This week Motorola is airing online the first two of a series of videos showcasing everyday people sharing why and how they feel empowered by technology. This is part of Motorola's "Power to Empower" campaign launched in August 2021. The campaign is the result of a multi-year process to define what Motorola stands for as a brand.
"People are not looking for brands that just have a product that solves an issue. If you want to be a brand that will continue in history and is really engaged with your consumers, you must tell the story behind everything you produce. In addition, you must be aware of the concerns your users have about you as a whole and about your technology, "told me Renata Altenfelder, Executive Director, Global Brand Management Lenovo mobile Business Group (MBG).
Motorola wants to be seen as a technology pioneer with a passion for innovation and a will to disrupt the status quo. Through technology, Motorola wants to make a difference in such a way as to generate more positive change. Its brand values of innovation, inclusion and trustworthiness must come through in the products brought to market. As a brand, it wants to be trustworthy, innovative and inclusive.
Over 300 Motorola users sent in videos sharing how their phone empowered them to do what they wanted to do, whether from an artistic sense, a professional one, or simply following a passion. Out of all the videos, Motorola selected 12 stories that showcased different people, geographies and stories to be part of the second phase of the "Power to Empower" campaign that centers around "tech with heart."
The first two stories come from the UK and Taiwan.
Mitchel McCulloch - MOTOROLA...Insert Text Above
Mitchel McCulloch is a chef who in 2020 closed his catering business in east London and moved to the East Coast of England, where he established a mini permaculture farm. Aside from cooking, he has a passion for the natural world ecology and horticulture, specifically involving plants that can feed and heal us. He became a YouTube sensation with 7 billion videos as well as a radio host. About technology, he says: "I'm always using tools, but the most useful would have to be my mobile phone. My phone is like my office. With my passion and out-of-the-box approach to gardening, I was given a great opportunity to teach others about growing via the radio."
Lin Ching Lan - MOTOROLA...Insert Text Above
Lin Ching Lan is a 34-year-old dancer from Taiwan. "I was born to dance, but I was also born deaf. To me, that is not a contradiction. Feeling the vibration from the music on the floor is something everybody can do. Sometimes we don't even imagine how far our senses can go." Her mom encouraged her to use technology to learn from other dancers who don't speak sign language. She uses her phone as an interpreter so she can be part of other companies in Taiwan so they can "vibrate together."
Of course, marketing alone will not sell products, but Motorola believes that putting people and their needs first will get them to better products and better engagement with their customers. I ask Altenfelder if getting support for the campaign was hard given the focus on diversity and inclusion, the choices of creative agencies, the use of regular people for the video content. "It was not hard at all. Aside from the right thing to do from an ethical perspective, it is the right thing to do from a business perspective. We see the results of companies and brands that are not just talking about caring about people and the environment but really acting upon their message and making a positive impact. You see revenue results, and you see stock results, you see success," she says. Altenfelder is right. Studies have shown how customer-brand identification (CBI) reflects a strong psychological or emotional attachment, suggestive of future behavior and long-term association with the brand. This is quite different from customer satisfaction which, refers to a positive attitude towards a brand generated from the consumers' overall evaluation of their experience with a brand's services or products.
“Power to Empower” is not just about products, marketing and customer engagement. After the very difficult months everybody went through due to COVID and other social challenges, the campaign has also become a force of change among Motorola’s employees. Altenfelder feels that it is paramount for the campaign to reflect the “think global, act local” mantra so that the stories, the messages and most importantly the impact reflect the needs of the local communities Motorola reaches. Motorola want to empower employees to do their best work and employees feel empowered by the change the brand is driving.
We will have to see if Motorola’s bet on tech with heart will pay off from a sales perspective, but it is refreshing to have a technology brand focus on building trust and a real connection with its customers. Something else Motorola subtly does with this campaign is remind us all that there should be more than bright colors, quick edits, influencers and catchy tunes representing tech to the world. It is exciting to have a technology brand (re)focus on the real promise their products embody- giving everyday people the power and opportunity to create posite change in their lives and the world.