Today’s changing consumer landscape demands that brands make a meaningful connection to gain share of relationship.
The mission of Edelman’s Consumer Brands practice is twofold: To help clients navigate their way through an ever-evolving communications environment where the rules of engagement are changing and consumers are relying more on the opinions of “people like themselves” rather than the more traditional and hierarchical sources of information and authority (such as media, government, corporation and industry experts); and to help them achieve better business/marketing goals through our unique brand of communications.
Our vision is to help client brands gain "share of relationship" through a series of relevant, engaging and impactful connections. Those connections include editorial, word of mouth and blogging, co-creation (of campaign ideas with real consumers), experiential marketing, original content (developed and disseminated direct to consumers), sports and entertainment, social networking and grassroots/community-based outreach.
We live in a world where technology and other social forces have empowered the consumer to act as citizen marketer, activist and self-publishing journalist. Consumers today demand a dialogue and expect conversation and open exchange between brands, themselves and the communities in which they live. And because consumers are bombarded with over 5,000 messages per day, we have to find new and more potent ways to connect, more often, more consistently and more targeted. Media relations is still key to our business offering, but it must be placed in perspective with all the other channels of communication, and must be integrated with them to communicate in a fresher and more impactful way.
Capabilities
Edelman’s Consumer practice has more than 450 professionals worldwide who are passionate about generating powerful ideas and creative programming that will help take client brands to the next level. Our expertise encompasses several specialty areas including Retail, Food & Beverage, Packaged Goods, Consumer Technology, Consumer Health, Travel & Tourism, and Home and Garden.
Edelman offers its own proprietary planning tools that help consumer clients expand the reach of their programs and gain stronger share of relationship with target audiences. The tools include:
- Life Moment Mapping: A process that analyzes how brands can best connect with various behaviour-changing life moments in order to create meaningful dialogue and increase share of relationship with target consumers throughout their lives.
- Consumer Tribes: Profiles of different consumer demographics to understand what influences their behavior and buying decisions.
- The “Chocolate Fudge Cake” layered editorial planning approach: Helps extend the reach of media placements by building volume, scale and dimension.
- Connections: A quarterly consumer trends and insight magazine, offering a round-up of best practice and new ideas in social networking, consumer technology, travel, luxury and marketing concepts
The New 3D Consumer Universe
In a rapidly evolving world of consumer communications, Edelman has re-examined the consumer’s place and the way in which they receive and trust information. By placing the consumer at the heart of a new 3D marketing model, we can develop strategies for our clients that ensure the best communication channels are utilized to reach their target audiences and make a meaningful and lasting connection.
