A sign that the borders are less waterproof

Your favorite hypermarket is a giant Casino You can now use the car to go shopping. The sign indeed proposes to you in connection with neighbours by the same route you through a search engine on its website and notify you by email or SMS. But the Distributor plays well beyond shopping intermediaries since the device can be used to organize his vacation as his daily trips.

This initiative is emblematic of a new State of mind of the marks. In a context of crisis, they have any interest to arise in providers of solutions and offer new services to their customers. Provide free eases a relationship increasingly tense with consumers increasing mistrust. In his last TrendObserver, Ipsos emphasized also the need today for brands to "plead their cause" to their customers.

The third edition of the Observatory of the families of the Agency Landor, in time following the expectations of 10 homes, also finds increasing requests to the great names of consumption is to be a "partner in everyday life." "This implies notably less flood the market of new products that will disappear a few months later, to play the card of the useful rather than the futile." "Associate services with products is a way to improve the perception of the quality-price ratio," said Luc Speisser, Director of strategy at Landor France.

Multiplication of initiatives

The message goes better and better business, multiply the initiatives. At Danone, Badoit red and released "The little book of the revolution in table", a guide of good addresses of innovative restaurants, but not necessarily expensive. Distributed paper best of 20,000, he also the object of a Web site whose address appears on 4 million packagings. Written in a playful way, it aims to bring out the uniqueness of the brand, more bubbly than its big sister the green bottle, to the more classic image. And a vocation to perpetuate themselves.

The proposed services are not necessarily free. Course fun to discover a product under another day develop also. As the workshop of chocolate tasting and wine, that Lindt will start in March, as a first step, two sessions. Offers can also assist in the availability of a product. Energizer has launched the mespilesauditives service in France. This subscription allows the deaf to receive home twice the stock needed hearing aid batteries for a year. The latter must indeed be renewed frequently, and when it's needed, it is not always easy access to points of sale. "To emerge now, a mark must provide to the consumer of the solutions, a service helping them live better." It is a way to display its use value. "We expect to move more and more in this direction", said Catherine Brandenberger, Director of marketing group Energizer France.

Whether or not it promotes the Act of purchase, the Web allows to establish new relationships with the public. Preferably by participate all everyone. Advantage: with its vast community exchange authority, the canvas is not very expensive. After the SNCF on idTGV, it is the turn of Air France-KLM play intermediate between the passengers of aircraft through the Bluenity site. The registrants, members of the Flying Blue program, can share good plans, which will be their neighbours of seat, or even to meet them in advance at the airport or at their place of residence later.

Beyond the core business

The platform of cooperation between Internet users launched on its site by Bouygues Telecom uses it to respond to any query on his phone. "Everyone is invited to share its knowledge and experience." "And customer advisers certify that the answers are correct and if necessary complement", details Jérôme Delaveau, President of the Agency Human to Human, who built the device. Of 1,300 to 1,500 members have already registered. The success, a version for businesses is in preparation.

Companies could further these logics. Michelin tire manufacturer had the pioneering idea to edit maps and gastronomic guide to provide solutions to clients in well beyond its core business. Today, the Scarlets company develops rather its new services around the tire.

"In their initiatives, industry remain very linked to their products." "They should now thinking more globally," said Jean-François Bellanger, Transit City founder, "think tank" on urban lifestyles, which recalls in passing that the lyric ' was launched by the JCDecaux display specialist, and not by a manufacturer of cycles.

If manufacturers are beginning to put the turbo on the services accompanying their references, the principle works in both directions, like the "Googlephone". Pure solution provider, the search engine is now materializing in a mobile. A sign that the borders are less waterproof.