The world of brands is competitive, and quite like the dating scene as I would like to describe it. Brands need to work hard to secure their place in the market and position themselves to always stay top of mind – pretty much do what it takes to get those consumers to vow their loyalty to you and make you a part of their lifestyle.
This means a relationship needs to be formed; and as a brand, that means you need to ‘woe’ and ‘court’ your potential… take them on a couple of dates to influence the reasons why they should choose you.
It is key for any organisation looking to build a strong brand to understand that this is a two-way street. As a brand, you can’t, and simply won’t, get to the top without your stakeholders. The authenticity and credibility of any strong brand is dependent on and influenced by how it “shows up” at every consumer interaction; just like its power lies in hearts and minds of consumers.
In this edition of ‘XX first dates’ we look at a brand that seems to be doing something right on their ‘consumer dates’.
Instituted in 2008, MiWay Insurance is one of the youngest short-term insurers in the country and already boast several achievements[i] that speak to a positive working environment and company culture.[i] These awards are an indication that the staff behind the brand understand their role in delivering the brand promise to its consumers, so much so that they live it out[ii].
Although it may almost sound simple and easy to get right if you have the right team behind you, brands don’t always get it right, but they certainly keep trying.
So how does MiWay do it?
“A point of contact is any moment at which the brand performs or expresses itself and influences what stakeholders think, feel and believe about the brand.”
Klopper and North (2011:155)
One of the key elements in the consumer contact journey is the internal brand culture and positioning. A brand simply cannot sustain an external brand identity that isn’t understood and lived out internally. Thus, it is key for a brand to put as much effort in successfully building the same brand internally as it is externally. Afterall, it starts on the inside.
Using Klopper and North (2011:161)’s five steps of basic brand contact and planning process, we’re going to unpack the MiWay customer journey to see how this brand gets it right.
- All points of contact
MiWay has several touch points; from call centres to walk-ins, digital platforms like social media platforms, the website, mailers etc. As a corporate service brand, even platforms like the broadcast media channels consumers tune in to and social events they are interested in are opportunities to show up and cements its brand.
The packaging of the brand messaging and delivery needs to be consistent. MiWay has its ear on the ground when it comes to key touch points, and, understands where and how it needs to express and present its brand from the inside out. The message is made clear on how its staff is guided to live out the brand purpose and deliver on its promise[i].
- Primary brand contact patterns
According to Klopper and North (2011:166), a contact pattern looks at the common touchpoint journey of interaction between a stakeholder group and the brand. With social media being one of MiWay’s main consumer contact point for engagement and telling the story of MiWay, the brand has taken it a step further and dedicated one of their social media platforms to their staff. MiWay’s Instagram page[ii] has emerged as their primary contact point when it comes to their internal marketing efforts. The platform is about the staff journey – their internal story.
- Most important brand contact points
As a brand whose product offering is a service to consumer lifestyles, there are certain engagements that will certainly trump others when it comes to influencing consumer perception. I would identify the following areas as important brand contact points where the most effort needs to be driven on a consistent basis internally. The staff in these areas carry a responsibility that could make or break the brand when engaging with consumers, as this is where clients are bound to interact with the internal ‘brand ambassadors’:
- Sales Call Centre – engaging with an agent after buying a new car or when switching insurance;
- The MiWay reception area and staff when clients do walk-ins;
- The social media platforms when the brand posts or engages with their followers;
- The Client Services and Claims call centre when engaging on your cover; and
- The communities they operate in and where their staff resonate[iii]
These are what I would label as the main “dates” where MiWay has identified they need to show up both internally and externally to express their brand story.
- Brand contact cohesion strategy
MiWay is firm about their brand identity and purpose, so it’s key for them to have a strategy in place that ensures that no matter where their clients engage with them, they trust they will be enabled to live their way – one way or another. To further push this cohesion, they have several internal offerings for staff to live their way while living out the brand as ambassadors.[iv]
- Managing the brand contact cohesion strategy
At the crux of it all, if you’re going to trust your internal stakeholders to represent your brand, you’re going to need to walk-the-talk as management. MiWay doesn’t always get it right[v], but the chief whip of the ship understands that leadership and management play an important role in managing a cohesive brand contact strategy[vi].
Kotler & Keller (2006) defined internal marketing as the task of successfully hiring, training and motivating able employees to serve the customer well. It seems that MiWay has grasped this concept and is following this very path in the pursuit of giving their clients those amazing ‘XX first dates’[i]
[i]https://www.mediaupdate.co.za/marketing/146594/miway-insurance-rated-as-top-insurer-in-sa
[i]https://www.miway.co.za/blog/in-the-news/miway-insurance-scoops-premier-ask-afrika-icon-brands-survey-award
[i]https://www.miway.co.za/about-miway/service-delivery-commitments
[ii]https://www.instagram.com/miwayinsurance/
[iii]http://spice4life.co.za/champions-of-change/miway-staff-keep-mandelas-legacy-alive/
[iv]https://www.miway.co.za/about-miway/careers
[v]https://www.indeed.co.za/cmp/Miway/reviews
[vi]https://www.miway.co.za/blog/ceo/how-do-you-build-a-successful-business
[i]https://journals.co.za/content/mantod/30/3/EJC71560#abstract_content
[ii]https://careers.sanlamcloud.co.za/MiWay/
[i]https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Flvng4chrst.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2019%2F01%2Fpickme4-960×675.jpg&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Flvng4chrst.com%2Fpick-me-culture%2F&tbnid=l4GdAMio0cUS7M&vet=12ahUKEwirua6jjdfoAhVHLxoKHSlSD5gQMygBegUIARD_AQ..i&docid=tlVeeTrtwYcSRM&w=960&h=675&q=pick%20me&ved=2ahUKEwirua6jjdfoAhVHLxoKHSlSD5gQMygBegUIARD_AQ
