Molson: Meeting New Customer Expectations

One of the hallmarks of the social web is how it’s shifted the expectations customers have of the companies they do business with. We as consumers know that the tools, channels, and mechanisms exist for companies to engage with their customers. And as a result, we’re not only asking for them to be present and responsive online, but we’re expecting it.

The team at Molson knows and recognizes that, and they’re using social media to humanize their brand, connect with their fans and customers, and build brand equity and loyalty to drive future sales.

“Our goal is to be the ‘go-to brewer’ in North America, and to do that we need to demonstrate a willingness to quickly respond to consumer questions, concerns, comments and love for our brands,” explains Adam Moffat, Manager, Marketing & Brand Public Relations for Molson. “We want to add value to their experience with our company and beers by being present, engaged, and human.”

They recognized that more and more of their audience were gravitating toward online sites and tools to communicate, both in terms of sharing experiences and communicating with companies – and each other. Molson saw first hand how social media was starting to shift consumer expectations from companies online, and they knew they needed to be there.

“Extending customer service and customer relevance to the online world is a very natural extension of our marketing and customer communication,” explains Moffat. “It helps us get closer to our drinkers, and lets them see the people and personality behind our brands. Stronger relationships lead to increased customer loyalty, which ultimately drives sales.”

Using Radian6

As the Molson team got more deeply involved with social media, they knew they needed to measure analyze their efforts, so they turned to Radian6 to help.

Moffat and his social media team make significant use of Radian6’s regional and language filtering capabilities. “We have a great portfolio of brands at Molson that are enjoyed internationally, and we needed visibility into the conversation in other areas of the world.”

Radian6’s flexibility was also key for the team. They’re continuously tweaking and shifting what conversation they’re monitoring based on their current campaigns, events, and promotions in addition to monitoring the larger conversation around their brand. The ability to adjust their topic profiles quickly and easily, and deliver turn-key reporting on the go makes their team more nimble, responsive, and able to share their results across the company.

“We also really appreciate that Radian6 collaborates with clients to update, test, and introduce new features. It’s great to be able to contribute ideas and feature requests to help improve the platform so it’s even more valuable to us.”

Why Listening Matters

The Molson team is using what they learn through listening and monitoring to actively inform marketing decisions about messaging, and even to bridge new media to more traditional channels.

“It’s easy to monitor an interesting online conversation about our brand or our industry and use that to craft a compelling, targeted pitch to traditional media,” says Moffat. “We can be sure that the coverage we’re seeking is really aimed at the topics, issues, and conversations that our customers care about.”

They’ve also been able to adjust their strategy for campaigns and promotions based on what they learn through monitoring. By tracking how consumers are responding to their communication efforts, the Molson team can change tactics, messaging, or outreach focus in full stride, which they’ve never been able to do before. Sharper focus for them means more valuable, impactful campaigns and promotions for their customers and potential customers.

As for their social media ROI, Moffat says it’s an age old question, and a definition they’re still refining for themselves.

“We’ve always had a similar issue trying to quantify the impact and value of traditional PR measurements. What’s the dollar value of an impression? But we’re also considering ROI in terms of the Return on Ignoring. Can your organization really afford to not be present and engaged when customer expectations have most certainly changed? ”

Want to know more about what Molson is up to? Connect with Adam on Twitter, check out their blog, and hear how they’re tapping the potential of the social web.