The consumer decision journey - initial consideration

1. HEADSTREAM PRESENTS
BUILDING AN FMCG SOCIAL BRAND
A HEADSTREAM SOCIAL BRANDS 100 REPORT
PT.1 THE CONSUMER DECISION JOURNEY – INITIAL CONSIDERATION
HEADSTREAM.COM | FEBRUARY 2013

2. ABOUT
A free copy of the full report will be available on
1st March 2013.
About This Report:
• 31 Page Report
• 20 best in class case studies
• 14 Vital Questions to ask your business
• FMCG brands benchmarked against Social
Brands 100 methodology
• 21 Trends identified
HEADSTREAM.COM | FEBRUARY 2013

3. CUSTOMER DECISION JOURNEY
This white paper has been created by We have examined the social media
Headstream to assist FMCG marketers as marketing communication activity of
they plan their strategies and budgets for FMCG brands globally over the past 12
2013. It provides a broad range of case months.
studies working within the new
Consumer Decision Journey model To provide structure to the FMCG social
(below) to assist FMCG brands as they media activity explored, we have
consider how social media can support segmented the examples featured into
their business goals. three key phases of the consumer
decision journey:
• Initial consideration – Trigger
• Active evaluation – Information
gathering, shopping and buying
• Post purchase experience and advocacy
Consumer Decision Journey - McKinsey Solution 2010 HEADSTREAM.COM | FEBRUARY 2013

4. INITIAL CONSIDERATION
Social media plays an important role in the initial consideration stage when it comes
to the purchase of products for food and beverage brands.
At this stage marketers have an opportunity to deliver value in the form of
information, and entertainment.
The purpose of valuable content or ‘social currency’ during this phase is to generate
earned media for a brand, achieving cut through in a crowded marketplace, thus
reaching as wide an audience as possible.
We indentified 3 common communication tactics FMCG brands use in the ‘Initial
Consideration’ phase:
1. Experiential
2. Video
3. Storytelling
HEADSTREAM.COM | FEBRUARY 2013

5. EXPERIENTIAL
More frequently FMCG brands are merging the digital and physical spaces to
achieve visibility amongst potential consumers. Through experiential activity,
brands have created opportunities for engagement and interactivity by facilitating
an experience that is both personable and shareable across social media, helping to
boost the potential of earned media.
HEADSTREAM.COM | FEBRUARY 2013

6. EXPERIENTIAL
CASE STUDY – CADBURY HOUSE
In support of its Olympic 2012
sponsorship, Cadbury created
‘Cadbury House’ located in London’s
Hyde Park.
Upon entering, guests were given an
RFID-enabled ID badge linked directly
to their personal Facebook account.
Once in the exhibit, users could
‘check-in’ on Facebook by placing their
badge next to a RFID scanner.
Photos could also be posted directly to
Facebook using the RFID badge.
HEADSTREAM.COM | FEBRUARY 2013

7. EXPERIENTIAL
CASE STUDY – WALLS SMILE MACHINE
Unilever developed the ‘smile
activated’ vending machine that
dispensed free ice cream in exchange
for smiles.
When a passerby was drawn to the
machine, the camera detects a face
and prompts the person for a big
smile. The custom developed ‘smile-
ometer’ measured the grin and if the
smile was satisfactory the consumer
would receive a free ice cream.
A photo of the person smiling was
taken by the machine and with
permission could then be uploaded
and shared to Facebook. HEADSTREAM.COM | FEBRUARY 2013

8. SOCIAL SAMPLING
In the UK, increasing investment in video and social media is credited with helping
FMCG brands to shift focus from direct response activity. In the US, marketing
spend on digital video increased 42% from 2010 to 2011 and in the UK it grew by
100% over the past year, (in the UK, marketers now spend more online than they do
on TV).
HEADSTREAM.COM | FEBRUARY 2013

9. VIDEO
CASE STUDY - CRAVENDALE MILK
Milk brand Cravendale produced a TV
spot showing what happens in a world
where cats are passionate about milk.
Especially when in the world in which
cats evolve opposable thumbs! The
spot which was seeded on YouTube
achieved over 6.5 million views and
helped establish Cravendale as the
UK’s #1 branded milk.
HEADSTREAM.COM | FEBRUARY 2013

10. VIDEO
CASE STUDY – VITAMIN WATER
Memetic advertising from brands is
becoming increasingly popular.
Vitamin water embraced internet
culture within their ad by leveraging
Internet memes. The video paid
homage to the ‘Nyan cat’, ‘sexy sax
guy’ and ‘Filipino inmates’ dancing to
Michael Jackson, achieving 500,000+
views on YouTube.
HEADSTREAM.COM | FEBRUARY 2013

11. VIDEO
CASE STUDY – FOSTERS
Beer brand Fosters has long been
associated with comedy including its
TV spots and sponsorship of live
comedy events.
On its fostersfunny.co.uk website, the
brand released a series of web only
video clips from comedians such as
Steve Coogan as Alan Partridge, and
sketches from classic British comedy
series The Fast Show. The videos
themselves were shared on YouTube
and became a trending topic on
Twitter as each new video was
released.
HEADSTREAM.COM | FEBRUARY 2013

12. STORYTELLING
Today it isn’t possible for brands to simply curate or aggregate content and expect
consumers to immediately advocate products and services. Branded content will
only be successful if it is used to tell a broader and coherent story, it is made clear
why the story matters, and it is distributed correctly.
Storytelling as a discipline has become increasingly popular for brands as a way to
co-create content that is based on real experience rather than fabricated ones.
HEADSTREAM.COM | FEBRUARY 2013

13. STORYTELLING
CASE STUDY – WHOLEFOODS WHOLE STORY
Wholefoods have a dedicated blog for
storytelling featuring stories on
sustainability, organic and urban
farming told by the experts who are
part of the company’s supply chain. In
addition Whole Foods launched
branded content initiatives via a
dedicated YouTube account featuring
insightful stories from people who
share their personal accounts of
sustainable, organic and urban
farming. This content is then used to
tap into communities with shared
interests.
HEADSTREAM.COM | FEBRUARY 2013

14. ABOUT
For your full copy of the free report visit
www.headstream.com/social-brands
About This Report:
• 31 Page Report
• 20 best in class case studies
• 14 Vital Questions to ask your business
• FMCG brands benchmarked against Social
Brands 100 methodology
• 21 Trends identified
HEADSTREAM.COM | FEBRUARY 2013