American society is intrigued by image. Consider this related word
– imagine. Disney is all about the customer experience and emotionally and
magically transports guests to another time or place. Image is often associated
with entertainment, fashion, and technology markets. Corporate image is the
reputation of an organization viewed by its various stakeholders – investors,
employees, customers, business partners, communities, etc. All companies have a
singular corporate personality that differentiates them from their rivals. The
communication challenge is to manage and enhance the firm’s identity over time.
A perceived image is based on two components: 1) what the company
does and says, and 2) what the customers/market say about the organization -
this is more important. Companies must manage a strong IMC (integrated
marketing communications) program consisting of advertising, selling, sales
promotion, online, social media, and public relations activities.
Customer-generated content such as Facebook posts, tweets, blogs, and online
communities can dramatically impact organizational performance.
Perhaps your company is not a global giant – does image research
make sense for you? Consider these seven queries as you revisit your marketing
communications strategy: 1) How important is image in your value proposition?, 2) Should it be even more important?, 3) Does your image clearly resonate with your
target market?, 4) How can you get your customers and the market to share more
positive messages about your company?, 5) What is your main point of differentiation
from your competitors?, 6) Should coolness be a major or minor part of your IMC
strategy?, and 7) How can you best tell your business story to communicate value?
This blog post is the 6th in a series extracted from Superior Customer Value – Finding and Keeping
Customers in the Now Economy, 4th Ed. (2019, Routledge Publishing/ Taylor & Francis). For further information contact Art Weinstein at artweinstein9@gmail.com, 954-309-0901, www.artweinstein.com
