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Packaging Design Direct To Consumer Direct To User

How to create deeper connections by going direct to user

By Kirsty Cole, Head of growth

SGK Anthem Amsterdam

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The Drum Network article

This content is produced by The Drum Network, a paid-for membership club for CEOs and their agencies who want to share their expertise and grow their business.

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September 5, 2019 | 8 min read

Digital network service brands such as Airbnb and Uber have not only shaken up traditional industries but have had a huge impact on consumer behaviour, what they’re open to and what they expect, when it comes to brand engagement — an impact in which ripples are felt far beyond the travel and leisure markets.

Anthem stress the importance of adopting an effective direct to user model.

Anthem stress the importance of adopting an effective direct to user model.

In recent years, we’ve seen a myriad of direct to consumer offers disrupt traditional brand and business models. Dollar Shave Club is of course perhaps the most poignant example and, according to Fortune, within just five years of launch reduced P&G’s North American market share in razors from 71% to 59% - setting the balls in motion for Unilever’s acquisition of the brand for a cool $1bn.

However, many of these direct to consumer offers are missing a trick by behaving primarily as e-commerce or subscription services and not maximizing the opportunities afforded by their direct customer relationship — so much so that we question whether they are in fact sustainable and fit for long term growth.

Re-framing our approach

We need to stop thinking of ‘consumer’s’ and start thinking of ‘users’. Beginning from a ‘direct to user’ (DTU) rather than a ‘direct to consumer’ perspective significantly broadens a brand’s horizons when it comes to engagement.

A DTU approach allows us to design not for what users ‘think’ of a brand at each touch-point, but what they ‘experience’ at each touch-point. We can also design for different user groups simultaneously, extending engagement opportunities across B2C and B2B for example.

DTU is also an opportunity to avoid the retail costs and fierce battle in competition with large established brands who have billions of dollars in marketing budget behind them. For categories where brand loyalty is strong and long standing this is a challenge but also an opportunity.

The user journey isn’t fixed

Within the FMCG sector, it’s no longer about fighting for stand out on shelf, but thinking creatively about creating moments of delight and surprise at each touch-point in the user journey, aiming to constantly exceed user expectations.

Take feminine care for example. Great steps have been taken to remove the taboo’s surrounding menstruation by the media and in the communication of both large and small brand owners, yet the brand offers are still hugely lacking when it comes to fulfilling user needs.

Many challenger subscription service brands, such as Lola, have significantly improved the user experience from a convenience, peace of mind, privacy and design perspective. However, there are still so many more moments to connect with users along the journey that aren’t being properly explored.

Challenger subscription service brand Lola has improved the user experience.

At 11 years old, a feminine care user requires a range of products but also certain levels of educational support and reassurance. Product and support needs change from month to month and from year to year as the user grows up.

It’s only fitting therefore that a brands offer should be able to grow with the user. When the user journey is complex and bespoke, direct to user models can really make an impact.

A value-driven exchange

The relationship we’re seeking to foster is a direct connection with users - allowing brands to take control of the path to purchase, to build personalised, interactive and responsive relationships with their users.

At the same time, we’re seeking to be more effective with our marketing efforts. Wundermans recent ‘Wantedness’ research is an invaluable read! In relation to DTU, it shows us that we can also use such data exchanges to invest in relationships with the right types of users – users who share your brands values:

Wunderman's recent Wantedness research highlights the importance of brands sharing their values.

Trust is of course a key issue when it comes to data exchange, especially given the arrival of GDPR.

A comprehensive consumer survey by IBM and Econsultancy Study found that “72% said they would share their geographic data with a brand they trust” and “61% would be willing to share their personally identifiable information with a brand they trust.”

Looking beyond trust, which should be a foundation for all brands, imagine the implications on these statistics if users could receive a direct or even personalised benefit from an exchange of data?

When designing an effective DTU model we need to operate by creating a series of value exchanges between the brand and the user and, importantly, the model must be flexible to evolve over time in line with changing user needs.

Closing the gaps, growing the opportunities

Done well, a DTU model is also an opportunity to have a closed-loop user relationship – an uninterrupted exchange to retain and protect user engagement for long term growth.

Quipis a DTU oral care brand delivering toothbrushes and toothpaste through a direct subscription service. The brand focuses on simplicity both in terms of its design but also in its communication – honest and authentic. These values are of particular importance to the millennial user – a user group also known for its high levels of early adoption, the perfect audience for exploring DTU.

We all know we’re meant to change our toothbrush head every three months, but which of us ever remembers how long we’ve been using our current brush head for?

The extra special thing about Quip is in the additional value it provides its users through creating best practise hygiene habits, automatically delivering new electric toothbrush heads every three months, exactly when you need them. This unique benefit is built right into the heart of the business and brand model and makes the user experience all the more invaluable as a result.

Quip aren’t stopping there and have recently secured a whopping “$10m funding round from Silicon Valley Bank and its acquisition of dental insurance start-up Afora,” according to Tech Crunch.

A smart move as it will allow the brand to further extend its relationships with its users, to add even more value before and after check-ups with dentists for example - perhaps even securing the data from oral hygienists to provide individually personalised products and services. We can expect to see a series of smart and valuable innovations across oral care services, platforms and products in the coming years – certainly one to watch!

DTU oral care brand Quip add more value to consumers before and after check-ups with dentists.

When it comes to DTU and creating deeper connections with your users, the sky really is the limit!

Here are nine opportunity areas to consider when thinking of introducing your brand to an effective direct to user model:

  1. Re-design the brand experience. Design for use, in the home or on the go, not just the shelf.
  2. Connect your packaging. To create new moments of engagement post purchase - extending the brand/user relationship.
  3. Encourage trade up. Through your direct connections, entice users with more premium offers.
  4. Create cross-selling opportunities. Integrate your portfolio within the model to maximise impact across categories.
  5. Personalise your offers. Whether via your communication or indeed with your products.
  6. Innovate in an agile way. Continuously surprise and delight users with new offers - an efficient and low risk way to explore NPD.
  7. Stand for more than just your product. Explore sustainable packaging and opportunities to strengthen brand equity through social responsibility.
  8. Connect your business. Bring together key stakeholders cross-discipline to share resources and maximise success including incorporating existing retail models.
  9. Make informed decisions. Use the data secured through the continuous exchange with your users to evolve your business, brand, product and service offers

Above all, when looking to introduce your brand to an effective direct to user model, ensure your brands purpose is fit for the job and, most importantly, behave small but think big!

Kirsty Cole, Head of growth at Anthem Amsterdam & Brussels.

Packaging Design Direct To Consumer Direct To User

Content by The Drum Network member:

SGK Anthem Amsterdam

SGK Anthem is a leading global design agency that defines, creates, produces and transforms packaging and brand experiences to amplify brands, giving them the freedom...

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