Author: Bob Garfield
Today's brands face an apparent choice between two evils: continue betting on their increasingly ineffective advertising or put blind faith in the supposedly mystical power of social media, where "likes" stand in for transactions and a mass audience is maddeningly elusive. There has to be a better way...
Maybe money can't buy you love. But in today's world, where people have become desensitized by ad campaigns and marketing slogans, money can't even buy you like.
That's because we've entered the Relationship Era, where the only path for businesses seeking long-term success is to create authentic customer relationships. Not through hip social media promotions, viral videos or blizzards of micro-targeted online ads.
So where do authentic customer relationships come from? Honesty. Transparency. Shared values. A purpose beyond profit. Sure you still need a high-quality product or service, but now that people can easily find everything that's ever been said about your brand, you can't manipulate, persuade, flatter or entertain them into loyalty. You have to treat them like human beings.
Blending powerful new research, fascinating examples and practical advice, Garfield and Levy show how any company can thrive in the Relationship Era.
