Interactive Minds Melbourne: breakfast with Logitech.

I recently attended Interactive Minds’ Customer Centric Marketing Workshop where the Head of Global eCommerce and Digital Marketing at Logitech, Jeremiah Andrick, was the keynote speaker.

Over the course of a 50-minute presentation, Jeremiah touched on a variety of themes. He spoke about design thinking, micro-moments, and the importance of customer journey mapping. He described the significance of data-driven creative, programmatic advertising, content creation, and sponsored endorsements.

Jeremiah talked through all of these concepts and set them against some fascinating case studies.

In a jam-packed presentation, he detailed the marketing efforts that have helped Logitech’s UE Boom explode in popularity; he explained why the company is starting to put some serious work into playing with mouses; and why we’re always shopping – even if we don’t necessarily know it.

All of these ideas came together seamlessly to impart a single, clear takeaway: make the customer experience easy.

Regardless of whether you are developing a product, marketing one, or refining a shopping experience: remove the barriers. Remove pain points. Make it easy for the right people to access the right products.

Here are some examples and key takeaways from the workshop that I presented to my fellow Augies and thought I’d share around.

The UE Boom.

There’s no denying that Logitech’s UE Boom has been a hit. It has been one of the most popular portable speaker products on the market for some time. But it wasn’t always this way. Logitech released speakers prior to the UE Boom with comparatively limited success.

It was only after purchasing Ultimate Ears in 2008 and going through extensive research and development (five generations, to be exact) that they began to enjoy their current status as one of the largest portable speaker providers.

According to Jeremiah, the UE Boom is much more successful than previous iterations because Logitech re-evaluated their approach. Instead of creating a product in the hope of meeting sales targets, they sought to meet the needs of their audience. They took time to put the customer at the centre of the design and development process.

The team ventured out into the world to talk to users, working hard to glean real insight. This data informed both the development of the product and the way it was marketed.

For example, one version of the UE Boom is a similar size and shape to a water bottle. The design enables people to carry a portable speaker wherever they ride on their bicycle. It made the product convenient and complemented the needs of a major target audience.

Logitech soon realised that everyone loved the easy portability of the UE Boom: not just bike enthusiasts. They pivoted their approach again to position the product as the outdoor speaker for everyone. The portable party starter. Take a look at any of their recent collateral and you’ll see what I mean.

Examples of the UE Boom 2’s marketing collateral.

The outdoorsy approach proved outstandingly effective. Especially in Australia, which is now the third largest market for the UE speaker range globally. We’re a nation full of backyards, BBQs and UE Booms.

Making a better gaming mouse.

The success of the Boom has been something of a surprise. That’s because, in the past, Logitech have been known primarily for computer peripheral products—keyboards and computer mice. Their product suite was relatively limited: choose a basic mouse for $30 or a higher-end model for $70.

Everything changed when Logitech undertook research into who was using the products and why—again, when they put the customer at the centre of the process.

The ‘customer’ in this case turned out to be hard-core gaming enthusiasts. So Logitech put some serious work into understanding the way their audience play.

They brought pro-gamers into their labs for testing and research. The insights led to a completely new product line.

The new product: Logitech’s MX Master Wireless Mouse

Logitech’s product developers were able to extend their R&D and push the existing premium mouse into new territory that directly addressed the needs of this newly identified customer group. They made changes to the mouse, increasing the number of actions that a gamer can complete in a short amount of time—a feature that makes it perfect for games like Starcraft. They also improved responsiveness, with sensitive trigger points for the perfect headshot—critical for games like Battlefield.

Some gamers take their set-ups incredibly seriously.

The new insight extended to revitalising Logitech’s marketing approach too. The brand began to sponsor pro-gamers and pro-gaming teams. The marketing team realised that when gaming guys and girls are interviewed at events, they tend to elaborate on their gear in exhaustive detail. These events offered the perfect platform for product placement. Get the gear that professionals use and improve your performance at home.

‘People don’t buy products. People buy better versions of themselves.’

The initiative proved extremely effective. Every time one of the professional gamers mentioned their favourite Logitech product, Jeremiah could literally see the coinciding spike in sales. Again, all because the team brought a customer-centric approach into play.

The ‘always-on’ shopping experience.

Jeremiah moved on to an anecdote about a recent shopping experience where he purchased a new car.

The thing that surprised him? He already knew everything about the vehicle, well before he wandered up to kick any tyres. Before he walked into the dealership. Before he even got into his current car to drive to the dealership. He knew how the engine sounded; what options were available; what product configurations he wanted to select.

Thanks to content marketing, Jeremiah was able to read news, reviews and find detailed product specifications. He watched videos and visualised himself sitting in the car.

The point? As a result of our high use of web services and dependency on devices, we’re always shopping.

Once upon a time, shopping was a time-intensive experience. With smartphones and tablets though, the opportunity to learn more about a product—and elect to buy it—is always there. Point-of-sale is now in your pocket: 24/7, 365 days a year.

The car manufacturers know their audience and take a customer-centric approach to meeting their needs. By creating relevant and appealing content, and then delivering it effectively on accessible platforms, the manufacturers primed Jeremiah for purchase. He was more informed, more engaged, and more likely to buy. That’s exactly what he did.

Every shop should be a convenience store.

Another story detailed Jeremiah’s recent experience buying a Fitbit. After adding the product to his cart, Jeremiah was looking at a bill of $150. This amount quickly doubled. How?

Have you ever bought anything from the Fitbit website? Their ‘candy rack’ is perfectly executed. You know, that devilish display at the supermarket checkout—a rack full of goodies you never knew you needed until they’re right there in front of you, staring you in the face. It’s just so easy to throw something into your basket.

Once you select your Fitbit device, the store automatically suggests additional products to complement your purchase.

‘Perhaps a couple of extra charging cables?’

Well, yeah. I travel a lot for work and that would be convenient. Ok.

After you’ve added an item to your basket, the site makes other suggestions.

‘An alternative band maybe? A scale to measure your weight and gauge the impact of your workouts? Protective case?’

Ok, sure, great. All of a sudden you end up buying $300 worth of products rather than the initial $150. And it’s all thanks to an effectively designed ‘candy rack’ that makes the purchasing process simple and convenient.

On the flipside, think about poorly designed packaging. Ever felt the fury of not being able to open a product? Or mangled plastic packaging with scissors in an enraged attempt to free your AA batteries? Jeremiah suggests that a considered purchase process should create the exact opposite response. Calm, convenience.

Finishing up and final takeaways.

While he offered up a wealth of information, there’s one insight I’ll take away from Jeremiah’s presentation: remove friction.

By learning more about your customers, establishing and appreciating the identity of your end-users, and meeting their needs, you’re actually effectively removing yourself from their experience. Use customer insight to get out of the way: if people want to purchase a product, why put them through any unnecessary steps or barriers?

As a final, fitting example, Jeremiah touched on ‘the paradox of choice’. Tropicana Juice saw a recent increase in sales after reducing their product range from 22 varieties of juice to just six. The possibilities were overwhelming customers. A streamlined experience with less options made it easier for people to identify what they wanted.

Although Jeremiah may have been talking about juice, there’s a juicy takeaway here that perfectly applies to digital marketing. It effectively summarises his entire presentation.

Define your customer, understand the problems they face, and work to remove them. Remove distraction. Streamline the purchase process. Make things easy and enjoyable. That’s the key to customer-centric marketing.

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Did you attend this Interactive Minds event? Or will you be attending the next one? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below or come say hello at the next workshop!