Whiplash Team, 20th May 2022
Communicating well is essential to gaining consumer trust
What we say, what we do not say, what we do, … everything is communication. Every action – and even its lack – carries an implicit message. In relation to organizations, each of these messages is added to the set of perceptions that make up the brand image in the consumer’s mind.
In the current scenario and, above all, since the emergence of social networks, the recipient has gone from being a passive subject to an active one, who reworks the message and filters it, to then come back in the form of feedback.
The receiver is no longer just a consumer of the information provided by the brands. Now you have the possibility to produce your own content. He/she can use his/her own social networks to comment on our brand or our products.
In short, re-elaborate the messages that we have provided and distribute them to his/her network of contacts. He/she has gone from being a mere consumer of information to being a “prosumer”.
Everything communicates
It is paradoxical then that, in the age of hyper-communication, many organizations relegate communication to an accessory activity.
Or what is even worse, is that they do not seem to realize that everything, absolutely everything, communicates: what we do, what we do not do, what we say, and what we not say, is part of the message that we send out to our recipients. In the context of organizations and brands, these are the users themselves
Every action we take is ultimately an act of communication. Each act implicitly carries a message that is incorporated into the set of perceptions and concepts that arise in the mind of the consumer when he/she meets the brand.
Every message, voluntary or not, has an impact on the image of the brand, so it is important to understand that it is impossible not to communicate. In short, all behaviour is a form of communication and just as there is no “anti-behaviour”, there is also no “anti-communication”.
Clarity and coherence with the brand purpose
Thinking carefully about what we want to communicate is fundamental. In addition, it must be aligned with the purpose of the brand and with those values that it claims to defend.
If the message is not clear, conceptually and semantically, if it is not well elaborated, it is very possible that the receiver does not understand what we have wanted to communicate. The message to be assimilated will be the one re-elaborated from the perception and frames of reference.
There are multiple examples of failed campaigns, which have had an adverse effect on brands. Without going too far, in 2017 Nivea launched a campaign aimed at the Middle Eastern market with the slogan “White is purity”. The intention was to highlight the benefits of their Invisible Black and White deodorant.
The reactions were swift. The announcement caused an enormous stir on social networks and was labeled as racist. The Beiersdorf Group, the owner of Nivea, was forced to apologize and withdraw the campaign.
Thus, understanding that business communication is one of the areas of brand management is essential for organizations. Communication strategies, whether corporate or product, must be a product of reflection, be designed considering the expectations and needs of users and must be promoted by the company’s management, aligned with the identity, purpose, and values of the brand.
