pim van Helten is CEO and co-founder of DPDK. He simply couldn’t pass the opportunity to co-found the agency in 2004 to make brands a better version of themselves than that they occur in a 30-second commercial. As the agency’s CEO he has made it his mission to transform brands through exceptional digitalism. Pim is ill-suited for prefab and ready-made and as an energetic strategist, he loves to keep his eyes on the horizon and fight the ordinary with passion and craft. ABOUT DPDK 20 years of transformation, change, innovation, and adaptation. We saw tech emerge and disappear, trends come and go and customer expectations change and grow. Today more than ever, our clients count on us to be new every day. As an innovation partner, they rely on our experience and expertise dealing with continuous transformation and resilient adaptation. We help them answer and exceed customer expectations in a hyper-per- sonalized landscape, keep them on the oense, and have their brand dierentiate through customer experience. From 20 years till now, and from oces in Rotterdam, New York, and San Francisco, we can proudly say we are still living our mission: Transforming brands through exceptional digitalism. 52 |