We hear you – towards more customer-centric and dialogic marketing communications : Case: Brother Finland
Rankala, Heidi (2018)
Haaga-Helia ammattikorkeakoulu
2018
All rights reserved
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2018081714550
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2018081714550
Tiivistelmä
Printing industry has been quite a traditional industry with distributors and dealers i.e. re-sellers, alongside a common speculation of a paperless office since the 1980s. Brother as a vendor and importer focuses on dealing with its B2B customers being distributors and dealers, and does not sell machines directly to end-users. The question is, how to adapt to changes and how to develop Brother Finland’s marketing communications across the company towards distributors and dealers for optimal results. To be able to develop, Brother Finland’s current communications needed to be assessed by its B2B customers to obtain actual feedback.
This thesis aims to develop Brother Finland’s marketing communications towards more interaction and dialogue both internally and externally with its distributors and dealers. This customer-centric and dialogic approach is meant to invite Brother Finland’s B2B customers into a dialogue and interaction. Another objective was to elicit Brother Finland’s distributors’ and dealers’ insights into the future of the printing industry in Finland to better´understand silent signals from the market from their point of views.
The research literature section presents relevant theories on corporate communication, stakeholder communication, integrated marketing communication, change management, and change communication. The chosen theories outline an integrated view on corporate communication, and provide a theoretical framework to support the creation and implementation of the intended outcome of the research, a more customer-centric and dialogic approach to marketing communications.
The thesis study was conducted as a single case study, and the data was gathered using qualitative methods. A questionnaire was sent out to Brother Finland’s B2B customers in April 2017. Semi-structured customer interviews were conducted in May to triangulate the data. An internal workshop was held early September. Focus group interviews were conducted in the end of September 2017. The thesis report was finalised in January 2018.
Although Brother Finland’s B2B customers were in general content with the communications, certain areas of improvement were indicated. The empirical data showed that according to customers, there is clearly a need for product trainings, followed by customers visits and phone calls by Brother representatives after a send-out of an important campaign newsletter. Some customers expressed their wish to receive more marketing support, such as images, brochures and posters.
The communicational outcome of the study, the more customer-centric and dialogic approach to marketing communications entails two key elements, such as internal marketing and systematic feedback process, which increase internal and external dialogue and interaction. Moreover, this approach facilitates in assessing and adjusting marketing communication outputs, such as newsletters and marketing collaterals, to meet the needs of the customers. It enables the development of Brother Finland’s marketing communications based on actual customer feedback. The approach includes a higher level of engagement and involvement from the team members and thus advances collaboration across teams and departments.
This thesis aims to develop Brother Finland’s marketing communications towards more interaction and dialogue both internally and externally with its distributors and dealers. This customer-centric and dialogic approach is meant to invite Brother Finland’s B2B customers into a dialogue and interaction. Another objective was to elicit Brother Finland’s distributors’ and dealers’ insights into the future of the printing industry in Finland to better´understand silent signals from the market from their point of views.
The research literature section presents relevant theories on corporate communication, stakeholder communication, integrated marketing communication, change management, and change communication. The chosen theories outline an integrated view on corporate communication, and provide a theoretical framework to support the creation and implementation of the intended outcome of the research, a more customer-centric and dialogic approach to marketing communications.
The thesis study was conducted as a single case study, and the data was gathered using qualitative methods. A questionnaire was sent out to Brother Finland’s B2B customers in April 2017. Semi-structured customer interviews were conducted in May to triangulate the data. An internal workshop was held early September. Focus group interviews were conducted in the end of September 2017. The thesis report was finalised in January 2018.
Although Brother Finland’s B2B customers were in general content with the communications, certain areas of improvement were indicated. The empirical data showed that according to customers, there is clearly a need for product trainings, followed by customers visits and phone calls by Brother representatives after a send-out of an important campaign newsletter. Some customers expressed their wish to receive more marketing support, such as images, brochures and posters.
The communicational outcome of the study, the more customer-centric and dialogic approach to marketing communications entails two key elements, such as internal marketing and systematic feedback process, which increase internal and external dialogue and interaction. Moreover, this approach facilitates in assessing and adjusting marketing communication outputs, such as newsletters and marketing collaterals, to meet the needs of the customers. It enables the development of Brother Finland’s marketing communications based on actual customer feedback. The approach includes a higher level of engagement and involvement from the team members and thus advances collaboration across teams and departments.