A nod towards consumer control in the way brands market themselves to an audience isn’t a new concept. Although recent papers, such as The Internet of Things: Building Trust and Maximizing Benefits Through Consumer Control highlight why businesses should allow customers to make their own decisions – which we’ll discuss soon – marketers in the 1950s and 60s were introducing nations to the idea that consumers should have more purchase autonomy, most notably in a 1964 Hertz TV commercial entitled ‘Let Hertz Put You in the Driver’s Seat’.
Since the commercialisation of the internet took off in the mid-1990s, choices for consumers have grown at a rapid pace. Today, Hertz’s message from the 60s has become a reality as billions of consumers are able to access buyers and sellers from anywhere in the world. The arrival of the digital age has streamlined and connected the masses with promises of convenience. In turn, this has increased competition to keep marketers on their toes. Whereas a TV advert in the 50s would reach an audience of millions with little effort, a business today should devise innovative marketing techniques to stand out in a saturated market. The shift from institutional control or a handful of dominant brands to today’s individually-controlled marketplace has created multi-channel campaigns that use offline and online platforms to vie for the attention of the public.
Increased consumer control can have a powerful positive psychological effect on buying behaviour and business perception. As user interactivity has increased and consumer consumption has changed, consumers have become empowered like never before. Consumers now expect a certain level of autonomy over their choices, particularly online. In a 2015 study conducted by Forbes and Elite Daily, 42% of the 1,300 millennials interviewed said that they would even help companies to develop their products and services. Expectations also run high when businesses promise convenience, safety and solutions to our problems. If a campaign strikes the right level of consumer control, trust and loyalty can be won, and consumers will enjoy the interaction rather than feel coerced into a transaction.
Digital platforms are most often associated with the notion of consumer control as users can navigate through web pages to their own preferences rather than static outdoor, advertising or pushy face-to-face efforts. However, as we have seen over the past ten years, online competition can create a fence around smaller businesses, particularly on sites such as Facebook which demand greater ad spends. The majority of customer-facing industries have embraced customisation and personalisation to put their customers in the driver’s seat. Many private healthcare companies for example are reliant on consumer-driven healthcare choices by means of a consumer-controlled payment account. The retail industry is also dictated by customer feedback, which then alters products and prices. Trends that are prevalent online, including the most popular products, can be easily transferred to the shop floor to cater to the needs of consumers.
Ticketmedia recognise that a mix of digital and offline media can elevate a client to new heights. When our clients come to us – some of the biggest in the UK – they have built up a strong foundation and are looking to other channels to boost engagement further. Ticketmedia are globally recognised as the leading authority on ticket advertising of all descriptions, with a proven recall rate of up to 90%. Like digital platforms, our campaigns can be regional or national, however, our low-cost solution avoids stiff competition that can distract and overwhelm users.
Trust is a huge issue that can make or break a business. While others work hard to build up consumer trust, we literally place consumer control in the hands of transport users in a non-invasive, mobile way. Online data also presents a trust issue amongst the public as personal information is often taken without knowledge. Our ticketing system follows a transparent process which captures a targeted but limited amount of valuable data when a deal is used – 82% of customers view accuracy and quality of information as the most important aspect of customer experience in a 2013 survey.
To find out more about our services and exploring the benefits of ticket advertising, contact us today on 0800 0286778.