Sony Electronics remains one of the most iconic, recognized and revered global brands. Though few competitors can match Sony’s innovation, reliability and unrivaled quality, the consumer electronics category is crowded, fickle and price sensitive. What’s more, the life cycle of high-end electronic products is similar to that of appliances and automobiles — there can be a long hiatus between replacement purchases.
Harte Hanks has partnered with Sony Electronics as the CRM AOR for more than ten years. That translates into the creation and deployment of thousands of campaigns, millions of emails, and a library full of digital content and assets.
Most Sony Electronics CRM efforts consisted of “big picture” broadcast batch email blasts. The list, built over many years, primarily consisted of opt-in customers who had purchased and registered a Sony product. The objective was to keep customers engaged with the Sony brand, and to encourage both additional ancillary and replacement purchases.
We determined that attrition was beginning to accelerate and engagement rates were trailing off. Clearly, batch emails were not enough to inspire interest and stimulate cross-purchases. We needed a more relevant content strategy, and better data analytics to know how best to reach the right customer, in the right context, at exactly the right moment. Our broadcast email blasts, as designed, were attracting customers into the top of the funnel. But we needed a more efficient way to identify and engage passionate, tech-savvy customers with a greater propensity to purchase.