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Interview with Axel Schomborg, Produkt + Markt "Being close to the customer is indispensable in brand matters"
Interview with Axel Schomborg, Produkt + Markt
"Being close to the customer is indispensable in brand matters"
How can I successfully retain customers in the long term - that's the "one-million-euro question" that every marketeer is asking himself these days. The solution: Knowing the needs and motives of the target group and meeting them with empathy. At least, that's the approach recommended by passionate brand relationship analyst Axel Schomborg, Produkt + Markt.
Your WoM22 web seminar on 11 May is entitled: "Understanding and managing brand loyalty and recommandation behaviour better". What do we not yet understand about this? What makes the topic so complex?
Axel Schomborg: We understand a lot - from the research side, we have all dealt intensively with the drivers of brand loyalty and willingness to recommend and we have very good measurement and analysis options at our disposal.
However, the markets are dynamic on the supply and demand side and also have temporary peculiarities. And so it is important to constantly check and question the chosen approaches, perspectives and contents.
It is becoming increasingly difficult to bind consumers to a brand in the sea of offers. How can companies succeed in establishing loyalty today?
Axel Schomborg: Whether it is actually becoming more difficult to create brand loyalty due to the increasing density of supply is not something I would like to judge in general terms. At first glance, the statement seems plausible. At the same time, we can also observe that it is becoming increasingly possible to convey brand messages more quickly and in a more target-group-specific manner. In addition, in many sectors the spectrum of themes and property facets that can be used on the brand side has become larger. This offers more scope for positioning and differentiation.
Topics such as sustainability are also increasingly present in the brand world. What do you think, to what extent is sustainability relevant for brand loyalty and has an influence on its future viability?
Axel Schomborg: That is a very exciting question. This is exactly what we will be looking at during the web seminar on 11 May - whereby sustainability is only one of several brand topics that we will be examining. This much in advance: As to be expected, the relevance differs depending on the industry. However, we will take a broader look and illuminate the overarching significance of various topics.
What prompted you to take up this topic for WoM22?
Axel Schomborg: The start of the current decade has been very special so far - unfortunately not only in a positive way. The questions of what this does to consumers and how this also changes expectations of brands is something we are increasingly encountering in practice. There is a great deal of interest here. Only with knowledge about and empathy for the needs and motives of the target group can brands act successfully.
Mr Schomborg, you are a passionate brand relationship analyst. What is it about brand relationships that fascinates you personally?
Axel Schomborg: It is the 25% that ultimately makes the difference in brand relationships that fascinates me. To explain, I'll start at the other end: There are key drivers across suppliers in different industries and product areas. These main drivers account for about 75% of brand loyalty. Of course it is exciting to analyse how and to what extent the individual brands serve these main drivers and what potentials exist. It becomes really fascinating when it comes to identifying and analysing the other brand drivers. In other words, those that work alongside the 75%. Because these usually also bring about the necessary differentiation and uniqueness of successful brands.
Produkt + Markt uses online surveys as an analysis tool for brand relationships. Wouldn't face-to-face in-depth interviews be much more effective in understanding the complex relationship construct between consumer and brand?
Axel Schomborg: Being close to the customer is indispensable in brand issues. And when it comes to understanding, we naturally also use qualitative methods. With a lot of empathy on the moderation side, we thus come to understand the target group. But it's also about measuring: Where exactly do brands stand in the competitive environment, how do brands develop, where do brands stand with individual target groups? Online surveys are very important here - sometimes paired with implicit measurement methods. And CATI surveys also have their justified place for certain target groups. Particularly in the B2B sector and in regionally very limited markets, certain target groups can be reached very reliably in this way.
Who should not miss your web seminar?
Axel Schomborg: In the web seminar, we give impulses, tips and tangible information. Therefore, in addition to (operational) market researchers, we also address everyone who is involved in or interested in brand positioning and marketing strategy.
ABOUT
Axel Schomborg is Managing Partner at Produkt + Markt and a passionate brand relationship analyst. As a researcher and certified Agile Coach, he has in-depth experience in classic and agile projects. Professionally, he deals with brands in both the B2C and B2B sectors, based on a broad spectrum of underlying research questions. The use of tools plays an important role - customised to the respective project and combined with a great openness for alternative solutions.
Interview published in German on marktforschung.de
