
So alongside the development of an international marketing capability is a drive to continually improve customer relations. Regular communication is the basis of any good relationship I feel it’s really important in terms of letting customers know you understand their business and that you understand them, he says.
Going forward, I want to establish a one-to-one marketing strategy so it gets to the point where our customers will receive communication from us at exactly the right time and about exactly the right thing so it won’t waste their time: it will be entirely relevant. I think we’re moving into an age where that is entirely feasible.
As an example, he describes a CRM system the organisation has recently put in place, which allows local dealers to know all the machines a customer has, when that company was last visited by a salesman and at what stage they’ll want to repurchase. As everyone gets increasingly time-poor this is the level of service they will be looking for in their business partners, he adds.
One-to-one marketing isn’t just about understanding the individual customer, it’s also about providing an experience for that customer on a level they can engage with, and Wright has strong views on how this trend is changing the face of marketing.
Marketing in general is becoming based more around events and exhibitions where brands form communities of interest, which are driven either through the web or through specific TV channels. Due to the peripheration of channels, general TV advertising is dead brands can never be sure who’s watching their ads, he says. B2B marketing is already there in a way we absolutely understand our audiences as we are forced into being more targeted. This is an area where the world of B2C marketing is following us.
This month for example, JCB is exhibiting at the Conexpo in Las Vegas the world’s largest construction show. It’s about growing our market presence and brand awareness in North America. We’re also holding a conference for all our 1500 dealers from around the world, where we’ll tell them our five year plan, he says. This kind of event marketing is an opportunity to place your customers and partners in a branded environment, which gives you more time to have a conversation with them, providing a truer representation of the brand.
He believes that to win over a B2B audience, it’s important to grab their attention quickly, before spending the rest of the time talking about the brand and its benefits. That’s the main difference between B2B and B2C advertising, he says. Take Cadbury’s Gorilla ad for example. Ninety per cent of it is getting the audience’s attention with just ten per cent at the end showing what the product actually is it doesn’t really tell you much about the brand or the taste of the chocolate. However, in B2B, you need to spend 90 per cent of the time telling your audience about how your product will improve their business.
So what message does JCB feel is important to get across to its audience? Wright says that fundamental is that it is a family business. This is how we differentiate ourselves. We see ourselves as hardworking people who make hardworking machines for hardworking customers. But we also place emphasis on maintaining long-term relationships and believe we have a very human face for example, any of our customers can pick up the phone and speak to our chairman or chief executive.
But although JCB is a brand steeped in tradition, Wright is aware of the need to keep pushing forward. Having worked as a creative director at a creative agency, he says he learnt how world-class brands stay on top of their game by constantly evolving, yet remaining true to their values. Similarly, we want to keep up with our customers’ needs and challenge their expectations, he says. One way we do this is that the design of our machines are under the jurisdiction of the marketing department and we use external influences such as design trends in the automotive industry to keep the look of the products fresh. We believe our machines should look good and connect with customers on an emotional level – even though they use the products for business, they should be as proud of them as they are of the cars they drive.
Capturing the imagination of its audience is an essential ingredient for JCB and its ‘Dancing Diggers’ is another element of this strategy. Demonstrating the strength of the vehicles, the diggers are used in displays at trade shows, where they ‘dance’ and spin the company makes fantastic machines with great benefits and it’s up to the marketing department to bring those benefits to life in imaginative ways, says Wright.
The Dieselmax campaign worked along these lines, providing inspiration, drawing attention and creating an element of surprise. People look at our diggers and see them as clunky machines, says Wright. Actually, they are very sophisticated. Breaking the diesel land speed record gave us the opportunity to demonstrate this and our expertise in technology was highlighted.
JCB is not a brand to rest on its laurels though and it has further surprises up its sleeve, which are yet to be revealed. I relish the challenges working for JCB, adds Wright. I am completely engaged by wanting to do things differently, break the rules, and hold our creative standard up to the automotive industry. So, if 2006 saw JCB break the diesel land speed record, it’s anyone’s guess what 2008 will have in store for the brand. Whatever it is, it certainly won’t be a half-hearted attempt. Watch this space.
Chris Wright will be keynote speaker at the IDM B2B Conference in April – see p44.
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