Consumer Insight and Campaign Strategy: Ceat Demonstrates the Link
How often do you find yourself huddled in a brainstorming session, wondering which is the best possible route to take for your brand? Fact is, if you want to figure out a winning strategy to reach out to customers, start by involving them in the process.
Market research is increasingly leaning towards building better consumer insight. What is it that they are really looking for? What are the problems they face?
The results can often be very surprising, throwing a completely new spin on your strategy. And, present a perspective that hits the bullseye and communicates with the consumer on a personal level that he or she ‘gets’.
A recent example is the campaign by Ceat Tyres that plays on the various fetishes people have when it comes to accessorizing their cars.
From bobbing dashboard toys to fancy lights, a mini-fridge to Tibetan flags, seat covers to surround sound music systems- there’s a lot of noise around personalizing your car. But tyres are usually the last thing on the minds of the consumer. Enter Ceat Milaze-X3 the tyre built to last 1 Lakh kilometres.
What makes this campaign tick is the fact that it rests strongly on consumer insight. Most car owners are more interested in the exterior of their car rather than worrying about the actual components that make the driving experience stress-free. And tyres are usually at the bottom of that list even though they take the hardest blows, becoming the most abused part of your vehicle.
Interestingly, the ad does not show the tyre even once, unlike others in the segment. The 30 second TVC, wakes you up to the significance of this neglected but vital part of your car. It points out the problem, creates an awareness about it and then offers the solution. And therefore, it works.
Which brings us to the point- why should consumer insight matter?
- There are plenty of advantages to investing in consumer insight strategy. For starters, talking to them directly about their pain points and expectations can save a company more time and money that would otherwise have been spent on random run-of-the-mill ideas that do not get the message across. It includes everything you need to map out your marketing plan. The budget, the timeline, the purpose, the scope and constraints. This makes the approach you need to take, more targeted and efficient.
- It makes the customer feel valued for sure. Knowing that their opinions matter helps them latch on to the brand more easily.
- Not only does the insight help you figure out the marketing tactics but can be used to manufacture better products as well. Knowing that people don’t pay attention to their tyres, Ceat’s new generation tread compound delays the need to replace tyres often.
The Ceat TVC is another example of customer insight being the driving force behind a successful branding strategy. As more account planners take into stock the value of consumer insight strategy, the communication is becoming increasingly crisp and to-the-point.