One-to-One Marketing a False Trail

Last night, during our discussions, in response to a question of, "Why not use email to communicate to customers when there is a problem?" vs a blog, Guillaume kept muttering about blogs: "It's one-to-many, not one-to-one."

And he is so right. One-to-one marketing is a false trail for marketing. It is, in fact, built on a base of lies, and the consumer knows it. Therefore, it cannot work (explanation for this claim in a minute). Blogging, on the other hand, is one-to-many. It uses the blog as a lever, an amplifier, enabling one voice to reach many, yet in a personal manner. Done well, blogs create credibility, trust. One-to-one marketing is never personal, and it never creates trust.

Here's why one-to-one doesn't work (I have been influenced by others in this thinking, e.g., Cluetrain, but am not going to look up the links now - feel free to add them into the comments below):

1) It's built on a base of lies and the consumer knows it: While corporations extoll the virtues of one-to-one marketing -- we know what you like and don't like and can give you the personal service (or rather, in most cases, sell you the products) we have determined you will like. The implication is that the company really cares, personally, about your needs and desires. They send you personalized emails, they greet you by name on their websites, etc. etc.

But, I know and you know that this is all automated. I know and you know that the "personalized" email I get is mass generated. While I am a "one", a person, the corporation is a "one", a thing. There is nothing personal about that. There is no human voice on the corporate side. No credibility. No trust. There is convenience, which I appreciate, but I don't feel any emotion towards it. So, the image of one-to-one is false.

2) In one-to-one marketing, all the power rests with the corporation. The only way one-to-one marketing works is if I freely give the corporation extensive information about my wants, needs, desires, etc. This all goes into a database, which then profiles me, enabling the corporation to market specifically to me. The corporation implies "trust us with all of this detail, and you will get benefits from it." Sure, the dubious benefit of you offering me some new product (which, I have to say, usually is so far from what I want it is ridiculous). In this relationship -- transaction is a better word -- I, as consumer, have no power. I simply have to take what the corporation gives. Which brings me to #3.

3) One-to-one is a one-way street. It goes from the corporation to me. I have no ability to communicate back. I can't hit reply on the email I received from the CEO to ask a question. If I want to tell them the offers on the website they personalized for me are crap, I can't do it easily. (Again, power is with the corporation, not the consumer).

4) Because of 1-3, one-to-one is a useless tool in times of crisis. A corporation cannot use these channels to convince consumers that they are 1) wrong or 2) right, and here's how the corporation will fix things.

People don't trust corporations. People trust people. That is why having a blog is so important: Blogs are written by people. That is why having a specific person or persons (teams are OK) idenfitied with a blog is so important (vs. anonymous blogs).

With a blog, the author (representing the corporation) can quickly respond to accusations, problems. Readers can post a comment, ask a question, call the author on the BS they see. Then, the author replies. This is a personal conversation, but because of the amplification power of blogs, it reaches many.

Yes, readers are aware that the blogger is generally writing to the faceless many when he or she posts. We are smart enought to know that it is impossible for a corporation to know each of its customers personally (thus we are cynical about one-to-one). However, because the blog has a name attached to it, this communication between the corporation and us has a highly personal feel. And because we have the ability to interact with the author, and see immediate response, we are more inclined to trust the information given.

And isn't the basis of communications the desire to create credibility, trust?

Comments

[Cyrille]

Excellent.
If you allow me to do it, I'd like to translate it and use it on my professional blogeletter, (precising, of course, that you wrote it).
I was happy to meet you yesterday and I hope that you did not have too many difficulties with this fast french blog conversation...

[Elizabeth]

You are quite welcome to translate this! I am looking forward to the day when my French improves. It is very frustrating to have so much to say and simply not be able to get it out fast enough to keep up with the conversation!

[Cliff Allen]

There is a good reason that one-to-one marketing draws criticism about not not working, not being truly personal, and -- most importantly -- not creating a true customer relationship.

The reason is that most companies don't implement one-to-one marketing correctly. Instead, they believe that buying personalization software will magically transform their marketing communications activities into generating extra revenue.

There are three problems with this thinking.

First, one-to-one marketing is a methodology for how to treat customers, not a category of software. If a company doesn't truly want to help customers make good purchase decisions and get the most value from those purchases, then no amount of software can help.

Second, the term "one-to-one marketing" is misused. Many people think of one-to-one marketing as a way to improve their direct marketing activities -- and that it has nothing to do with sales. Xerox and HP sell printers that produce highly personalized direct marketing materials, but that is only a small part of the way to successfully apply one-to-one marketing techniques.

Third, too many companies keep their advertising and promotions department separate from their sales department, which keeps their people from truly understanding the needs, wants, and desires of prospects and customers. If a salesperson doesn't know which ad a prospect responded to or which Web pages the prospect has seen, the salesperson can't have a good relationship-building conversation with a prospect.

The solution is to treat prospects and customers with respect, listen to what they say about themselves, and learn how to help them make appropriate purchases. Having a unified marketing and sales system can help, but that should come only after top management understands the value in establishing a conversation that leads to a mutually beneficial relationship.