Amplify and aid consumers’ product experience.
Enabling consumers to engage with the product helps new launches and establishing new categories. Tasks such as product sampling and creating unique experiences lead to the generation of word of mouth and build awareness, consideration and purchase. Most important is the need to break through the advertising clutter and the information overload characterizing our world today. Digital and technology provide many opportunities to create interactions that enable consumers to get a virtual experience to draw them to try out the product. Cosmetics companies, for instance, leverage virtual makeup applicators to attract consumers and drive category penetration.
Getting store to the consumer instead of the consumer to store.
From generating footfalls to stores and traffic to e-commerce portals to final purchase conversions, these interventions help in many ways. To power the launch of a cutting-edge new product from a leading watch brand, we created the world’s first light-powered Android, IOS and Facebook apps and an augmented reality watch simulator. The innovation needed chartering untested waters, and the team had to go through iteration after iteration to get it right. But it was all worthwhile seeing tremendous sales, imagery and industry recognition returns. The light-powered powered app and augmented reality simulator helped consumers interact with the watch without stepping into the store. Amplifying the innovation through media generated word of mouth and piqued consumer interest.
Enablers for powerful interventions leveraging digital and technology.
There are several plug-and-play solutions already available. Keep a constant lookout and stay updated on new developments in the space. Create an ecosystem of digital and tech solution partners. Apply the 70:20:10 rule to investment deployment – 70% investments in what is proven to work, 20% in new areas successfully tested and 10% in new unexplored regions where the company is prepared to experiment and fail. Trust plays an important role, especially with partners in this process. For example, we attempted a new lenticular technology for an outdoor campaign, which unfortunately did not work. Our client fully trusted and supported us in the experiment. Partners on their part need to meticulously map out the implementation and create a learning document for both success and failure. Ultimately, success hinges on an innovation mindset and the power of the idea behind the execution.