Downloads:

Consumers Pull CPG Manufacturers Online

Consumer packaged goods manufacturers and marketers are going where the consumer wants to forge relationships with brands nowadays: online, reports DM News. Interactive customer relationship marketing programs focus on loyalty, while enjoying lower-cost entry points and simple means of communication.

The interactive medium can build strong customer relationships because it can be based on something beyond the product, and put the consumer in control.

Some companies use online tools to give consumers the control to self-diagnose a need and to immediately supply them with solutions. Procter & Gamble has a rich media application, called Mr. Clean Bathroom Explorer, which allows customers to view a customized solution to their need, while tracking the user’s path for market research.

Advocacy enablers give consumers control of the brand. Unpaid product mentions in message boards or blogs and homemade TV spots that circulate the web may scare brand managers, but they can also build relationships with consumers by associating a feeling of ownership with the brand.

Interactive media lets brands come together around a consumer interest group, creating collective marketing campaigns.