With a burst of excitement and a flash of color, the Marigold Engage+ launched in Japan. At the invite-only Opening Event, attendees were shown a brand new way to market to consumers in Japan.
Attendees heard from a dozen speakers, including CEO Sameer Kazi, VP and CEO of Japan Mikoto Kato, COO Tak Shirai, and CPO Bill Ingram, as well as a panel of clients. Demo DJs shared live demos of the capabilities of the Customer Engagement Suite.
A Loyalty Solution Suited for the Japanese Market
With several unique challenges to face, Japanese brands need a new solution to reach consumers in a market that’s increasingly shrinking as well one that respects the privacy of consumers in a world that’s increasingly restricting data types.
Every year in Japan, the population is declining by over 500,000 people. Instead of seeking to acquire new customers in a shrinking economy, brands will have to start focusing on retaining customers. Investments that were previously earmarked for attracting new customers will need to be transitioned into marketing efforts that encourage current customer engagement, loyalty, and advocacy.
With the restrictions on third-party data, the loss of cookie-tracking, and the tightening of data and privacy regulations through the GDPR and CCPA, brands have to find new ways to connect with consumers.
That’s not to say that marketers will no longer have the data they need to target consumers, but the current marketing paradigm is shifting, and the brands who embrace marketing that respects the privacy and personal data of consumers will be the ones with the most successful campaigns and the most loyal base.
Connecting with Consumers Emotionally
How do brands connect with consumers? The first step is to try to connect with customers in a genuine and authentic way. This means developing trust — consumers have to believe that you will be respectful of their personal data and their preferences. Brands can do this by gathering a different type of data.
Zero-party data is a class of data that consumers willingly and intentionally share with brands. When brands use zero-party data, there’s no longer a need to infer what customers what, because they’ve already shared it. With this type of data, marketers can go forward into personalizing marketing efforts to the individual consumer, which has been shown to be far more successful than campaigns based on inaccurate and irrelevant data like third-party data.
What does it look like when a zero-party data strategy and a focus on achieving emotional loyalty come together? Watch this short video to see how a better customer experience (based on better data) can drive emotional loyalty.
What the Customer Engagement Suite brings to Japan is a solution for the next generation of marketing. The CES is a vehicle that gathers the zero-party data necessary to marketing efforts and then uses that data to inform future marketing and personalization. By engaging with consumers in this way, brands can have a solid strategy for increasing their Customer Lifetime Value (LTV) and ensuring they’re on the best path to success.
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