The digital transformation is evident also in marketing. In 2017, Electrolux successfully launched the revitalized AEG brand across EMEA with a digital first strategy focusing on meeting consumer needs across the shopper journey.
-Our in-depth research showed that a large majority of consumers search for information first and foremost from digital sources throughout the purchase process, says Lars Hygrell, Chief Marketing Officer.
The Electrolux “360º Consumer Experience” process focuses on creating the best consumer experience at all different stages and in key touchpoints, before, during and after purchase. This includes providing the right digital content at the right time at the right touchpoint.
Two powerful platforms within kitchen and laundry; Taking Taste Further and Unprecedented Care were developed to ensure strong and consistent storytelling and high engagement content.
In the case of AEG, this content provides inspiration and enables easy and engaging discovery of what AEG offers. Through interaction on social media and when visiting websites the consumer is supported in selecting the right product for them when purchasing the product at a retailer. After purchase a branded on-boarding and registration process was created, and during the ongoing use of the product the consumer can find everything they need through the AEG App, including recipes and care advice.
-We were quite scientific in our approach during development, to make sure that consumers were given the right content at the right time in each phase of the process, says Lars Hygrell.
One of the conclusions was to completely refrain from traditional media such as commercials in television or print advertisement in magazines and newspapers. Instead, over 75% of the marketing investment went into digital channels with great results.
The AEG brand has gained market share, grow distribution and been able to command a relatively higher price.
A key action in the reload of AEG was to build brand desirability. This was done through impactful social media campaigns, including the four-episode Tasteology documentary series, where different experts, chefs and bloggers guide the consumer through the four different steps of the cooking process (Source, Chill, Heat & Experience). Tasteology was a huge success, widely shared on social media across all AEG markets, and viewed by millions driving higher brand preference.
Unique brand and product content, such as animations and videos, has been created for high impact in digital channels. With the aim to educate and inspire consumers about technologies, features and benefits of AEG appliances in an engaging way with strong social media targeting. This was combined with innovative digital tools, such as digital out of home, geo-targeting, programmatic and retargeted media investment all leveraging data to drive traffic.
An omni channel strategy ensured a consistent brand message and consumer experience online and in store. This included best-in-class rich content, e.g. 3D-views and comparison videos – all provided to retailers’ homepages and stores, providing support consumers to select products and improve our conversion to sales.
Big steps were also taken to create strong and commercially led marketing partnerships with trade partners, resulting in 5 star launches with key retailers, joint campaigns and higher instore visibility through e.g. Laundry days.
Consumer reviews are key to a successful launch, and a lot of effort was put into syndication of reviews. This means that reviews are gathered from homepages of retailers, media and organizations, and published on the AEG homepage and retailer sites. Impact of launches have also been secured through pre-seeding of reviews through consumer pre-testing.
To further educate, support, inspire and build brand loyalty, AEG continues the dialogue via social media, apps, newsletters and e-mails to enrich the user experience during ownership.