Europe simply loves Eurovision

Lessons from Eurovision on brand loyalty and customer experience

There’s no denying that Europe simply loves Eurovision. Since its inception in 1956, the singing contest has brought the continent laughs, love and some incredible music from big stars and soon-to-be-stars.

But it also teaches us a lot about celebrating cultural similarities and differences and how to harness that within brand loyalty.

Despite what people think, Eurovision wasn’t started as a contest that aimed to unite Europe but that’s exactly what happened. You only need to look at last year’s competition that saw the Ukraine crowned champions, and the UK offering to host on their behalf, and it’s clear that Eurovision crosses cultural boundaries to bring the best out of people.

But how does it do it and how do we start harnessing that to bring about brand success?

 

Authenticity always wins

Despite popular beliefs that Eurovision is politically driven, it’s undeniable that creditable songs by credible artists always do well.

Celine Dion, Maneskin, ABBA, Conchita Wurst, Sam Ryder, and the Kalush Orchestra - the artists that do well share a common thread. They don’t focus on gimmicks or trends to find success. They use their talent and authenticity to create that success.

And that’s a solid approach to take when you’re developing your brand loyalty and customer experience. Sales gimmicks and quick wins might get you a few points, but real success lies in the focus on the quality and authenticity of what you do and what your brand says it is.

UK honey recently felt the wrath of inauthenticity – with all samples tested by the European Commission failing their authenticity tests. This has a damning result on brand reputation.

Research from McKinsey & Company’s Great Expectations: Navigating challenging stakeholder expectations of brands shows that: “Across interviews, stakeholders ranked authenticity as the most essential of expectations, rating it more than four out of five in importance.”

Knowing your audience

Hitting the sweet spot with a song and artist that lots of countries love (and gets the most points) is something countries strive for year after year with Eurovision.

And the ones that get it right do the same thing well – they know their audience. And this doesn’t mean a one-size-fits-all approach. Whether they choose to sing in their native language or in English, to have a choreographed dance routine or simple staging – they know how to appeal to their audience, across the continent.
As HubSpot points out, Austrian brand Red Bull does this to perfection. An Austrian brand, with a drink that looks very different to traditional soft drinks and with extreme events held all over the world. It’s cooler than Lucozade and more daring than Coca Cola or Pepsi. The events it hosts in the US are different to those they host in Jordan.

Knowing your audience is they key to building brand loyalty across many different market places and audiences.

Prioritise the experience

There’s no doubt that the experience of Eurovision is a huge part of its appeal. A riot of colour, collaboration, bright lights and a party atmosphere. And all of that translates straight from the arena into people’s homes.

But, what Eurovision knows is that people still need the familiar or comfortable for the experience to be memorable and enjoyable. Commentary teams descend on the host city to provide broadcasts in every language, bi-lingual presenters translate the proceedings and the background of each artist and song is introduced before their performance.

How each and every person is receiving the experience, the brand of Eurovision, is valued and prioritised. While honouring the cultural significance of each performance.

German-based baking company and pizza creator, Dr. Oetker, is renowned across Europe. But the experience of its brand in different countries is key to its success. In Italy, the brand is known as Cameo – due to the difficulty Italians had pronouncing the word “Oetker”.

It may seem a simple switch, but by making the experience of the brand more comfortable for its consumers, it achieved success. Back in 2011, its Ristorante pizza was the most popular ready-made pizza in Italy – the birthplace of the meal itself.

Providing a brand experience that can cross cultures, embrace differences, and bring comfort to your audience is a powerful place to be in 2023.

If you’re ready to bring your brand to different audiences, then speak to our team on +31 (0) 88 494 20 80 or email us at online@worldpack.eu

Tarissa Brandt
Inside Sales Account Manager

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