Even in these hard times when we are all keeping a tight rein on our purse strings, brand loyalty doesn’t just come down to cost and quality, but it’s also about the customer experience.

I shop at M&S because of the quality of goods that they offer and the positive experience – staff are friendly and knowledgeable, paying is quick and easy and any problems I’ve ever had are quickly resolved.

I am now a member of its Premium Club – this entitles me to a number of benefits including drinks vouchers to use in the restaurant, triple points on every purchase and free holiday insurance for the whole family.

This makes me feel like they’ve gone that extra mile to make me feel valued, which in turn makes me more likely to return and talk to others about my positive experience.

But customer service isn’t just about large corporates. My butcher not only provides me with excellent personal service and high quality meat, he also has a customer newsletter highlighting the special offers available, and gives his customers a loyalty card with rewards for frequent visits.

We all know that a bad customer experience – whether that be a refusal to refund an item, slow delivery, confusing promotions or rude staff – will make us much less likely to return and more likely to talk about the negative experience with friends and on social networks such as Twitter.

With more and more consumers heading to social networks to vent their frustrations and ask questions of the brand, it’s also vital to have a dedicated customer service presence online. Brands must reply quickly, accurately and politely to show the customer, and anyone else reading the query, that they are helpful and on the ball.

Those who get the customer service right will find it forms a solid basis for trading in 2012.

This post was written by Wendy Connolly and she’d love your feedback.

One of our favourite campaigns of 2011 from the talented teams at One Marketing Communications was the United Utilities‘ ice sculpture at Manchester Piccadilly train station.

The Get Winter Wise campaign – a drive to help North West householders beat burst pipes this winter – launched with a huge 11ft by 11ft ice lounge.

The display, which took four ice sculptors from Liverpool-based Glacial Art a whopping 60 hours to complete, included burst pipes spewing water into an everyday front room as an unsuspecting ice man sat on the sofa.

The full service campaign will also include the distribution of Winter Wise packs across the region, radio adverts, outdoor advertising and a PR campaign targeting the north west.

Wayne Silver, business development manager at One Marketing Communications, said: “The campaign will help people get ready for winter by offering lots of useful information across different channels that all lead back to the website.”

Rose Francis of United Utilities, said: “Winter weather can bring misery to people in their homes and lasts year’s extreme weather and the coldest December for 100 years resulted in our customers suffering from frozen and burst pipes across the North West.  Over Christmas and New Year we had a record 80,000 calls into our contact centre from customers reporting that they had no water due to frozen and burst pipes.

“Every year, thousands of people are caught out by the cold weather and fall victim to the misery of frozen and burst pipes which can lead to the expense and inconvenience of a flood in the home, or no water at all. Most of the time we can only give them advice, because the pipes affected belong to them, not us.

“There’s vital information on our website and we are also handing out the Get Winter Wise packs throughout the North West.”

If you live outside the world of rugby league, you may not have noticed this brilliant piece of PR and viral marketing from the folks at Love Rugby League.

I ask you to put down your pens for a moment and even if you’re not a sport lover, watch this video… Love Rugby League’s 2011 Season Review…. in Lego.

Uploaded only on Monday (21st) the video has already received over 40,000 hits on You Tube, as well as numerous Tweets and Facebook messages.

Even better, the video also featured on Granada Reports and in The Sun among others, further raising the profile of Love Rugby League, not to mention the sport itself.

Such a simple idea that apparently took two pain-staking months to complete – and it’s proved to be a massive hit.

Can’t wait to see what next season brings!

Blog by Robyn Percy

Last week’s changes to Facebook’s newsfeed ruffled a few feathers (for a change) but it got me thinking about one thing I can’t wait to be more prevalent on the site.

Real world liking.

The idea is simple – visitors to an event will be given an RFID-equipped wristband or smartcard which they connect to their Facebook profile. If they like something (or someone!) they see at the event, they swipe the item’s reader and hey presto, it appears as a like on their profile.

The instantaneous nature of the like saves time later when trying to find the product on Facebook or online and means the user can make fewer notes about the product.

Imagine you’re a journalist visiting the Kitchen, Bedroom and Bathroom show at the NEC for example. Note making would become minimal – simply swipe the product you like and return to it later on Facebook – complete with image and link to the company’s profile page.

Or you’re a blogger visiting The Clothes Show – dashing to the catwalk you spot a designer you love – but don’t have time to stop and chat to. Swipe their stand and the information is there for you post catwalk.

Or you’re at a networking event and instead of handing out hundreds of cards you can just swipe your smartcard with someone else’s over a reader and you’re instantly Facebook friends.

What’s not to love?

See examples of how Renault and Coca Cola (always ahead of the game!) have already used the technology.

Looking forward to seeing this one develop!

Blog by Robyn Percy

How an eye-catching Facebook advertisement can create a brand ambassador

Watching TV and checking Facebook is a pretty average Sunday evening for most people but on this particular night an iconic bright red London bus caught my eye (not a common sight in a Manchester living room). I had spotted a Pimm’s Facebook ad, a drink I associated with tennis that had never passed my lips, which asked me to like the page to join its summer party!

I don’t usually click through to ads, due to the fact the majority of Facebook ads I receive are of no interest even though they’re meant to be targeted. But on this occasion I broke my habit and clicked through to join the party. Luckily, for me and the brand, I was one of the first 100,000 likes and therefore just in time to be directed to the Party Perks app for the chance to win a Pimm’s prize – from branded bunting to money off a bottle of Pimm’s.

Now the brand had me on board, the crafty marketing ploys started with, £2 off a limited edition bottle of Pimm’s from Sainbury’s. I didn’t hesitate to claim my prize but on the path to downloading my voucher the Pimm’s marketing team cleverly placed a data capture survey (as they put it to find out a little bit about me).

Pimm’s had my data now and I’d purchased a discounted limited edition bottle which coincided with a glorious BBQ weather weekend. While the boyfriend manned the BBQ, I took charge of mixing my very first Pimm’s cocktail. Not only did it taste delicious, it brought back great memories for my Grandma, and my sister also discovered she loves it – we are officially a family of Pimm’s drinkers!

Why does Pimm’s campaign stand out from the crowd?

• It is integrated from offline marketing through to online activity, joining the dots to deliver a consistent message – enjoy a British Summer party with Pimm’s
• Through its integrated approach it has generated interest from over 100,000 Facebook likes and continues to keep them engaged with fun content from the Pimm’s Party Perks to Pimm’s My Summer Party
• It is creating a community of ambassadors that are actively encouraging people to join the party

It just goes to show how clever marketing can lead to brand advocates – like myself. But don’t take my word for it, jump on the Pimm’s bus and try it for yourself!

Blog by Amy Watson