Discover the value of ‘corpsumer communications’

A successful Corpsumer Communications strategy brings to life a distinctive point of view or positioning or ‘clear airspace free from competition’. If done well, it will shape perception of your brand to build trust, reputation and leadership, and drive affinity for your products and services at point of sale.

The pandemic has taken its toll in many ways—lives and jobs lost and seismic shifts in audience behaviours that have redefined the way brands should connect. It has seen consumers actively empowering themselves with health knowledge to focus on achieving optimal health. Through this digital empowerment they are discerning, armed with substantial information about ingredients and their efficacy. They are seeking truth more than ever before and want to know that a nutritional product will deliver on its promise with value and convenience and, importantly, the brand will deliver evidence-based contextual information that will further take them towards their health goals.

The rise of digital marketplaces that not only offer product but bespoke healthcare consultations in real time, to inform suitable products based on real health needs, is testament to the trust consumers are putting with brands, which previously was the domain of a face-to-face consultation with a healthcare practitioner. This presents a wide-open space for raw material suppliers and brand holders to find a gap to fill with relevant, valuable health education.

What are the key Corpsumer Communications strategy tactics?

• Develop a distinctive narrative
  One that is designed to build trust and leadership, is clear of competitor narrative, and is meaningful for the consumer audience. Make sure the business can deliver on the promise. If done well, infused with creativity which marries science with emotion, it will deliver profile prominence for your brand, giving birth to ‘cult’ status evidenced with up-and-coming disruptor ingredients and brands.
   
• Understand your audience needs
  Ask what matters to your audience to ensure relevance and a true value-exchange. Sell health empowerment ideas, not only specific product benefits. If your information is valuable, buyers will consider product purchase.
   
• Evidence for trust
  Scientific evidence is the most powerful proof point for building trust, but remember trust needs to be layered into all aspects of a brand from growing to manufacturing, across the entire supply chain. Trust is built over years, destroyed in minutes. Guard it as your most precious brand asset. Give information away freely, to accrue brand value, not sales.
   
• Address a specific need
  If your ingredient is proven to support sleep, focus on that narrative and repeat over and over again with broader information than just the product claims until it becomes automatically associated with the perception of your brand.
   
• Earn the respect of Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs)
  Independent expert endorsement is the secret weapon in a Corpsumer Communications strategy, which engenders trust and can trigger a juggernaut. Note, it takes time to build a trusted valuable relationship with experts which are long term and sustainable.
   
• Show 100% transparency
  Trust is built on transparency, from soil to capsule, and all supply chain activities in between. Traceability is the number one request from consumers, ensure business decisions and communications are stress-tested through the ‘transparency lens’.
   
• Commit to making a difference
  Brands that lead with purpose that is relevant to their audience are destined to build stronger relationships with their audiences than those who focus solely on sales and the bottom line. Focus on doing good firstly by your people and the planet, and then align with a cause that sits with your brand, such as the UN Sustainability goals; supporting diversity and inclusion; or taking a stand against Modern Slavery.

6AM’s precision methodology for delivering Corpsumer Communications and other work is focussed on building share of voice or awareness that is supporting commercial outcomes. We call it ‘Effective Share of Voice (ESOV)’. It’s about one critical outcome: effectiveness, which must cut through the hyper-connected, multi-channel noise today’s consumer navigates. It is designed to build awareness, reputation and ultimately a return on investment.

Gillian Fish, CEO, The 6AM Agency, will discuss more on Leveraging 'Corpsumer communication' for brand leadership in a keynote presentation as part of our Vitafoods Europe this September 27.

Learn more and register for free to attend the Vitafoods Europe 2021.