Could ‘moment marketing’ benefit reward?
It’s all around us already, especially via advertising on social media. No sooner have you been browsing Amazon for something, the next thing you know it appears in your Facebook feed along with other suggestions and then come the mobile notifications. I’m sure I’ve even had adverts for products based on something that Alexa (other voice recognition devices are available) heard. Mind. Blown.
It’s not just looking at personal experiences and habits but dialling into wider events. A sunny spell at the weekend, for example, and we’ll see supermarkets promoting offers on beer and burgers. If it’s Wimbledon tennis season there are adverts galore for Pimms and strawberries.
Rewarding moments
But can the principle of moment marketing be applied to employee benefits? In short, yes, and it’s probably already in use to some extent, in the old days of offering childcare vouchers to employees who have just had a baby. For it to be really effective though, we need to know more about our employees and use data and technology to deliver effective messaging, subject to GDPR compliance. Of course, this needs to be balanced around not being too intrusive; employees might not want to be ‘marketed to’ by their employer, or for there to be too much of a blur between their personal and work lives.
Targeted messaging
If we have information about employees we can use technology to engage on a personal level, when they are particularly receptive to that message. Platforms should be able to identify when a change has been made to a piece of data and that in turn can then trigger a targeted message. For example, an employee gets married so the message could be that they now get more life assurance or can add even more if they wish to - and that this might be better than buying it themselves. On top of this, perhaps they can also be told about discounts at DIY stores.
Instant appeal
This is a little reactive though so why shouldn’t an employee be able to receive instant communications to help them with their choices? For example:
- They are looking at buying some additional annual leave and receives an alert there and then for travel insurance
- The employee is researching dental insurance and receive a message about the cash plan as a possible alternative or complementary benefit
- There is an office move and the employee is notified about local discounts in their new area and an introduction to the clubs and social activities that they might be interested in
- The weather is bad and the employee receives a message promoting discounted cinema tickets or holidays abroad
- It’s the Tour de France and the employee bought a bike through work a few years ago – they get a nudge to perhaps upgrade it through the Cycle to Work scheme
- Mental Health Awareness Week starts – it’s good to be informed about what wellbeing initiatives are on offer and how these can support the employee
All of this can be delivered by an employer to improve an employee’s work experience and benefit from sponsored deals and activities, thereby increasing the value of their overall reward.
This article is provided by Barnett Waddingham.
In partnership with Barnett Waddingham
Everything we stand for at Barnett Waddingham is embedded in our promise – to do the right thing. We’ve applied this meaningful principle across all aspects of our business with continued success.
