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Marketing Canvas - Channels
In a world dominated by digital and physical touchpoints, the understanding and orchestration of Channels form a crucial part of any marketing strategy. This comprehensive guide explores Channels in marketing as a sub-dimension of the Marketing Canvas by Laurent Bouty. It delves into the roles channels play in customer interactions, highlights key considerations such as interaction, information, and context, and provides practical tips on choosing the right tools.
The guide further translates these insights into action steps and underscores the significance of continuous evaluation and improvement for optimal channel performance. A detailed look into a use case example of 'Green Clean' elucidates these concepts with real-world relevance. Finally, the guide helps you assess your own marketing strategies with detailed explanations for varying scores in the evaluation process and proposes recommendations for enhancement. This guide serves as an invaluable resource for marketers, entrepreneurs, and non-marketers alike to navigate the complex terrain of channels in marketing.
Last update: 5/12/2024
In a Nutshell
The Channels sub-dimension in the Marketing Canvas focuses on the platforms and touchpoints through which customers interact with your brand. An effective channel strategy ensures that customers can access relevant and personalized experiences seamlessly, whether physical or digital, while maintaining consistency and minimizing environmental impact.
For instance, Green Clean might use both physical stores and an e-commerce platform, ensuring that customers have access to personalized product recommendations, consistent information, and eco-friendly packaging, regardless of the channel they choose.
Introduction
The Channels sub-dimension in the Journey category is essential for creating seamless and engaging customer interactions. Channels serve as the interface between your brand and your customers, facilitating communication, transactions, and service delivery. A well-orchestrated channel strategy not only meets customer expectations but also enhances their experience by ensuring relevance, personalization, and sustainability.
Effective channels are not just a means of delivering your value proposition—they are integral to shaping the overall customer journey and reinforcing your brand’s values.
What are channels?
Channels are the pathways and platforms through which customers interact with your brand. These can include:
Physical Channels: Retail stores, kiosks, in-person consultations.
Digital Channels: Websites, mobile apps, social media, and email.
Omnichannel Integration: The seamless connection of physical and digital channels to create a unified customer experience.
Effective channels:
Adapt to the customer’s context at each moment.
Offer personalized and seamless interactions.
Deliver consistent, accurate, and real-time information.
Ensure orchestration across platforms, avoiding silos.
Minimize social and environmental impact.
For example:
Physical Channel: Green Clean’s eco-friendly cleaning products are available at local stores with clear labeling.
Digital Channel: The brand’s app provides personalized recommendations and subscription services.
Omnichannel: Customers can browse online, pick up in-store, or arrange delivery with eco-friendly packaging.
Channels: an in-depth perspective
To optimize channel performance, businesses must:
Adapt to Context: Ensure customers can access the most relevant channel based on their needs at each moment.
Enable Omnichannel Integration: Provide a unified experience across physical and digital platforms, avoiding disjointed interactions.
Maintain Consistency and Accuracy: Deliver real-time, useful, and personalized information across all channels.
Orchestrate Seamlessly: Connect all channels to allow customers to transition smoothly between them.
Focus on Sustainability: Optimize physical and digital channels to reduce environmental impact and promote social responsibility.
For example:
Customer Context: Green Clean offers an app that helps customers locate nearby stockists or order online for delivery.
Omnichannel: The app integrates with in-store experiences, allowing customers to scan products for additional information or place orders for out-of-stock items.
Sustainability: All digital communications are optimized to minimize energy use, and physical deliveries are made using eco-friendly packaging.
Translating channels into action
An effective channel strategy requires alignment with customer expectations, brand values, and operational efficiency:
Customer Context: Identify customer needs and ensure channels are available and relevant at each stage of their journey.
Orchestration: Integrate all channels to avoid silos and create a seamless experience.
Sustainability: Incorporate eco-friendly practices in both physical and digital channels to reduce the brand’s environmental footprint.
Questions to consider:
Are your channels tailored to your customers’ specific context and needs at every moment?
Do your physical and digital channels offer clear, personalized, and seamless interactions?
Is the information shared across channels consistent, real-time, personalized, useful, and accurate?
Have you orchestrated your channels to eliminate silos, ensuring customers can navigate seamlessly?
How do your channels optimize social and environmental impact?
Statements for self-assessment
For a comprehensive evaluation of your understanding and application of the Channels concept, rate your agreement with the following statements on a scale from -3 (completely disagree) to +3 (completely agree):
Your customers can use the most relevant channel in function of their specific context at each moment.
Your channels are physical and digital. You provide clear, personalized, and seamless interactions, anywhere, anytime.
Information captured or shared in your channels is consistent, real-time, personalized, useful, and accurate.
You have orchestrated all your channels, and there is no silo between them. Your customers can navigate seamlessly through them at each moment.
You optimize the social and environmental impact of your physical and digital channels.
Interpretation of the scores
Negative scores (-1 to -3): Negative scores indicate significant gaps in your channel strategy, such as disjointed experiences, inconsistent information, or poor adaptation to customer context. These gaps can lead to customer frustration, weakened brand perception, and missed opportunities to promote sustainability. Immediate action is required to enhance channel integration and alignment.
A score of zero (0): A neutral score reflects partial alignment or incomplete execution of your channel strategy. While some elements may be effective, inconsistencies or silos between channels may hinder a seamless customer experience. Additional efforts are needed to fully integrate channels and optimize their social and environmental impact.
Positive scores (+1 to +3): Positive scores suggest that your channels are well-orchestrated, tailored to customer context, and consistently deliver personalized, accurate information. Your strategy integrates physical and digital channels seamlessly, enhancing customer satisfaction while promoting sustainability.
Case study: Green Clean’s channels
Misaligned understanding (-3, -2, -1): Green Clean’s channels are poorly coordinated, with no integration between its website and physical stores. Customers experience inconsistent information and limited options for switching between channels, leading to frustration and disengagement.
Surface Understanding (0): Green Clean offers basic functionality across its channels, such as a website and in-store availability, but fails to fully integrate them. While customers can purchase products online or in-store, they cannot seamlessly transition between these options, and sustainability efforts are minimal.
Deep Understanding (+1, +2, +3): Green Clean delivers a fully integrated channel strategy. Customers can explore products online, check in-store availability, and order for delivery or pick-up seamlessly. The brand provides consistent, personalized information across all touchpoints, while minimizing environmental impact through eco-friendly packaging and sustainable delivery practices.
Conclusion
The Channels sub-dimension is critical for delivering seamless, customer-centric interactions that align with brand values and sustainability goals. By integrating physical and digital channels, maintaining consistency and accuracy, and optimizing environmental impact, businesses can create a cohesive and impactful customer journey.
Sources
Wikipedia, Omnichannel, https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omnichannel
More on the Marketing Canvas
Marketing Canvas - Values
Your values are the translation of your purpose into key behaviors. Most of the commercial activities are delivered through behaviors (from people or from systems). When developing your marketing strategy, you should have Brand values that are fully amplifying your Brand Purpose. It will help your organization to translate your beliefs into action.
Last update: 25/12/2024
In a nutshell
The Values sub-dimension of the Marketing Canvas represents the core principles that define your brand’s identity and guide its actions. Brand values influence every decision, shaping how a brand interacts with customers, stakeholders, and society. Strong, clearly defined values help differentiate the brand from competitors, foster customer loyalty, and ensure consistency in behavior and messaging.
For example, a company like Green Clean might adopt values such as sustainability, transparency, and health. These values not only reflect the brand’s commitment to its mission but also resonate deeply with its eco-conscious customers.
Introduction
The Values sub-dimension in the Marketing Canvas plays a critical role in establishing a brand’s identity and aligning it with its purpose, positioning, and customer expectations. Brand values articulate what the brand stands for, serving as a compass for decision-making and a foundation for building trust and loyalty.
Values are not just words on a page—they are actionable principles that must be consistently demonstrated in the brand’s behavior, communications, and offerings.
What are values?
Brand values are the core beliefs and principles that define what your brand represents. They influence every aspect of your operations, from how you treat customers and employees to how you address societal and environmental challenges.
For example:
Sustainability might drive decisions about materials, suppliers, or packaging.
Integrity might ensure transparency in advertising and customer communications.
Customer focus might prioritize delivering exceptional service.
Green Clean’s values could include:
Sustainability: A commitment to eco-friendly practices and products.
Health: Ensuring safe, non-toxic cleaning solutions for families.
Transparency: Being honest and clear about the ingredients and processes used.
These values help customers understand what the brand stands for and why it matters to them.
Translating Beliefs into Values
Ideally, your Values should be a perfect reflection of your Purpose, or the fundamental beliefs that drive your organization. This consistency allows the values to amplify your brand's purpose, guiding its actions and decisions.
Consider, for example, a green, clean-focused company, which operates under the belief that sustainable practices are paramount to our future. Its core values may include sustainability, accountability, and innovation. These values are the bridge between its purpose - promoting environmental responsibility - and its day-to-day operations, whether it's in product development, supply chain management, or customer service.
Values: an in-depth perspective
Frabrikbrands proposes that effective core values should be Memorable, Unique, Actionable, Meaningful, Clear, Timeless (MUAMCT). This is not a mere acronym, but a mantra for brands to assess the strength and relevance of their values. Each attribute plays a crucial role:
Memorable: The values should resonate with your team and your target audience, making them easy to remember and internalize.
Unique: Your values should set you apart from the competition, demonstrating your unique perspective and approach.
Actionable: They should translate into concrete behaviors and processes within your organization.
Meaningful: The values need to be significant, appealing to the emotions and beliefs of your stakeholders.
Clear: Clarity avoids confusion. Your values should be understood by everyone.
Timeless: Despite market changes, your core values should remain constant, reflecting enduring principles.
For example:
Internal Alignment: Green Clean’s values guide employee behavior, ensuring all actions align with the brand’s mission.
External Perception: Customers see Green Clean’s values reflected in its products, marketing, and partnerships, reinforcing trust and loyalty.
When values are authentic and consistently upheld, they strengthen the emotional connection between the brand and its audience.
Translating values into action
Defining brand values is only the first step; the real impact comes from living those values every day. From product development and customer interactions to advertising and community involvement, values must be evident in every touchpoint.
Questions to consider:
Are your brand values clearly articulated and consistently communicated?
Do your values align with the current and future context of your industry?
How do your values differentiate your brand from competitors?
Are your values evident in your brand’s behavior and interactions?
How do your values reflect a commitment to sustainability?
Statements for self-assessment
Evaluating your values is as essential as defining them. Ask yourself: Are your brand's values helping you achieve your goals? Are they a reflection of your purpose? Are they incorporated into every aspect of your business?
To assess the effectiveness of your values, consider your agreement with the following statements on a scale from -3 (completely disagree) to +3 (completely agree):
Your brand values are well defined and clearly articulated.
Your brand values are relevant with respect to the context your brand is operating in.
Your set of brand values allows to differentiate what you stand for with compared to your competitors.
Your brand values are reflected in your brand behaviour and what you.
Your brand values are all focusing on sustainability
If you find yourself disagreeing with these statements, it's time to revisit your core values. This might involve a re-examination of your purpose, a re-interpretation of your values, or even a complete overhaul of your organization's culture. Remember, the relationship between your purpose and values should work as an accelerator, not a brake.
Interpretation of the scores
Negative scores (-1 to -3): Negative scores indicate a lack of clarity, relevance, or alignment in your brand values. This suggests that your values may not be well defined or communicated, leading to inconsistencies in behavior and customer perceptions. Without clear values, the brand may struggle to differentiate itself or build trust with its audience.
A score of zero (0): A neutral score reflects uncertainty or incomplete articulation of your brand values. While some values may be present, they lack depth, relevance, or alignment with customer expectations and sustainability goals. Further refinement and integration are needed to make values a meaningful part of your brand identity.
Positive scores (+1 to +3): Positive scores indicate that your brand values are clearly defined, relevant, and consistently demonstrated. Customers and stakeholders understand what the brand stands for, and its actions align with these principles. Strong values help differentiate the brand, inspire loyalty, and reinforce its commitment to sustainability.
Case study: Green clean’s values
Misaligned understanding (-3, -2, -1): Green Clean lacks clearly defined values or fails to articulate them effectively. Customers and stakeholders are unsure of what the brand stands for, leading to weak differentiation and limited trust. The absence of a focus on sustainability further disconnects the brand from its eco-conscious audience.
Surface understanding (0): Green Clean has a general sense of its values but does not consistently reflect them in its behavior or communications. While customers may recognize some alignment with sustainability or eco-friendliness, the values lack depth and differentiation, limiting the brand’s ability to build loyalty or stand out.
Deep understanding (+1, +2, +3): Green Clean has well-defined, relevant values centered on sustainability, transparency, and health. These values are consistently demonstrated across all touchpoints, from product design to customer service. By emphasizing its commitment to these principles, Green Clean differentiates itself from competitors and builds trust and loyalty with its eco-conscious audience.
Conclusion
Brand values are the foundation of a brand’s identity, guiding its actions and shaping customer perceptions. Clearly defined and consistently demonstrated values differentiate the brand from competitors, foster customer loyalty, and ensure alignment with societal and environmental priorities. By living its values, a brand can build meaningful, lasting relationships with its audience and create a positive impact in the world.
Sources
Harvard Business Review, 2002, Make your values mean something
Frabrikbrands, https://fabrikbrands.com/how-to-define-brand-values/
More on the Marketing Canvas
Marketing Canvas by Laurent Bouty
Marketing Canvas - Purpose
The Marketing Canvas is a tool to build a marketing strategy that consists of six categories, including PURPOSE, which identifies a brand's reason for being and contribution to the world. Purpose-driven brands are more successful in today's world as customers want to engage with brands that align with their values. By starting with the WHY and formulating a purpose-driven brand ideal, businesses can differentiate themselves and build a loyal following. TOMS Shoes and Ben & Jerry's are examples of purpose-driven brands. Having a clear purpose is a key driver of business success, according to a Deloitte survey. It is critical to identify and articulate a brand's purpose to guide its marketing strategy.
Last update: 11/11/2024
Purpose drives firms to find and create new forms of value (Jim Steingel)
In a nutshell
The Purpose sub-dimension in the Marketing Canvas delves into the core reason for a brand’s existence, beyond profit-making. A clear, meaningful purpose resonates with customers on a deeper level, guiding all aspects of the brand’s identity and actions. Purpose defines the why behind the brand, aligning its actions with values and goals that inspire both internal teams and customers.
For example, Green Clean's purpose might be “to promote healthier living through sustainable cleaning practices,” emphasizing not only clean homes but also environmental stewardship and well-being. This purpose aligns with customer values, driving trust and loyalty.
In the Marketing Canvas
The Purpose sub-dimension is foundational within the Brand category of the Marketing Canvas. It helps define the brand's core mission and guiding values, which shape everything from product offerings to customer engagement. A clear purpose enables a brand to stand out, offering not just products or services, but also a vision that inspires loyalty and advocacy.
Unlike functional goals, which focus on meeting specific customer needs, Purpose focuses on the brand’s larger role in the world and its impact on society and the environment.
What is purpose?
Purpose represents the core mission and values that drive a brand's existence. It goes beyond selling products and seeks to make a positive difference, whether through societal, environmental, or personal impact. A well-defined purpose strengthens the brand’s identity, uniting its internal team and resonating with customers who share the same values.
For example, Green Clean’s purpose might focus on environmental preservation, educating customers on sustainable practices, and providing safe, eco-friendly products. This purpose provides a shared goal that connects the brand with its customers and the broader community.
Purpose: an in-depth perspective
In today’s world, consumers are drawn to brands with a clear and compelling purpose beyond just making a profit. PURPOSE is about defining your brand’s reason for being and its contribution to the world—it goes beyond profit, which is simply a result. A clear PURPOSE allows you to articulate why you are in business.
Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle [1] illustrates that great leaders and brands always start with the WHY. Similarly, having a clear PURPOSE enables you to build a purpose-driven brand that inspires loyalty and connects with customers on a deeper level.
For example, Patagonia’s purpose is to help save the planet by offering high-quality outdoor clothing that is environmentally sustainable.
Patagonia Purpose
Jim Stengel [2], a businessman, author, and professor, proposes that having a purpose means that you have clearly identified and formulated a brand ideal for your activity that is the higher benefit your brand gives to the people. This can include eliciting joy, enabling connection, inspiring exploration, evoking pride, and impacting society broadly. Stengel argues that personal inspiration can come from the most trying times, as he shares the story of his brother Bob, a beloved physician known for his compassion and dedication towards his patients.
Eliciting Joy: Activating experiences of happiness, wonder, and limitless possibility
Enabling Connection: Enhancing the ability of people to connect with each other and the world in meaningful ways
Inspiring Exploration: Helping people explore new horizons and new experiences
Evoking Pride: Giving people increased confidence, strength, security, and vitality
Impacting Society: Affecting society broadly, from challenging the status quo to redefining categories
Your brand’s reason for being and contribution to the world. It goes beyond profit because that is a result.
In today's crowded marketplace, having a clear purpose can help your brand stand out from the competition. By identifying a purpose that resonates with your target audience, you can differentiate your brand and build a strong, loyal following. This can help you to outperform your competitors, as customers are increasingly looking for brands that align with their values and beliefs.
According to a survey conducted by Deloitte in 2014 [3], organizations having a strong sense of purpose are much more optimistic about their ability to stay ahead of industry disruptions and to outperform their competition. These organizations understand that a clear PURPOSE is a key driver of business success.
Best practices of purpose-driven companies
Sustainability: Consumers are increasingly demanding that companies take responsibility for their environmental impact. Purpose-driven brands can incorporate sustainable practices into their operations and communicate their efforts to their audience.
Social responsibility: Purpose-driven brands can also make a positive impact on society by supporting social causes, such as poverty alleviation, education, and healthcare. Consumers are more likely to support brands that demonstrate a commitment to social responsibility.
Ethical branding: Purpose-driven brands should ensure that their messaging and practices align with ethical values. This can include using fair labor practices, avoiding exploitative marketing tactics, and being transparent about their operations.
Authenticity: Consumers can easily detect when brands are engaging in purpose-driven marketing for the sake of profit. Purpose-driven marketing must be authentic and align with the brand's values and practices.
Employee engagement: Purpose-driven marketing can also be used to engage employees and build a positive company culture. Companies that prioritize their employees' well-being and work to make a positive impact on society can improve employee satisfaction and retention.
Storytelling: Purpose-driven marketing can be more effective when brands use storytelling to communicate their values and mission. Stories can create an emotional connection with the audience and help to communicate the brand's purpose in a compelling way.
Some examples
TOMS Shoes: TOMS Shoes is a great example of a purpose-driven brand. Their purpose is to improve lives by providing shoes, sight, water, and other basic needs to people in need. For every pair of shoes purchased, TOMS donates a pair to a child in need. This purpose has driven their marketing strategy, as they have built a loyal customer base who are inspired by their mission and values.
Ben & Jerry's: Another great example of a purpose-driven brand is Ben & Jerry's ice cream. Their purpose is to make the world a better place, through their commitment to social justice, environmental sustainability, and economic equality. This purpose has driven their marketing strategy, as they have built a loyal customer base who are passionate about their values and mission.
Translating purpose into action
Defining purpose is only the first step; the next is integrating it into every aspect of the brand. From marketing strategies to product design, purpose should guide decisions to create a brand experience that consistently reflects its mission.
Questions to consider:
How is your purpose clearly formulated and communicated?
Is your purpose aligned with current and future trends?
How does your purpose differentiate you from competitors?
Does your purpose inspire stakeholders and instill belief?
Is sustainability a core element of your purpose?
Statements for self-assessment
For a comprehensive evaluation of your understanding and application of the Purpose concept, rate your agreement with the following statements on a scale from -3 (completely disagree) to +3 (completely agree):
You have a well defined and clearly formulated purpose.
Your purpose is very relevant in the company's current and future context, addressing all the influencing trends..
Your purpose stands out from direct and indirect competitors.
Your main stakeholders are inspired by your purpose, they believe it.
Your company’s purpose is explicitly centered around sustainability.
Interpretation of the scores
Negative scores (-1 to -3): Negative scores indicate that you disagree or strongly disagree with the statements, suggesting that your purpose lacks clarity, relevance, or inspiration. This may result in weak brand identity, lack of stakeholder buy-in, and limited differentiation from competitors.
A score of zero (0): A neutral score reflects uncertainty or a basic understanding of the brand’s purpose. While purpose may exist, it lacks the depth and alignment needed to inspire stakeholders or differentiate the brand. Further clarity and relevance are needed to make purpose a central part of the brand’s identity.
Positive scores (+1 to +3): Positive scores indicate that you agree or strongly agree with the statements, meaning your brand’s purpose is well-defined, relevant to market trends, and able to inspire stakeholders. A strong purpose differentiates the brand and creates deeper customer and stakeholder connections, supporting long-term brand growth.
Case study: Green Clean’s purpose
Misaligned understanding (-3, -2, -1): Green Clean lacks a clear purpose, focusing solely on the functional benefits of cleaning products without a broader mission. This lack of purpose results in minimal differentiation and fails to inspire customers or stakeholders who seek brands with clear environmental or societal commitments.
Surface understanding (0): Green Clean has a general purpose related to eco-friendly cleaning but lacks the clarity or differentiation to set it apart. Although it recognizes the importance of sustainability, the purpose is not fully integrated or consistently communicated, limiting its impact on customer loyalty and brand identity.
Deep understanding (+1, +2, +3): Green Clean has a well-defined, relevant purpose centered on sustainable and healthy living. This purpose is clearly communicated across all customer and stakeholder interactions, and the brand’s commitment to environmental responsibility differentiates it from competitors. Green Clean’s purpose inspires trust, loyalty, and advocacy among customers and stakeholders who share similar values.
Conclusion
A strong, clearly defined brand purpose serves as the foundation for building lasting relationships with customers and inspiring internal alignment. By understanding and communicating a meaningful purpose, brands can go beyond transactional relationships, creating a community of loyal customers and committed team members. Integrating purpose into every aspect of the brand ensures that it resonates deeply with both employees and customers, fostering long-term engagement and advocacy.
Sources
Simon Sinek, Start with WHY, https://simonsinek.com
Jim Steingel, Purpose, https://www.jimstengel.com/purpose/
Deloitte, 2014, Culture of Purpose (pdf), https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/us/Documents/about-deloitte/us-leadership-2014-core-beliefs-culture-survey-040414.pdf
Deloitte, 2022, Unleashing Purpose Across Industries (pdf) https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/us/Documents/consulting/us-final-unleashing-purpose-across-industries.pdf
