Marketers who over-inflate their brand's importance in a consumer life do so at their peril, according to Tourism Australia chief marketing officer Lisa Ronson, who said keeping the customer at the centre of decisions is key.
Ronson, speaking to AdNews ahead of her appearance at the Media Summit this Friday, took up the top marketing role at Tourism Australia three months ago from a role as CMO of Westpac. While she said she has often changed industries – with a career spanning credit cards to alcohol brands – she said the principles of good marketing are the same.
“Make the complex simple and the simple compelling: it's an old saying but it's just as true today,” Ronson said.
“People are bombarded with so many marketing messages in a day and marketers have a tendency to over-inflate their role. If you do that it's at your peril because you think that they're engaging with you a lot more than they might be.”
“We have to be realistic and understand where your place is in this person's life.”
This customer-centric focus was particularly important during her time at Westpac, with Ronson noting that the banking sector had to make particularly quick steps into digital with the advent of mobile banking. She said ensuring the business was giving customers the right tools and experiences at the right time mean keeping the customer at the centre of all decision making.
Ronson said one of the issues some marketers have is overcomplicating communications whereas they should “work out where you fit in a consumer's life and what is the best value exchange between you.”
“It is a trap to think that someone opens their eyes and thinks about your brand straight away,” Ronson said.
“Serve up that content and user experience that is going to fit the customer.
“It is temping to want to tell people everything, and at Tourism Australia we've got so much great stuff so it's the discipline of picking the really important things.”
For the full interview with Tourism Australia CMO Lisa Ronson see the latest issue of AdNews Magazine (15 May). Subscribe to AdNews in Print, or get it on iPad.
Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop us a line at adnews@yaffa.com.au
Sign up to the AdNews newsletter, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for breaking stories and campaigns throughout the day.