With the advent of mobile technology, Our primary responsibility being marketers is to reach out and assist customers in times of need. Margo Georgiadis Google’s President for the Americas shines the spotlight on three brands at the forefront of winning these moments.
Every second your brain is required to deal with 400 million bits of data. 1 If you think that’s something, it’s due to the fact that it’s … apart from the handful of Google engineers I’ve met the majority of us only process around 60 bits at a time.
Scientists have compared it with shining a spotlight. The brain is focused on the subject matter and switches off the lights for everything else. As an example, I was helping my daughter look for the perfect car. Naturally, I started with the brands I was familiar with the best. However, as I searched for other brands, I came across a variety of other manufacturers, particularly those that could help with the issues that I needed to answer: What do the ratings for crash tests mean? Does it get good gas mileage? Does the value of resales remain the same? You wouldn’t believe it: the moment my “spotlight” changed I began to see this brand everywhere in the driveway of my neighbor’s or right in my path in the intersection at stoplights.
We eventually bought an item from these companies the Nissan Versa. It has made me realize that our main role being marketers, is show up and help in these small-scale moments where one is seeking out answers, gaining knowledge, or making a decision. Moments in which the focus of attention is shining on us. Nowadays, the majority of these moments happen via our smartphones.
Micro-moments have revolutionized the process of making a decision for consumers across all industries. Nowadays, micro-moments are the place the places where consumers’ hearts minds and money are being fought and lost. This is good news for all marketers. The biggest change for marketers is the chance to “be there and offer value” to customers during their micro-moments.
In my role as the head of the Americas team at Google, I have the opportunity to learn from a variety of brands. Today, I’d like to give examples from three brands that are at the forefront of the battle for these micro-moments.
“Consumers send messages about themselves across the internet and ask us to help them resolve their issues. This presents a huge opportunity for us to provide their requirements in tiny moments.” Eric Reynolds CMO of Clorox
Clorox
Clorox’s mission is to make our lives more enjoyable, each and every day. Everything from Clorox bleach Hidden Valley ranch dressing to Fresh Step cat litter, the products of the company are a vital part of our everyday routine.
Clorox marketers and brands have capitalized on micro-moments using a method that allows them to stop interrupting the content that people are interested in and begin to become the content that people are looking for. “It’s our obligation to satisfy the expectations of consumers and to be more flexible to their needs,” Eric Reynolds, CMO of Clorox. Eric Reynolds, CMO of Clorox. “Consumers post messages about themselves on the internet asking us to assist them in solving their issues. Through harnessing this information and intelligence that it provides, we have an opportunity to fulfill their demands in micro-moments and to keep our brands at the top of their minds.”
This specialized approach of Clorox brands to detecting and responding to signals has necessitated an effort to adopt the latest technologies that allow them to convert data into insights and also to investigate capabilities for measuring in real-time. This has involved a team effort of multiple disciplines, including Marketing Communications, IT, Insights and Analytics, as well as Marketing Communications. Marketing.
For instance, someone searching for ideas for a game-day brunch is greeted with an a:15-minute recipe of Hidden Valley to ranch up their menus. Anyone looking to learn about the possibility of the flu prevalent in their area is greeted with Preventive Tips from the Clorox Cold and Flu tracker at Clorox.com. Anyone looking to enjoy the company of fuzzy cats is greeted with cat-related videos on Fresh Step Lick on YouTube.
“Since consumers are more attracted to engaging experiences and immersive content, this micro-moment method can enhance Clorox brands’ capacity to create lasting relationships with our customers,” says Mr. Reynolds.
What’s the result? Clorox is determined to assist their customers repeatedly again during these small-sized moments and so they’ve committed 40 percent of their advertising budget to digital platforms, nearly 30% of which is today consumed through smartphones.
“Winning micro-moments will allow us to attract customers to our platform, and to make them loyal customers.” –Pepijn Rijvers, CMO of Booking.com
Booking.com
Booking.com boasts of their uncompromising approach to turning “lookers to bookers.” Since they are a direct response-oriented advertiser, this is that they are focused on converting every advertisement into an actual transaction. “If the consumer does not have a motive to buy, it’s not a good decision to make,” Darren Huston, the CEO of Booking.com has stated about the company’s philosophy of marketing.
It’s not a surprise that micro-moments of travel are playing a key part in the US expansion strategy of Amsterdam-based Booking.com.
Based on Pepijn Rijvers, CMO of Booking.com, “In the U.S. we’re an emerging brand. In comparison to the big names such as Expedia as well as Airbnb, Booking.com is relatively new to US customers.” To get around this obstacle, Booking.com built a US-based marketing team whose primary task is to comprehend Americans traveling micro-moments in their travel and meet the needs of travelers better than any other.
The team that is now in place “obsesses with ensuring that the conversations we engage with users as well as in our marketing as well as in our frontends are as effective as it could be. Marketing communication for us is focused on being able to respond to questions from customers in the smallest detail, the most precise, and most precise method. Making these small-scale moments count is what will allow us to bring these customers to our platform, and turn them into loyal customers and help us transform from a brand that is a challenger to an authority in the view of US customers.”
The result? Booking.com’s US approach helped parent company The Priceline Group accelerate their global hotel business, which booked an additional 27% of rooms at the end of 2015 than the same period in the previous one. 3
“One of 20 Google searches is related to information on health. We’re focusing on developing tools that will help us get present and solve real issues for them in all those micro-moments.” Brian Tilzer, Chief of Digital Officer of CVS Health
CVS Health
Fast Company deemed CVS Health, American health, and pharmacy company, one of the top 3 most innovative companies of the year 2016. Why? When rivals are closing their stores, CVS is embracing digital to assist people in managing their health online in micro-moments and is transforming their business in the process.
CVS Health launched its Digital Innovation Lab in Boston in mid-2015. The lab has already created digital tools that address the real issues. “We know that 1 in 20 Google searches is for information about health four,” says Brian Tilzer Chief Digital Officer of CVS Health. “This is a sign of our customers’ growing preference to monitor their health online through micro-moments throughout their lives. We’re working on creating tools that allow us to provide solutions to the real issues for them in those micro-moments.”
Think about Cathy Five and 45, a woman with two children. Cathy is in charge of her family’s prescriptions and monitors daily medication for her ailing father. CVS Health saw the frustration that many of their customers like Cathy had to face when trying to complete the tasks of having to deal with papers, phone calls, and waiting in lines. Therefore, they decided to make the process easier for her, allowing her to get these tasks completed quickly and effortlessly using her mobile.
For instance, by downloading the CVS/pharmacy mobile application for both her dad and herself, Cathy can set reminders for him to take his medicine and then load the reminders onto the Apple watch. When her husband’s insurance provider, Cathy simply scans his new insurance card to inform CVS about the new insurance carrier. Cathy is also signed up to receive notifications on her mobile when she visits a CVS/pharmacy to ensure that her family’s medication is ready to pick up when she steps into the pharmacy.
CVS Health has seen the real-time impact that these digital technologies can have on millions of individuals such as Cathy third of its customers utilize CVS Health’s digital tools and in line with the latest research conducted by the research arm of the company the people who utilize such tools have a higher likelihood take their prescribed medications and are more likely to stick to their medication. To continue to see this growth, CVS Health has increased its investment in digital five times over the past two years.
These brands are capturing micro-moments due to three things extremely effectively. First, they’re there. When and wherever potential customers require assistance or information they’re meeting the need. They are also effective. They can provide the correct solution to the most appropriate person at exactly the time they require it. They also must be accountable, ensuring that their efforts are generating brand awareness and bottom-line outcomes. The brands that can get this right and make more of the “spotlight,” will be those that are able to win over their customers.
