Simple strategies to win and keep customers profi tably N. Woodcock, M. Stone This paper draws on two decades of experience by the authors in consulting on or enacting customer management strategies; proposes four interlocking strategies: winning customers, keeping customers, developing customers and effi ciency in customer management, each with four supporting sub-strategies; provides simple examples for each with outcomes they have delivered; and proposes an assessment of each possible

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... y against its impact on the customer, business, likelihood to succeed and compatibility with the organization. This article suffers from being over-atomized, leaving strategies and their supporting evidence with little more than a few lines to argue their case. While the full basis on which customer management strategies should be assessed would require a book, it might have been better to address one strategy in depth as part of a series. Instead, this article over-simplifi es what is involved, leaving the reader unsure how to move forward. Nonetheless, it does hint at a great depth of knowledge and experience, which cannot be denied. This paper examines the theoretical framework for customer engagement, which the authors recognize is underexplored; adopts a behavioural perspective to refl ect the new customer-centric marketing and non-purchasing activities in a relationship; outlines a research project carried out to understand levels of loyalty in the FMCG sector for ice cream (M ö venpick), chocolate (Lindt) and coffee (Nespresso) brands; explains the quantitative and qualitative research conducted on a group of university students to explore their willingness to engage with brands; and reveals that while willingness exists, the level of engagement is limited. Positive experience would support repurchase and recommendation, the authors found, but is less motivating for proactive engagement with a high level of resistance to becoming a brand ambassador online. Focus group research revealed a high level of emotional engagement, but a sense that FMCG brands are not naturally talked about in social media. Added value from brands was said to be Four strategies to support CRM Four strategies to support CRM Consumers happy to engage with FMCG brands, but not to advocate them Consumers happy to engage with FMCG brands, but not to advocate them Journal of Direct, Data and Digital Marketi ng Practi ce often spend so much time on formulating can be signifi cantly enhanced by its delivery in-store.