Experian helps Panasonic drive engagement with digital marketing strategy
Manufacturer doubles industry average email open rates and builds increased engagement throughout the customer journey
London, 22 March 2012 – Panasonic, the global electronic products manufacturer, has appointed Experian Marketing Services to deliver a digital marketing strategy integrating rich, relevant content across email, online, social media and video to engage customers and drive physical footfall into UK stores.
An integrated marketing approach, where online and offline channels combine to optimise all touch points is vital for Panasonic, and ensures that the brand stays top of mind for customers looking to make their high value purchase decisions.
“At Panasonic, our focus is on improving the customer experience and ensuring that we are providing useful, relevant insights at every step of the customer journey – from consideration of the purchase, researching the options, buying the product and then later becoming an advocate of the product and the brand,” said Gaele Lalahy, Digital Communications Manager, Panasonic UK. “Email is a crucial channel in our digital marketing strategy, which aims to drive advocacy within our potential customer base at every touch point.”
Experian Marketing Services identified the company’s existing email newsletter as an untapped data resource and a central channel to integrate marketing efforts. New customers are encouraged to subscribe to the newsletter through a variety of channels – via the website, in-store, through social media and at events. This gives Panasonic’s subscribers the option to receive product and location-specific emails, based on their preferences, via Experian’s email platform CheetahMail. CheetahMail also designed creative to inspire interest in Panasonic’s products and values and used the latest analytics to ensure relevance. It combined striking imagery with ‘must have’ information such as first sight of new products, as well as:
Once they have made a purchase, customers will continue to receive regular update emails and newsletters, keeping Panasonic front of mind. Emails contain social links to drive traffic to Facebook and Twitter to open up dialogue between the brand and its customer base.
This data-led approach to email has had a significant impact on customer engagement. Today, Panasonic achieves 35.3 per cent open rates and 9.2 per cent click through rates, compared to an average industry benchmark of 18.35 per cent and 2.95 per cent respectively*.
Gaele Lalahy, Digital Communications Manager, Panasonic UK continued: “The real innovation here is the use of email marketing to drive advocacy and engage with our target customers. Exclusive and tailored content driven by the newsletter acts as a hook to energise our online communities.”
Jon Buss, Managing Director, Experian Digital Marketing added: “The ways in which retailers can engage and sell to their customers have grown tremendously in recent years. From the in-store mail order and telephone channels available just two decades ago, today there are a wealth of direct channels available to marketers. To harness these opportunities effectively, diverse channels need to be integrated within a single and focused strategy. Panasonic is a great example of a brand that is doing just that, and we are delighted to be helping them to create new opportunities for customer engagement across their business””.
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*Source – e-consultancy email benchmarking report 2012
Contact:
Alexandra Banks
Digital PR Manager, Experian Marketing Services UK&I
+44 (0) 7966102823
Alexandra.banks@uk.experian.com
About Experian
Experian is the leading global information services company, providing data and analytical tools to clients in more than 80 countries. The company helps businesses to manage credit risk, prevent fraud, target marketing offers and automate decision making. Experian also helps individuals to check their credit report and credit score, and protect against identity theft.
Experian plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange (EXPN) and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 index. Total revenue for the year ended 31 March 2011 was US$4.2 billion. Experian employs approximately 15,000 people in 41 countries and has its corporate headquarters in Dublin, Ireland, with operational headquarters in Nottingham, UK; California, US; and São Paulo, Brazil.
For more information, visit
http://www.experianplc.com
.