REVERSE MARKETING

People want to be told what to do so badly that they'll listen to anyone Don Draper

Businesses are adopting varied methods of marketing – from advertising to promotions, public relations and sales – and are spending a sizeable chunk of their profit on marketing their product or service. Since Marketing has such a huge impact on businesses, business experts have been coming up with varied forms of marketing strategy – all in a bid to get to the attention of their target consumers.

Reverse Marketing is one such marketing strategy, which is slowly yet steadily becoming the most preferred way of marketing for businesses. When Tom Fishburne said “the best marketing does not feel like marketing at all”, he was – in all probability- referring to the concept of Reverse Marketing.

WHAT IS REVERSE MARKETING?

Reverse Marketing is a concept of marketing in which the customer seeks the firm rather than marketers seeking the customer. In fact, this method is similar to reverse psychology wherein we make another person do or say something by telling them the contrary of what is preferred.

In Simple words, reverse marketing doesn’t exist to convince someone to buy something. Instead, it causes intrigue and attracts interest.

WHY DO WE USE REVERSE MARKETING?

Improve brand image

Companies that feature advertising on their companies’ principles, social responsibility and ethical profile create customer loyalty because customers believe they are not supporting a mass-producing socially reprobated conglomerate.

Shun “coercive marketing” strategies

Many companies focus their efforts on hard selling to new customers and upselling or cross selling to the customers they already have, however reverse marketing focuses on enriching the lives of their customers through knowledge and education. They teach them how to gain maximum benefit from the products they already have and support them when choosing new or additional products.

Cuts out “hard sales” and abrasive tactics

Sales tactics push for the purchase of products designed to fix specific problems, but the attraction-marketing model enforces the building of relationships and ensures rapport so the customers’ needs are met.

Build relationships with customers

Once the customer recognizes your brand or company as an authority, they do all the searching and find your product through all the help and advice you have offered them. This way through the relationship that was constructed over time, they develop confidence in your firm to offer them benefits and useful products or service.

HOW DO YOU MAKE A REVERSE MARKETING PLAN?

1. The first step of any reverse marketing plan should be an honest assessment of the company’s current image, the customers it wants to attract, and what those customers value. This is vital to crafting marketing materials that will connect with customers in a meaningful way.

2. The Company could survey customers in the store and on the company website, asking what kinds of products they want, what compels them to buy a product, and how many products they are likely to buy every month. Any way to gather useful data about customer desire and behaviour will lead to a more successful campaign.

3. Once the store has collected the market data, it can identify that its ideal customers are most interested in the quality of the products they buy. Customers need to see it as an act of good will and a demonstration that the staff of the store are people who care about the product as much as customers do. Building trust between a business and customers can bring customers to the business repeatedly and on their own, rather than to simply seek out one particular product.

4. To test the effectiveness of this campaign, the book store should track any change in business during the campaign. If sales change, it is likely as a result of the campaign.

Let’s take an example of real life:

During the national economic downturn that began in 2008, many companies saw their equity suffer. In a time where consumers were buying less and saving more, how did a boutique outdoor clothing company like Patagonia see its sales skyrocket between 2008 and 2011? In short, they understood and respected their customers.

Rather than attempting to compete with other outdoor clothing companies in the marketplace and trying to convince consumers that its products were the best, Patagonia began building an image of respect between its customers and itself. In an infamous campaign on “Cyber Monday” 2011, Patagonia ran an ad that depicted one of its jackets with the text “Don’t Buy This Jacket.”

The online “Don’t Buy This” advertisements tied into a larger campaign that asked consumers to think twice about every purchase they made, especially during a buying frenzy like Cyber Monday. Patagonia created informative materials about how much waste and pollution is created by thoughtless consumerism. The company’s real message wasn’t to abstain from buying Patagonia products; it was to depict Patagonia as a company that is more concerned with sustainability and respect than its own profits. This message connected with Patagonia’s outdoorsy, green-thinking customers, and actually increased the company’s sales in a very effective form of reverse marketing.

WHAT NOT TO DO IN YOUR REVERSE MARKETING CAMPAIGN

Don’t use “Push” Marketing

This method puts products in front of customers using big ad campaigns and attention-grabbing headlines and claims. Instead think if we build relationships they will come.

Don’t buy leads and spam prospects with advertising

The old way of direct marketing often encouraged cold calling approaches that meant purchasing people’s information and constantly bombarding them with your offers. Instead let the customers find you through knowledge of your company values, brand positioning, and product reputation.

Don’t use scare tactics

Instead inform your customers and let them make informed choices on their own.

Not deliver what is promised

It goes without saying that integrity is attractive and so in order to attract new and retain loyal customers, do what you say you will in your advertising or do not include it in the marketing promise.

Offer something that has no value to the customer

Many firms seek out problems and simply create products to solve them. However, customers need more value than having one size fits all solution shoved into their shopping carts. Give customers value and you will gain their loyalty.

EXAMPLES OF REVERSE MARKETING

Dove

Dove has been trying to innovate for some time now and has released videos that appeal to the viewer’s emotion.

In the “portraits of real beauty” campaign, for example, the company shows women who describe themselves for a sketch. Then, the specialist creates an image of the same woman, from the perception of someone close to her, after which the two drawings are compared.

The idea is to show that most women cannot see their own beauty and improve their self-esteem, not selling a specific product.

https://youtu.be/litXW91UauE

Nike

To reinforce the connection with the Brazilian population, Nike created a video that shows Brazilians playing football in various contexts.

Where the main message is not to encourage a purchase, but the phrase “dare to be Brazilian”.

https://youtu.be/TDIUGVO5DbY

Walmart

Produced by Walmart Canada, the film shows the daily challenges faced by mothers, rather than an aggressive approach to showing what is sold in the store or announcing a promotion.

The focus is on the consumer experience. The brand appears only in the final moments when the mother goes shopping for her daughter’s birthday party.

https://youtu.be/LO_b8iVXIGQ

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