Irrelevant communications driving consumers away from brands - poll

In the survey, which was part of the report ‘Why Relevance Drives Response and Relationships: Using the Power of Precision Marketing to Better Engage Customers’, 64pc of consumers said promotional offers dominate both the email and traditional mail they receive, but just 41pc said they view these as must-read communications. Of the 91pc of consumers who opt out or unsubscribe to emails, 46pc are driven to brand defection because the messages are simply not relevant to them.

Forty-one percent of consumers said they would consider ending a brand relationship due to irrelevant promotions, and an additional 22pc said they would definitely defect from the brand.

According to the CMO Council, while marketers continue to weigh up email versus printed postal mail, consumers are much more concerned about the level of individualisation and understanding of their needs and relationship with the brand.

The CMO Council report noted that consumers today are overloaded with unwanted direct marketing and promotional messages. In most cases, it said, recipients ignore, or have become immune, to standardised commercial overtures.

“Irrelevant, impersonal communications, be it email or traditional mail, is a waste as it does not engage a receptive recipient,” said Liz Miller, vice president, programs and operations, CMO Council.  “It is no surprise that consumers are opting out of irrelevant emails. However, what is a grave sign for marketers to heed is that customers will disconnect and stop doing business with brands who continue to send messages that demonstrate a lack of intimacy, customer insight and individual understanding.”

Even when marketers have deeper engagements with customers, as with loyalty clubs and rewards programmes, the report finds they are often missing the mark in delivering meaningful messages. Just 6pc of consumers felt that the promotions received through loyalty club communications were based on their preferences or past purchasing behaviour.  Meanwhile, 30pc of consumers stated they are inspired to do business with a company after receiving personalized communication.

“The research clearly shows that staying relevant, valued and connected to customers has become the number one challenge for marketers today,” said Sandra Zoratti, vice president, global solutions marketing at InfoPrint Solutions Company. “There is a real need to adopt precision marketing approaches that utilise more tailored and targeted messaging throughout the entire customer life cycle. Continuous data collection, as well as integration and analysis produce customer insights which will enable mass-customisation of messaging to recipients and generate improved response, engagement and retention,” she added.

Click here to download a summary report of the findings.