Watch the replay of the webinar!
About the panelists
- Fernie Jasmine Abdul Ghani is the Head of Brand & Communications, Axiata Group Berhad
- Moiz Rangoonwala is the Head of Marketing Services & Head of Integrated Strategy, ADA
- Muhammed Gazzaly is the Senior Manager, Online Marketing & e-Sales, Dialog Axiata PLC
Talkwalker’s Brand Love Story 2021 report
To kick things off, the moderator for the webinar, Nadira Mohamad Rafeek, presented some key findings from the Talkwalker Brand Love Story 2021 report and highlighted the key message behind the campaign.
What is brand love?
This campaign aimed to identify the brands that people didn’t simply like buying, but brands that they genuinely connected with - like a friend. Nadira shared that achieving an emotional connection with consumers allows a brand to drive brand loyalty, advocacy and also makes consumers more willing to spend on the brand.
Methods of driving brand love
11 methods of driving brand love identified in the Talkwalker Brand Love Story 2021 report
Following the introduction of the Brand Love 2021 campaign, we moved into the Expert Panel Discussion with the panelists from Axiata Group Berhad.
Take a step back: Re-imagining brand love in today’s world (8:50)
Fernie first gave an introduction of the webinar topic, and why this was an important topic to discuss in current times.
“We didn’t necessarily know what to do but what was very clear was that we had to have a different modus operandi from the years before. We couldn’t just keep doing the same things that we were doing. Consumers and businesses alike, were in a state of turmoil.” - Fernie Jasmine Abdul Ghani
What are the biggest changes and challenges you’ve observed over the past year? (11:00)
When asked this question, Moiz shared that one of the biggest changes experienced was in terms of people’s needs. Their pyramid of needs completely flipped post-COVID. The focus became about their basic needs in order to survive in the new environment.
The pre-pandemic hierarchy of needs of consumers that completely shifted due to COVID-19
“Mainly, the needs were focused on the bottom half of the pyramid. And the entire priority changed for people” - Moiz Rangoonwala
Fernie shared that for the company’s telco arm, a major shift they had to deal with was the change in the amount of time consumers spent online. They had to recalibrate their networks to fulfill the new demand by consumers who were now spending most of their time at home.
What does it mean to “take a step back” when faced with the challenges we see today? (17:00)
Consumers were thrown into a rollercoaster of emotions due to the pandemic.
The different stages of the emotional rollercoaster that consumers experienced
“It became imperative for brands and businesses to monitor which phase of emotion people were in and try to communicate with them accordingly” - Moiz Rangoonwala
“There were some brands that got their priorities right. Firstly, they listened. Given that things were changing so rapidly and fluidly, it’s important that we keep our finger on the pulse of what was going on.” - Fernie Jasmine Abdul Ghani
What measures did Axiata adopt to deal with the changes and challenges right now? (24:23)
Fernie shared that Axiata identified the key consumer pain points, and established the different consumer priorities across the different markets that the company was present in. Based on this, they designed their responses accordingly.
“We knew that it would be a short-term pain to have to bear that cost. However, we saw it as an investment for long-term benefits. Customers will remember what we did, and that will give us loyalty and love in the long run.” - Fernie Jasmine Abdul Ghani
Example: Dialog Axiata PLC (30:50)
Muhammed Gazzaly from Dialog Axiata PLC discussed the different measures the company had taken in Sri Lanka to help consumers, based on the unique needs of the Sri Lankan market.
“One of the strategies we implemented to drive brand love was to rebuild the community. In a situation where everyone was stuck at home, consumers wanted connectivity and entertainment.” - Muhammed Gazzaly
What advice would you give other brands out there that are trying to drive brand love today? (34:38)
“What we realized was that as a brand, we had to capture the heart share of every single customer, including businesses, individuals and homes. If you want to give brand love, you first need to understand the context of your market and customize accordingly.” - Muhammed Gazzaly
“To get love, first you have to give love. And in the context of brands, it means showing your consumers that you truly understand them and understand what you’re going through, and that you’re going to be with them all the way” - Fernie Jasmine Abdul Ghani
“The idea behind re-thinking the experience was to connect to the relevant conversations and what’s important to consumers at that point of time. It’s about playing a real role in peoples’ lives.” - Moiz Rangoonwala
For more insights and tips from our experts on re-imagining brand love in today’s world, watch the on-demand video of the full webinar. Also, for more information on most loved brands around the world and what they’ve done right, download the Talkwalker Brand Love 2021 report today.
