The Inspiration Lab: Maximizing Impact With A Full-funnel Approach

Key Concepts

• Full-Funnel Marketing: A strategy that aims to engage consumers at every stage of their journey, from initial awareness to final purchase.
• Customer Experience (CX): The overall perception a customer has of a company or its brand, shaped by all interactions.
• Audience-Centric Approach: Focusing marketing efforts on understanding and reaching specific target audiences where they are most engaged.
• Content Integration: Creating marketing content that seamlessly fits into the user's existing entertainment or browsing experience without being disruptive.
• Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC): A cloud-based analytics platform that allows advertisers to measure and analyze their advertising campaigns.
• Brand Reputation Tracking: Measuring how consumers perceive a brand's reputation, moving beyond simple awareness metrics.
• Life Moments: Significant personal events (e.g., marriage, childbirth, home purchase) that often trigger a need for financial services like tax preparation.

H&R Block's Approach to Customer Experience

Jill Cress, CMO and CXO of H&R Block, describes the company's approach to customer experience as centered on what they deliver to the customer while they are doing their taxes. The core offerings are ease, expertise, empathy, and value. This focus aims to provide a positive and supportive experience during what can be a stressful process.

Engaging Consumers in Entertainment and Commerce

Cress highlights a research study, "Beyond the Buy," which found that 54% of consumers discover brands and products while engaging with entertainment. H&R Block's strategy for evaluating these opportunities begins with a deep understanding of the audience: who they are, their concerns, and where they are actively engaging. The key is to find these audiences on their preferred platforms and create non-disruptive content. This audience-centric approach is crucial for effective content placement and channel selection.

H&R Block's Full-Funnel Campaign with Amazon

H&R Block partnered with Amazon for a full-funnel campaign during tax season, driven by the hypothesis that this approach is more effective. The strategy recognized that life moments are often tax moments, with the average American changing their tax filing method about four times in their life, typically around significant life events like marriage, having a child, or buying a home. Amazon's data on these life stages was leveraged.

The campaign expanded beyond H&R Block's previous display advertising on Amazon's DSP (Demand-Side Platform) to include more content through streaming and platforms like Twitch. The goal was to tell stories about H&R Block's differentiated solutions that would resonate with their audience.

Key Results of the Full-Funnel Campaign:

• Conversion Lift: Over 140% increase in conversions.
• Cost Per Return Improvement: Over 25% improvement in cost per return.

These results validated the theory that achieving the right reach and frequency with the right message at the right time leads to greater efficiency and effectiveness, which Cress refers to as the "holy grail" of marketing.

The Future of Marketing Measurement

Cress emphasizes that marketing will continue to be driven by measurement. Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC) has been instrumental in assessing the value of their full-funnel efforts. She advises marketers to prioritize measuring both brand and performance marketing from the outset.

The shift is moving away from mass awareness tracking towards audience brand reputation tracking, connecting these brand metrics directly to funnel performance. The underlying principle is that "we treasure what we can measure."

Conclusion and Key Takeaways

The core argument is that great storytelling meets performance marketing is always a winning combination. Success hinges on understanding the target audience, having a clear reason for them to choose your brand, and delivering a compelling story. Cress encourages marketers to build full-funnel plans to ensure that upper-funnel demand has a clear path to conversion.

For further information on these success stories, the video directs viewers to advertising.amazon.com.