Why build sustainable relationships with customers? - The effects of “Ambassador Program”

ABSTRACT

To build relationships with customers, sustainable engagements are crucial. Ostensibly, firm profits are derived from customers’ financial contributions; in addition, their non-financial contributions such as advocacy also increase long-term profitability. Today, the importance of such customer-to-customer communication has dramatically increased and is derived from enhancing customers’ brand experience. This paper explores how to incorporate C-to-C communication into brand experience with the goal of strengthening customer relationships, developing advocacy, and encouraging sustainable interactions.

This study introduces the novel approach called Ambassador Program which aims to build long-term collaboration with customers and promote advocacy from the participants. Through the case of the “NESCAFE Ambassador Program,” we found that this brand-new approach is effective in increasing customers’ brand experience and customers’ contributions. Consequently, customers can create new customers. The research empirically showed that even in such a low-involvement category as consumer-packaged goods, firms can build sustainable relationships with customers by adopting customer-to-customer relationships into their marketing strategies.

为了与客户建立关系, 可持续的合作至关重要。从表面上看, 企业利润来自于客户的财务贡献; 此外, 他们的非财务贡献, 如宣传, 也增加了长期盈利能力。如今, 这种客户对客户的交流的重要性已经显著增加, 这源于增强客户的品牌体验。本文探讨如何将C-to-C沟通融入品牌体验中, 以加强客户关系, 发展宣传和鼓励可持续互动为目标。

这项研究介绍了一种新的方法, 称为大使计划, 旨在建立与客户的长期合作, 并促进来自参与者的宣传。通过对“雀巢大使计划”的案例分析, 我们发现这种全新的方式能够有效地提高顾客的品牌体验和顾客的贡献。因此, 客户可以创造新的客户。这项研究的经验表明, 即使是在消费品这样一个低投入的类别中, 企业也可以通过在营销策略中采用客户对客户的关系来建立与客户的可持续关系。

KEYWORDS:

• Brand experience
• communication
• Ambassador Program
• advocacy
• sustainability

关键词:

• 品牌体验
• 交流
• 大使计划
• 宣传
• 可持续性

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.