Download Rituals in live-maRketing

Rituals in
live-marketing
Improve your customers‘
experience – enhance your
marketing results
March 2013
content
_Executive Summary 03
_Editorial 04
_Rituals – everyone knows, but no one knows...
06
_Facts about Rituals 08
_Live-Marketing and Rituals 14
_Results of the Random Telephone Survey
20
_Conclusion
30
_Glossar 32
_FAQ 34
2
Executive Summary
Within the last decade the obstacles for marketing professionals are increasing. The rapid changes in the needs and preferences of the customers
accompanied by constant improvements in technology have mademany advertising techniques
obsolete or inefficient.
On the one hand everything has to be innovative
and new but on the other hand brand-recognition and customer-loyalty have to be protected
and improved. The question is how to integrate
both „directions“ in one strategy even though they
seem to be adverse at first sight.
As one of the leading companies in Live-Marketing we have a close contact to the affected parties. Therefore we are aware of the arising
problems and have an adequate answer! This is
the reason why we decided to publish the study at
hand.
As the headline presumes, the focus is on rituals
as an instrument in Live-Marketing. But our suggestions are not based on serendipity. Instead
they are grounded on the findings in recent academic research as well as our specialized knowledge and experience in this topic. So we issued
this helpful „guideline“ to show you the advantages or rituals in marketing as a whole and for
Live-Marketing purposes in particular.
Followed by some theoretical information we
present the results of a survey we conducted
among business people. Even though we were
surprised that only a few companies actually employ rituals in their marketing efforts we found out
that most of the interviewees are interested in the
topic and believe that rituals can indeed improve
the efficiency of their marketing measures.
Being your reliable Live-Marketing specialist we
want to inform you as our partner about the
chances and risks of rituals in your marketing
strategy so you can take action before your rivals do.
Enjoy reading and feel free to contact us for
further consultation!
3
Editorial
Our everyday life is changing rapidly. The time
we use certain products is declining since innovations substitute for them. The pressure to invest
successfully in R&D projects is accompanied by
the necessity to reinvent the brand image frequently. Additionally the way of presenting new
products has to adapt to constantly changing environmental conditions. This leads to some difficulties in business life, particularly in marketing
departments.
A set of instruments is offered by the fields of innovation management and entrepreneurship.
Although the available methods are tailor-made
for some of the concerns, they do not dissolve
worries arising from declining costumer loyalty
and brand recognition. Furthermore utilizing the
findings in these sciences is very complex and often expensive. This creates an immediate need to
fill the gap.
One promising keyword is “rituals”. Most of us are
not really sure what is considered as a ritual and
many people are not aware of the benefits arising from the application of rituals. But the artifacts under consideration are a very powerful
and efficient support for all marketing activities
since they resort to behavioral pattern used in our
daily life. In particular, rituals might be capable of
overcoming severe problems such as decreasing
brand recognition and brand loyalty.
Interestingly, the advanced analysis of rituals in
science is relatively new and marketing research
focusing on the topic is rare. Since the ideas underlying rituals are not unequivocally linked in our
minds, we want to give you an insight into this
very promising and useful topic. On the following
pages we will explain the term ritual and the accompanying subdimensions. Additionally we will
show you how rituals work in our every day life
and how they can be utilized in Life- and EventMarketing.
4
Editorial
To take a in-depth look at the topic we held / carried out a randomized telephone survey amongst
marketing experts. The informative results are
presented in the corresponding chapter and we
hope you will enjoy reading our findings and suggestions.
Wolfgang Altenstrasser
Director
5
Rituals – everyone knows,
but no one knows...
A famous German soccer player once said: “I do
not have any rituals – except the things that are
always done in the same manner.”1 This shows
that some routines are so much taken for granted, so deeply integrated in our daily life that it is
very difficult to notice them. One of these phenomena are rituals.
Even though everyone applies rituals on a daily
basis, most of us are not aware of them. A little
illustration:
After using the snooze function of his alarm clock
twice, our protagonist wakes up at 6.00 a.m. and
quickly brushes his teeth and washes his face. Today is a special day: He is invited to the latest product presentation by a famous communication
technology manufacturer. After drinking his daily
cup of fresh-brewed coffee and eating his cereals with his girlfriend, he gets dressed and puts on
the new jacket he bought yesterday. Then he hurrys up to catch the bus. On the way he logs in his
social network account via his cellular phone and
checks for news posted by his friends. In the background his e-mail application is downloading
new messages which he reads instantly. After a
short trip to his destination – the local theatre – he
shows his ticket at the entrance and walks inside.
There he becomes part of a perfectly thought-out
program starring the newest innovation on the
technology market. The product is showcased as
usual: A black-shirted specialist in front of a white
background is presenting the new device and its
features.
6
Rituals – everyone knows,
but no one knows...
At the end of the example we described one of
the various ways to employ rituals in Live-Marketing. But there is more insightful information for
marketing purposes hidden in the text. Did you
notice the other ritualized behavior pattern?2 And
did you realize the recognition power of the marketing ritual applied by the company? Without
mentioning a certain name most people will know
who is referred to.
But back to the theory: There are many variances
in what is labeled as a ritual. The main construct
ritual can be composed of a bunch of (sub-)dimensions such as family, social, personal, age,
cultural or religious rituals. There are other differences regarding intensity, use, frequency, acceptance as well as the relationship of resources
invested and benefits gained.
But if rituals are present in so many different
ways: Why do we know so little about them?
The next chapter answers the previously asked
question and gives a brief definition of the term
ritual. Beyond this basic insight we will provide
more detailed information enlightening the various, associated facets. Some of the most important findings indicate that advantages can be
gained once the structuring abilities deriving from
rituals are instrumentalized. But at this point the
innovator may disagree and propose that rituals
are out of date referring to the paradigm of creativity and innovation. We can repel their criticism
and answer: Yes! You are innovative and unique...
just in between your rituals! There is much insight
to obtain from rituals studies regardless whether
a brand has aligned its marketing and product
strategies with more traditional or, on the contrary, innovative approaches.
1 The answer can be found in the appendix. Little hint: more
than 10!
7
Facts about Rituals
The science observing rituals is called ritual studies and is an interdisciplinary field of research
mainly composed of sociological and psychological parts, but connected to many other areas of
scientific research. It commenced in the end of
the 19‘th century and lifted the analysis of rituals
on a new level.
In the beginning ritual studies was a field of research focusing on religion and religious behavior, but nowadays it is analyzing the overall effects
and the fundamental principles of rituals differentiated by varying criteria such as micro-,
meso- and macro-level. Recently the topic
sparked great interest in the marketing domain,
creating fruitful approaches to benefit from ritualized behavior.
The basic processes underlying rituals can be illustrated when looking at the way we promise something. To be able to do so there has to be a
consensus about the meaning and the consequences of such a commitment. This can be
achieved with rituals. By obeying the related verification procedures we are signaling the acceptance and compliance with the values connected.
This way a common agreement about the function of the performed behavior is establish. And
the most fascinating part: This kind of communication works without an ex-ante arrangement
between the people in correspondence.
Additionally, it is noticeable that the simple action
is accompanied by a symbolic meaning expanding the statement made by the plain performance. That is why these rituals are special and
more than just the executed action. Often a ritual
has a certain protocol and etiquette regarding for
instance clothing,
language, phrases, and the sequence of actions.
Furthermore there is a different importance and
meaning for instance of a doctor wearing his
white coat and a cleric wearing his spiritual garment.
8
Facts about Rituals
Giving someone a bouquet of flowers might have
the symbolic meaning of “I like you” as well as “I
am sorry for your loss” depending on the chosen
colors and the situation of handing over. This
shows that rituals are a indirect way of communication and display a simulation of the intention.
Thus making it convenient for marketing professionals to utilize these structures for more profitable Event- and Live-Marketing.
To sum up we can state that a promise is one of
the various ways we use rituals in our daily life.
But the topic rituals is offering more depth than
assumed on first sight. Even though it is part of
everyone‘s dailylife, the lack of consciousness
makes it difficult to understand the underlying
mechanisms and to channel them in a desired direction.
RITE
Ritualized
behavior
Ritual
Ritualized
behavior
Ritualized
behavior
Ritual
Ritualized
behavior
Ritualized
behavior
Ritualized
behavior
Ritual
Source: VOK DAMS ILM 2013
9
Facts about Rituals
As shown in the visualization above another important aspect is the difference between ritualized
behavior, rituals, and rites. Since the categories
sometimes are overlapping and to keep it simple /
uniform, we will mainly use the term ritual(s). But
now we would like to focus on some of the levels on
which rituals are present.
Rituals on the micro-level
One differentiation regarding rituals can be the level on which rituals are performed. The smallest
unit of interest is the individual3. As shown in the
introduction there are many clues where ritualized
behavior is hidden. New findings in science have
supported the assumption that rituals are indeed
important instruments to structure our perception
and behavior.
Being part of everyone‘s daily routine they become even more important in cases something
new or unexpected disturbs the sequence. Habitually, in these situations people tend to fall
back in old behavior pattern without realizing
it. They take a break and drink a cup of coffee
or tea, they go jogging or do special exercises.
All these reactions are an expression of the latent need for safety and continuity. The automated mechanisms allow us to concentrate on
the new information and handle it more efficiently. This enables us to adapt to the given
conditions faster and accept new concepts
more sustainably.
Rituals on the miso-level
The small- and medium-sized aggregation of
individuals presents the next step on which rituals are applied and is called meso-level. Similar processes take place when people come
together as if they are isolated, but some adjustments have to be made when transferring
research results.
3 Some scientists exspect at least two individuals to be involved when talking about rituals, but in our definition each person can have individual rituals which also have a symbolic
meaning and therefore are more than just the performed
action.
10
Facts about Rituals
Taking a look on sports clubs for example reveals the presence of recurring events and behavioral pattern. There are initiationrituals for
new members and special ways to celebrate a
victory or to get over a defeat. These agreements on and compliances with codes of
practice catalyze the formation of team spirit
and loyalty. Another example is the working
environment of most employees. Just as valid
for sports and other clubs there are unique rituals in every company and often special subrituals in the different departments.
Theoretically, the greatest potentials for marketing-professionals are hidden on this level.
Profound evidence deriving from academic research can be applied on Live-Marketing in
various ways. More detailed information on
this topic will be available in the chapter “Rituals and Live-Marketing”.
Rituals on the miso-level
The most extensive level of analysis is the macro-level. The investigated object is the society
as a whole.4
As assumed some tricky adjustment have to be
implemented in order to properly transfer evidence from smaller units. One obstructing factor
is the interdependency of ritualized structures
on the several levels.
These disturbances are influencing individual
rituals as well as group rituals, but the greatest
impact of the described connections can be
observed when looking at entire societies.
4 Sometimes even a firm or enterprise, but regularly not.
11
Facts about Rituals
Other differentiation criteria
Apart from these taxonomy criteria there are various other aspects of interest justifying additional
categorization characteristics. A very interesting
and instructive feature is the age, since there are
great deviations in ritualized practices when focusing on certain age ranges. As important as
age is culture. The different traditions, the nonimitable collective consciousness and environmental conditions lead to the formation of
different national, regional, and local rituals. Also
revealing is a separation by field of appliance for
example religious, family, and company rituals.
Equipped with the knowledge about the pivotal
structures and purposes of rituals in the private
sector, we want to show you how the well-directed approbiation and exploitation of rituals can
enhance your Live-Marketing results. On the one
hand this can be achieved by establishing your
own company and brand rituals. On the other
hand it can be realized by understanding the
needs of your customers to assure that they can
make use of their personal (or peer-group) rituals. This way you can refine your clients‘ experience before, during, and after a marketing event.
As a result you optimize non-monetary advantages as well as financial benefits.
12
Facts about Rituals
Artifacts
Visible, but not directly understand-/
decodeble Macro, Meso, Micro-level
Values & Norms
more visible and concious
Basal Assumptions
Self-evident, invisible and subcontious
In reference to Schein, E. 1992, Organizational Culture and Leadership, S. F
13
Live-Marketing and Rituals
When utilizing rituals the recommended marketing measures might seem to be obvious, but there are many facettes that have to be taken into
account. Even though this chapter provides a basic proceeding framework it is still mandatory to
analyse each firm‘s individual situation and potential. In addition, the overall outcome of intentionally working with rituals in Live-Marketing can
be improved when cooperating with experts in
marketing, sociology, and psychology.
Examples for rituals in (Live-)Marketing
First of all we would like to give you some remarkable examples of brands successfully integrating
rituals in their marketing portfolio. Their advertising affords can be noticed easily once they are
revealed, but to identify them in the first place is
often a challenging task. To reproduce the same
effects is even harder, in particular without identical ressources and conditions. But there is much
to learn from these pioneers of ritualization in
Live-Marketing.
Successful adaptation of rituals
in the technology sector
One of the most famous manufacturers using rituals is Apple. Despite the fact that Apple is perceived as very innovative and a market pioneer,
the way the corporation introduces new products
to the market is strongly ritualized. Usually there is
a single color background – often white – with
only one person presenting the firms new achievments in R&D. This way Apple creates a favourable atmosphere in which the audience can
recognize the newness and importance of the
promoted product more sustainable. This allows
the potential customers to focus on the features of
the innovation making it possible for advertising
professionals to communicate more efficiently.
And as shown in the first chapter, the recognitionfactor is enormous.
14
Live-Marketing and Rituals
Successful adaptation of rituals
in the automobile sector
Another well-known example is the entire automobile industry. Beeing one of the most innovative sectors6 in the economy there are many
ritualized actions carried out. Despite the fact
that some of the developments in this industry are
very creative, they are often presented in a standardized manner. Usually periodical events like
car-shows are used to demonstrate the advantages of a new vehicle and the small inventions coming with it respectivly. And even though some
manufacturers try to change the presentation
style of their products and even might try to break
with traditions, there are still many ritualized
structures involved. Just imagine an “innovative”
premiere of a car. Probably there would be many
unexspected and thrilling components. But would
there not be an invitation? Would the event-host
not offer something to drink or eat? Would there
not be attractive women handing out give-aways
and information broschures? Nothing that would
chain your impressions to the firm, brand, or product? And even if the „broschures“ were available
digitally on a USB-stick or acceessible online via
barcodes does not change the fact that they are
traditional rituals adjusted to contemporary conditions.
Successful adaptation of rituals
in the textile sector
But there are many other showpieces in various
industries. In the textile industry luxury-product
manufacturers reinvent themselves frequently,
but the way of presentation is often the same.
Catwalk-events might be adjusted by every single producer according to contemporary needs
but in the end these changes correspond with traditional techniques such as mannequins wearing
the clothes. One well-known, largescale textile
producer applying “rituals” in marketing strategies is Victoria Secrets. Every year there is a special presentation of the latest collection and
6 Especially regarding small and incremental innovations.
15
live-maRketing and Rituals
afterwards a calendar is published. The calender
itself has become an object of interest for collectors enhancing the prominence and recognition
of the brand. This is equally valid for women wearing the clothes and men just being interested in
the collectors item.
how to utIlIzE rItualS In lIvE-MarkEtIng
The mentioned firms already use rituals – intentionally or non-intentionally – as advertising instrument. But the question is: How can you establish
rituals in your own marketing strategy? An universal answer can not meet all individual purposes
since each company has distinct needs, believes,
and aims. But there are some general suggestions that can help to avoid failure and increase the
advantages gained by professional implementation of rituals in your Live-Marketing affords. The
several components are depicted in the illustration on this page.
analyzIng
target group/
peer-group rituals
IdEntIFIyIng
already existing rituals
applyIng
your own rituals
in marketing
brEakIng
with
rituals
crEatIng
space for
customer-rituals
source: VOK DAMS ILM 2013
16
Live-Marketing and Rituals
Identifying already existing company and brand-rituals
The first process that has to be accomplished is
the analysis of the current situation in your own
company. Before trying to create and apply new
rituals for your brand, it is important to identify the
actual statusquo. By doing so you reassure that
the planned rituals do not interfere with the ones
you already have in use. This is very important
when trying to maximize returns and ensure that
the required continuity is available to the potential customer. The other crucial aspect is that you
can use and improve already extisting rituals if
the evaluation reveals that they fit the desired
outcomes. This is convenient since it is easier –
and hence often cheaper – to continue pursuing
your goals using already established rituals. Besides these financial aspect it is important to keep
certain rituals alive especially when they are positively related to the firm‘s name or the connected brands.
Identifying the rituals of
your target - and peer-group
Before you can start implementing your new rituals in practical use you have to take a look at your
target group and how your competitors handle
rituals. The first investigation is required since you
can not establish rituals that obstruct the individual rituals of your clients. Take into consideration
that manifested individual behavior pattern can
prohibit the acceptance of externally induced rituals or at least impede the disposition to comply
with them. Furthermore you might have to look in
more detail at your customers knowledge-aboutrituals and the knowledge-about-the-ritual, since
the results of analyzing both aspects lead to different implications. In addition, identifying your
market-competitors‘ approaches and gaining insight into their application strategies for rituals is
a sound advice since there are legal pitfalls as
well as various other problems. One example is
the addressee not beeing able to distinguish between your rituals and the ones connected to other
firms and brands.
17
Live-Marketing and Rituals
Creating space for customer -rituals
The next stage of planning is analyzing your customers‘ private rituals and creating space for
them. Even though it is the aim of marketing specialists to channel the customers perception as
much in the desired direction as possible, it is still
very important to allow the participants of LiveMarketing events to carry out their own individual
rituals. These might be drinking a cup of coffee in
breaks or socializing during intermissions with
other people attending the presentation. The intented results can only be reached efficiently if
brand and individual rituals are equable in the
end.
Intentionally breaking with
or ignoring rituals
Some marketing strategies imply intentionally ignoring or breaking with popular rituals, but it still
is very important to understand the consequences
of such actions. Applied in a controlled and professional way these approaches can improve effects regarding brand recognition and create
major marketingadvantages. But unsupervised
there are many threats which VOK DAMS.Consulting - Corporate Live-Communication p. 17 can
cause serious damage to your firm‘s substance. It
is advised to handle such methods with the appropriate care and specialized proficiency. Think
of a colleague never going to the hairdresser‘s or
never dressing appropriately. Not obeying such
elementary decencies can harm a persons reputation permanently and the same is valid for
brands and entire companies. This is why a strong
and experienced partner is a mandatory prerequisite to successfully achieve the desired effects
of marketing activities and to enhance your
customer‘s experience especially regarding LiveMarketing-Events. Be sure to minimize potential
damage to your brands or the financial stock of
your enterprise and instead establish a solid lead.
Also important is the fact that measures once
considered innovative and remarkable, might
become rituals when they are standardized in the
customer behavior on a large scale. Therefore it
is obvious that great care has to be taken when
18
Live-Marketing and Rituals
applying new instruments since they can evolve
into unwanted and lasting mechanisms that might
be difficult to influence and change.
Creating new and unique rituals
Before beeing ready to apply new rituals, the last
step is to ask yourself what you want to achieve by
using rituals in Live- Marketing. Only with a solid
strategy you can decide which rituals suit your
purpose best. In this stage it is very important to
predict the possible outcomes as precisely as
possible. To be able to do so it is important to
have the specialized knowledge and experience
to supervise the process of ritual formation. Furthermore all information obtained from evaluating the results of the other investigations should
be included when creating new rituals.
Establishing new rituals
The most difficult part is to convert the theoretical
considerations into actually working marketing
solutions. Introducing new rituals is more effective when supporting instruments and certain
channels of communication are employed. One
decision to make is whether to use a single media-channel or to sent multimedially and furthermore whether to
use
the
channel(s)
simultaneously and / or repeatedly. Unfortunately
there are many hidden traps and one-way roads
on this level of realization. As a consequence
competent and experienced support is recommended. Once generated measures have been
executed it is important to foster and improve the
established rituals permanently. Furthermore all
the other mentioned steps have to be under continuous observation, since changes in your strategy, the customer rituals and the marketcompetitors‘ activities might require you to adjust
your ritualized structures permanently. To have a
look at the practical realization of these theoretical considerations and the perceived potentials
of rituals in Live- Marketing, we summarize the
results of our randomized telephone survey in the
following chapter. The findings yield interesting
information for further implementation of rituals
as beneficial marketing measure.
19
Results of the Random
Telephone Survey
To obtain some more information about the potential impact of rituals and the interest among
Businessmen and -women we completed a radomized telephone survey focusing on the topic.
Methodology and Theoretical
Considerations
We used a convenience sample which was composed of various marketing experts frequently
employing Live-Marketing. Overall we made 74
calls in two waves and were able to complete 47
interviews hold by a single interviewer, resulting
in a return-rate of 63.514 percent. The questionnaire was designed to comply with the causal
model depicted below.
O
B
companies status-quo
regarding rituals
C
A
recognized
competitor´s
Private application
behavior
of
rituals
D
concern and obstacles
Source: VOK DAMS ILM 2013
attitude towards
rituals as marketing
measures
E
perception of
marketing potentials
Formative Indicators
main construct
Reflective indicators
20
Results of the Random
Telephone Survey
Our simple conceptualization consists of formative and reflective indicators. Except „d. Concerns
and Obstacles“ all factores are expected to be
positivly related to „o. Attitude towards rituals as
marketing measures“. „b. Companies status-quo
regarding rituals“ might have a stronger effect on
our main concept as the other formative indicators. In our model „e. Perception of marketing potentials“ is a result of „o.Attitude towards rituals as
marketing measures“. All subconcepts were enquired with at least two items in the interview,
only the attitude was asked for in a single question. The answer-scale was odd ranging from one
to five and did not offer an explicit „I do not
know“-option so there might be some nonrespondents who actually did not answer because
they were undecided.
We did not run a pretest or a prenotification campaign and did not offer any incentives. In order to
keep the phone-calls short we did not control for
other variables such as company-size, -age, or
kind of business. Our priority was on the attitude
which was the first dispositon we asked for in
each interview. The other questions were supposed to test the causal model and – in case the
model would prove its validity – to give are more
detailed insight.
Our intention was not to offer a methodologically
overloaded research-publication, but to gain insight into the actual potentials for marketing
measures and provide practical results for users.
On the following pages we will present the results
of our survey and give some theoretical explanations for the findings.
21
Results of the Random
Telephone Survey
A. Private Application of Rituals
At first we were surprised how many marketing
specialists are aware of rituals in their private life.
But taking the high educational level of our sample into account and considering that most markerting experts are informed about sociological
and psychological models, the high degree of
awareness seems to be understandable.
In the end the results reveal that most interviewees are aware of using rituals on a daily basis.
They also think that most of the people around
them apply rituals in their daily routines. These
findings confirm the great importance of rituals.
Furthermore the results implicate that rituals are
a commonly used social structure that can be utilized for more efficient communication between
brand, company, and customer.
22
Results of the Random
Telephone Survey
B. Company ‘s stat us-quo regarding
rituals
The results for question B.1 show that most people
are using rituals in their marketing strategy but
not intentionally and not professionally. The overall attitude towards rituals in marketing seems to
be good in most companies (B.2) and these findings suggest that acceptance should not be a
real obstacle. This might be justified on the one
hand by the positive attitude in most firms making it easier to implement new rituals internally.
On the other hand the application of rituals is already going on in most companies. If channeled
and professionalized, the benefits deriving from
well-aimed employment of rituals in marketing
can be maximized.
Unfortunatly question B.1 had a non-responserate of 23.404 percent which might a signal for
unawarness or the hesitation to grant insight into
internal matters.
23
Results of the Random
Telephone Survey
C. Recognized Competitor‘s behavior
Looking at the answer cluster in this group of
questions we can observe that most marketing
specialists are not really sure, whether their competitors intentionally use rituals in their marketing
strategy. But on Average, the specialists tend to
see rivals slightly more concerned and involved
with rituals as not. The high counts for answers
C.1.3 and C.1.4 might be a result of the fact that our
question did not differentiate between intentional
and non-intentional use of rituals.
To sum up, the results display the awarness of our
interviewees that their rivals might be using rituals
in marketing to reach a superior market-position.
It also implies, that there is a need to anlyse other
companies and brands‘ advertising rituals and simultaniously establish your own ones to keep up
with the paste of the others.
24
Results of the Random
Telephone Survey
D. Concerns and Obstacles
Interstingly, most of the interviewees are not concerned with the application of rituals in marketing.
This might be explainable on the one hand by looking at succesfull examples in business life and on
the other hand by analyzing the results of question
C.2 showing that specialized knowledge might
be underdevelopt.
Even though most people questioned think that
they or their company have a good basis of knowledge, we assume that the answers are biased,
since individuals tend to misjudge their own abilities. In addition, the high count of answer D.1.1
shows the incapability of some interviewees to
identify the threats connected to careless application of rituals in marketing. This might be interpreted as a hint for a lack of specialized knowledge
and experience. Further research on this special
aspect could be insightful.
25
Results of the Random
Telephone Survey
E. Perceptions of Marketing Potentials
Our findings show that the greatest fractiont of the
sample thinks that utilizing rituals in marketing offers great potentials for marketing purposes.
Comparing these results to the actual application
of rituals (D), it is surprising that most companies
do not seem to use rituals intentionally and professionally. And this despite the fact that many assume that there are various ways of advantegeously applying rituals in marketing.
The findings might be explainable when looking
at the results of question D.2 which show that there is a perceived lack of domain-specific capacities and knowledge. Addionally the topic is relativly new and therefore most of the companies did
not have the time to implement rituals sustainable
in their marketing strategy. But recognizing the latent potentials and noticing that many competitors are engaging in rituals implies their importance. Now seems to be the phase to act since in a
short time rivals might
26
Results of the Random
Telephone Survey
Comparing the subdimensions
with the main construct
When looking at the our main question it can be
observed that the majority of interviewees has a
positive attitude towards rituals in marketing and
thinks that there are great potentials to be explored. This fits the findings reported in the previous
chapters and underlines the importance of rituals
for markerting purposes.
Most efficient (O.2.5)
Benefits prevail (O.2.4)
Maybe (O.2.3)
Not really (O.2.2)
Not at all (O.2.1)
N.-A. (O.2.0)
04 2
68
10 12 14 16
Now we will compare the findings regarding the
indirectly investigated subdimensions (A-E) to
collected data concerned with the direct question
(O). The summary of the most important measures can be seen in the illustrations on the following
page. The results for question O are always slightly higher than for the other groups. The only exeption is group A which has the highest count of positiv answers. This could be explained with the
everyday occurence of rituals in our private life. In
Addition, this divergence shows that there is still
some space to adopt ideas deriving from specialized research in business life.
27
Results of the Random
Telephone Survey
Further support for this implication is that the actual status-quo of the individual firms (group B) is
lower than the estimated benefits when utilizing
rituals (group E).
Also interesting is that attitudes and actions of the
competitors (group C) are considered almost on
the same level as the own activities. This suggests
that yet no permanent advantage has been established by the companies nor their competitors.
This can be seen as a silent indicator since the upcoming developments in marketing regarding rituals might create an advantage-gap in the market. So it seems to be a good advice to start acting
right now to found a solid rituals strategy and establish it before rivals do.
28
Results of the Random
Telephone Survey
Concludingly, we can state that our model might
be capable of predicting the attitude towards rituals. Even though some adjustments could be
made regarding the formative indicators, the reflective indicator performed well and should be
investigated further.
29
Conclusion
As shown in the previous chapters rituals are not
only an omnipresent artifact in our private life but
also play an influential role in marketing particularly in Live-Marketing. Since the topic is including
so many different fields of scientific research and
the effects are often not noticeable at first sight, it
is very important to exactly know what to do. This
is why a solid background based on experience
and training is required.
The results of the random telephone survey support the assumptions that rituals are part of our
daily life. Additionally, the findings reveal a gap
between actual implementation of rituals and
and the perceived chances for marketing purposes, thus indicating that there are potentials hidden for various marketing strategies.
Furthermore we pointed out that enterprises that
intentionally and consciously ignore or break with
traditions still should consider analyzing their individual situation. With professional support fatal
decisions which can cause severe damage to your
brands reputation and in consequence the substance of your firm can be avoided.
Another aspect is that breaking with old rituals
can mean that – in Schumpeterian tradition of
creative destruction – new rituals emerge. The topic rituals has to be handled with the appropriate
care and expertise to secure the desired course of
action.
Finally we conclude that rituals and the professionalized application of rituals are becoming more
and more important in successful Live-Marketing
and marketing as a whole. This evolution is grounded on the recent findings in academic research
and the contemporary examples of firms that apply ritualized structures for their advantage.
To maximize your marketing results and to keep
up with the fast progress in ritual studies it is beneficial to work with a solid and reliable partner who
has the capacities to guarantee the best results.
30
Conclusion
If the topic rituals caught your eye and you recognize the importance for yourself and your company or brand feel free to contact us for further information. We would be glad to support you on your
– ritualized – way towards a more productive and
efficient Live-Marketing!
31
Glossar
Artifact(s)
In contrast to natural phenomena, artifacts are
products of human action. They are an expressi
on of the underlying believes and moral concepts
for example manifested in the way we deal with
breaches of law or moral indecencies. So artifacts
are a visible approbiation of the intangible
values on which social life is based. But artifacts
can also so be manifested as paintings, sculptures, the shape of a building, and much more.
Macro-level
The macro-level is reffered to as the all-including
stage on which something is applied or investigated. Often definitions are not conclusive, but usually the term is referring to the most extensive
aggregation of subjects of interest.
Meso-level
The meso-level is the connection between the microand the macro-level and is a stage of analysis,
looking at everything that happens in between the
completely aggregated and the entirely
segregated units.
Micro-level
On the micro-level the smallest unit of interest is
explored. To be able to do so, the objects of
interest are seperated in the smallest and meaningful entity available.
R&D
Research and Development refers to a companies affords to develop new products or services.
Furthermore it is concerned with the realization of
the ideas and the economical exploitation.
32
Glossar
Ritual(s)
Rituals are defined as actions that are performed
according to fixed rules. Stated ceremonial
sequences of ritualized behavior pattern are
called “rite”. Rituals are one important way of com
munication and can include religious, political,
business and other domains. Rituals always
have a symbolic value making them more than
just the executed behavior.
Ritualization and Ritualized behavior
Is the process of turning single actions into repeated behavior and giving it a symbolic connotation.
Once these actions are ritualized and accepted
by a broader group of people they become ritualized behavior and part of rituals or rites.
33
Frequently Asked Questions
To put all the information into a nutshell we would
like to answer 10 frequently asked questions
about rituals:
What are rituals?
Rituals are defined as actions that are performed
according to fixed Rules. They are one important
way of communication and can include religious,
political, business and other domains. Rituals always have a symbolic value making them more
than just the executed behavior.
How do rituals emerge?
Rituals are usually developed by a long period of
time and therefore are lasting artifacts in our society. They emerge form certain experiences and
environmental conditions which are mostly
unique. One important requirement is the acceptance by individuals or the hierarchical power to
impose them.
Are rituals performed consciously
or unconsciously?
In general rituals are practiced unconsciously, but
there are some exceptions. People often are aware of the symbolic meaning of their behavior but
there are many examples for un- or sub-conscious application.
Where are rituals applied?
There are many different situations and contexts
where rituals are applied. Some of the most influential areas of application are economy, religion,
politics, military and education. Additionally on
the individual level there are private rituals as
drinking a special beverage on certain occasions
or doing beneficial exercises when being stressed.
Are there differences in rituals?
Yes, there are differences regarding the level of
appliance, the cultural background and the age
or gender of the individual being observed. In
some cases even more taxonomy criteria might
be suitable.
34
Frequently Asked Questions
Are rituals always positively connoted?
No, there are also rituals that are considered hazardous or oppressing. Sometimes rituals can
also be considered as old-fashioned or impeding.
That is why domain-specific knowledge and experience is required.
Do rituals persist or do they change?
It depends on the kind of ritual. Generally speaking rituals are persistent and usually do not
change easily. But in the long run and in certain
developmental stages (e.g. early childhood and
emergence of new technologies) there are great
capacities to influence the further development of
rituals.
Rituals - only for humans?
The term “ritual” usually refers to recurring behavior pattern occurring by humans. Similar processes regarding animals are sometimes called classical or Pavlovian conditioning. But there are
some people speaking about rituals when they
are talking about animals. So the answer depends
on the perspective of the observer.
Are there obstacles when manipulating
rituals?
Yes, since the topic is very complex and the interdependencies are immense it is very difficult for
non-professionals to understand the scale of consequences ensuing from manipulating rituals. Additionally the fact that rituals structure humans
daily life makes it a crucial and vulnerable lever in
marketing actions.
Which companies or brands use rituals
to improve their marketing affords?
There are many firms using techniques emerging
form ritual studies. Some examples are given in
the chapter “Live-Marketing and Rituals”.
35
contact
wolFgang altEnStraSSEr
Director
vOK DAMS Events GmbH
Katernberger Straße 54
42115 Wuppertal
Germany
P +49 202 38 907-202
F +49 202 38 907-199
[email protected]
www.vokdams-ilm.de
www.facebook.com/vokdams
www.twitter.com/vokdams