Advocacy must be a focus for the whole brand organisation, not just marketing

One of the most powerful ways to persuade a consumer to become an advocate is by delivering compelling brand experiences every time they encounter a brand.

I have been playing around with a conceptual framework (below) that aims to help with mapping the main moments that consumers' encounter a brand.

The Brand PDD™ framework is a useful way to help teams to identify the brand experiences that an organisation needs to deliver to move consumers through the following stages on the Path to Advocacy:

Notice is when a brand gets on the radar of a consumer; when they see/hear about it and consider whether it is right for them.

Choose is the process the consumer goes through when trying to decide what brand(s) makes it to their short list – usually based on ability to meet functional and/or emotional needs.

Buy is when the consumer enters the store (on or of-line) and goes through the process of purchasing the brand – sometimes referred to as the first ‘moment of truth.’

Use is when the consumer uses the brand; not just when they unpack and use it for the first time (second ‘moment of truth’), but every time it is used.

Be Loyal is when the consumer buys again.

Be a Fan is what a consumer becomes when they have been well treated and feel valued by a brand organisation

Advocate is when a consumer proactively talks about the brand in a positive way to friends, families, etc.

Once the optimum brand experiences have been identified for each stage then gap analysis can provide insight into levers (opportunities to explore) and blocks (issues to fix).

The process of doing this, that I call Brand Experience Management (BEM), is a good way to get silo departments to collaborate so they understand the contribution they can make to drive advocacy; and why it needs to be joined-up with other department’s efforts to be most effective.

One of the main purposes of this blog is to share my views about brands that are delivering winning brand experience strategies and brands that are not; using the PDD framework to highlight why.