How to optimise FMCG and CPG Brand Experiences using creative digital marketing to boost your omnichannel and brand marketing campaign results.

The digital age has changed the way consumers react and interact with product brands.

Social Media enables them to instantly express their brand experience and share this across a global network.

Grocery shopping figures clearly show a growing trend towards online shopping rather than visiting a physical store. Omnichannel retailing enabled consumers to shop any which way they like…

Bain and Co released figures showing $11 billion, or two-thirds, of the total sales in beauty and hygiene products, will be influenced through digital marketing and online customer experiences.

Traditionally, brand manufacturers and product suppliers relied on fancy TV commercials and price/product promotions. Today, the days of “stack it high and watch it fly” is no longer feasible.

The rapidly changing way that consumers are being influenced in their buying decision also means that category and brand strategies need to evolve.

Innovative businesses thrive by understanding what their market wants, making smart product improvements, and developing new products that meet and exceed their customers’ expectations.

In today’s digital era, influential social media and digital marketing strategies and tactics are crucial for every successful product launch. Using Social Media platforms and online marketplaces can offer marketers the opportunity to communicate in a more personal and creative way.

Digital has now become a MANDATORY component to any New Product Development (NPD), New Product Introduction (NPI), and Go-To-Market Brand Launch Campaign.

Optimising Brand Marketing using Digital

Digital has changed the landscape for consumer brand marketers.
No longer do traditional brand marketing and price promotional campaigns produce the desired results for brand manufacturers or retailers.

EVERY brand manufacturer and product supplier has embarked on their digital transformation project to support key digital brand objectives;

1. Optimising the digital customer experience and journey
2. Increase the engagement and interaction with consumers on social media
3. Support omnichannel marketing (website, marketplaces, retail marketplaces)
4. Increase reach and brand perception.

Digital trends across FMCG and CPG sectors show that marketers have been able not just to capture the consumer at the final buying stage, but also to establish a connected relationship with them from the beginning of the brand launch.

To increase brand reach and adoption, brand marketers need to formulate a holistic digital strategy not just to influence their consumers, but also to engage and connect with them at a personal level.

Distinguishing your brand:

The FMCG sector is congested by numerous “like products”. Having a compelling and engaging digital marketing strategy helps brands to create a unique brand identity. This allows consumers to form a strong opinion of the brand, which will ultimately influence their purchase decision.

Innovative ways to connect brands with consumers:

Consumers are visual creatures, so the more attractive your packaging, the higher the chance of it being noticed. Think about your digital campaigns in much the same way. By making your campaigns visually exciting and engaging, BUT incorporating advanced targeting tools available on Google, Facebook etc, you will quickly and cost-effectively reach a greater audience.

Never underestimate the power of social re-marketing campaigns using digital tracking pixels and social targeting tools.

Increase your marketing ROI and consumer insights knowledge:

No argument from us that TV and radio (perhaps also print) campaigns are effective. However, they are expensive, and the results are extremely hard to measure (in detail). Digital marketing, on the other hand, helps you track and measure and improve every aspect of your campaign.

With the help of analytic tools, brands can recover information about the number of impressions, clicks, conversions and what influenced them to make the purchase decision. More advanced digital campaign applications can automatically refine campaign based upon real-time transaction results when linked to your shopping store.

Increase brand reach and perception:

Brand reach is one of the key measures for any FMCG brand marketer.
This is where the strength of omnichannel marketing proves its value. Not every consumer segment watches TV or reads magazines. Millennials and other generation segments find Social Media, Instagram Stories, YouTube, and global marketplaces such as eBay and Amazon more appealing.

Brand Influencers:

Influencer marketing is proven to be one of the most important digital marketing trends for consumer brands.
With minimal effort (and a small investment) your brand can tap into their vast and loyal network of followers and fans to increase consumer awareness of your product brand.

Personality influencers or brand agency influencers can really boost the credibility and trust of your brand.

Leveraging the functions of mobile devices and apps:

Mobile devices offer fast and easy access to online information. They empower consumers to make more informed purchase decisions at the retail shelf. HARNESS THIS POWER and use this to your advantage. Think about investing in mobile tools with inbuilt location services to personalise the shopping experience for your customers.

Use content marketing to leverage communities (tribes):

If your brand is not seen, then it’s dead!
In a digital world, you want people talking about your brand and engaging with your online campaigns. Consumers are eager to learn how your brand provides them value, and how it will enrich their lives.

A loyal brand following (a tribe) builds brand ambassadors. Utilising social networking groups e.g. Facebook or LinkedIn and publishing informative, educational, and engaging content (blogs), you can drive conversations among your community and develop a loyal audience.

Learn how to become a subject matter expert, and use community group to build brand ambassadors.

Strengthen digital presence through social media:

Facebook is undeniably the most significant avenue for digital marketing and the BEST channel for consumer engagement.

Using advanced social media targeting tools, refine your audience and create focused marketing messages to drive engagement and conversions. Using custom audiences and tracking pixels can help you widen your audience and overall brand reach. Use these tools to also gain deeper insights into consumer behaviour, interests and buying trends.

Give your audience the attention they desire:

Digital can drive audience engagement in real-time.

The use of polls, Q&A, competitions etc on social media can provide an immediate reaction from shoppers. Unlike traditional forms of advertising, brand marketers and can publish content and receive real-time engagement with their online audience.

Conquer the “I want it now” demands of the consumer:

Think about adopting new chatbot technologies to automate the response time from online messaging tools e.g. Facebook Messenger. Chatbots, when set-up correctly can automate real-world conversations with your audience and provide them with information, tips or even help tools.
Victoria Emergency Services have been trialling chatbots to automate and direct support calls.

Adopt a single view of the customer:

Today’s digital tools can provide integration to pretty much any internal CRM or customer database system. It’s paramount that you can link your marketing campaigns, conversations and online behaviour to your contacts in a central system.

Software can help you to use this information to create customer personas which can be used to refine your campaigns, but also identify “like” customers for new business targeting. Having a single view of the customer allows you to control your overall digital customer experience and journey.

Workflow driven personalised email marketing:

Personalised and contextually relevant content is the only way to retain the interest of your audience.

Review your email marketing system and ensure that it supports;
1. Workflow Management – the ability to drip-feed email messages (create sales funnels) for contacts based on their online actions e.g. clicks and opens.

2. Reporting and Analytics – identifying the top 10 openers of the email. Links most clicked. Tracking their digital journey. Trends of that contact across multiple emails

Enhance your online shopping experience:

There isn’t many brand manufacturers or suppliers selling their products on their website.

Traditionally, the distribution channel would always be their loyal retail partner. In today’s market, consumers want to shop wherever and whenever they choose. Brand marketers have had to adopt omnichannel marketing and sales strategy and provide many more purchase options e.g. Google shop, Facebook Marketplace, eBay, Amazon, MyDeal, TradeMe, Kogan, Catch, Alibaba, Jet, Fishpond etc as well as their website shopping store.

This doesn’t mean they abandon their loyal retail partners!
They simply need to adopt a multi-channel sales and distribution model that caters for broader shopper requirements. as an example, buying from your online store might attract a high postage fee as opposed to buying it from your retail partners. There may also be exclusive ranges sold across different locations?

Think global, not just local:

Marketing across digital platforms exposes your brand to the world.
Consider how to support social media and digital marketing across multiple countries and languages. Also think about your sales, distribution, and of course support in these locations.

Develop an omnichannel marketing strategy:

Mix up up your online marketing and digital sales channels.

Developing this unique media mix requires a deep understanding of your customer, the category, and also consumer buying behaviours. By having campaigns and advertisements spread across multiple platforms and channels, brands can develop consumer awareness and influence purchase decisions.

Look at expanding your digital sales channels to areas such as eBay, Amazon, MyDeal, TradeMe, Kogan, Catch, Alibaba, Jet, Fishpond, GraysOnline, Rakuten, Etsy, Newegg, Overstock or even Google shop and Facebook Marketplace.

Supporting Links

How to Develop an eCommerce Program [Learn More]

Optimise your Digital Media Marketing Campaigns [Learn How]

Improve your NPD / NPI Systems and processes [Learn More]

How we can help!

rev™ Branding is a specialist brand agency that has helped some of the world’s leading brands to integrate digital technology with their marketing to drive offline AND online sales.

Over the last 20-years, we’ve worked with 70 of the top 100 Global FMCG / CPG brands to change how they market and sell products and connect their brands with today’s consumer.

Our team creates digital brand experiences and high-performance omnichannel marketing campaigns that allow you to expedite access to new markets and increase sales opportunities.

rev™ Go-to-Shelf Solutions:
• Brand & Product Launch Services
• Category Management Programs
• Sales Training, Coaching and Mentoring
• NPD / NPI / PLM Services
• eCommerce Development.

Want to improve your Product Development & Launch Process?
Book one of our rev™ Go-to-Shelf Business Reviews.

Go-to-Shelf Business Reviews are best suited to brand manufacturers and suppliers, we work across each of your business units (Marketing, Sales, Product Development, Category Management, Manufacturing, and Supply Chain) to benchmark your existing process against industry standards as defined by ECR Global and the Category Management NPD Gate Steps.

Contact our NPD / NPI Expert Robert Durrant on [email protected]
or +61 3 9863-7444 for more details on how we can help your brand.