What are the best examples of FMCG players building a direct relationship with consumers?

Quick answer: Coca Cola is definitely one of the biggest players which is making strong efforts in that direction. I don’t know the details, but they have one of the most impressive CRM initiatives, which also aimed to deploy and enhance Customer Experience: The contact center.

They have a centralized operation where they listen continually what is happening with consumers, both in the Digital Media and offline (calls to the call center). The center is also intended to have an intervention on the Customer Experience, and is managed by a CX firm specialized in that matters. This firm have the capacity to exploit data insights, so I wouldn’t doubt they are already exploiting the Contact Center for the purposes you are thinking of.

I guess you already know what a Contac Center is, but just in case… Is the evolution of the Call Center, and is an integrated center where companies monitorize and manage the relationship with customers in all channels where they have presence (and sometimes where they haven’t).

Look forward to have helped you.

Best regards,

JS

Thanks Javier!

By extension, one can talk of the direct toll free lines put out there by establishments so her customers can have unimpeded access to important people like the CEO of the business and share their thoughts freely.

Hugo, trivia for example can be used to gather very useful information and assist in collating customer database

Nestlé has recently bought Freshly to leverage on customer insights and improve its business performance. The same applies to Generall Mills and its investment in Urbanremedy

Now a day Many FMCG player using different channels to gather customer insides to improve marketing effort and understand customer behavior.

For example: here in Bangladesh BAT often take customer feedback through Walking Survey. Few years ago they a launched 3 new flavors after conducting a massive survey.

Again, due to popularity of social media now-a-day many organization gather customer feedback through fb, LinkedIn, etc. I know few major FMCG player and pharmaceutical manage separate fb pages to collect customer feedback and make promotion of their goods.

Apart from these many organizations have traditional toll free number, call center, online, and e-mail feedback system.

Hilton are communicating directly with customers through mobile apps. Some 35% of Hilton’s most loyal guests use their Hilton app to open doors, select rooms, check-in, order services using their smart phones.
Consumer brands like Nike and L’Oreal are adopting ‘portable’ ecommerce experiences, mobile apps that in-store beacons, and digital out-of-home digital media networks to join up the dot for the customer - continuing the conversation that started on web into the store and to deliver then an expanded choice of personalized offerings within POS.
Insurers like Cigna are achieving unprecedented levels of customer satisfaction, engagement, trust scores, and choice, by selling through apps which offer more engagement, simplicity, and ability to deliver more personalized client experiences.
Challenger banks - like N26 and Revolut - are changing the banking dynamic.

The goal of all is to accelerate/personalise the customer journey by adapting to changes in customer behaviour and differentiating the brand experience. Some are trying to create loyalty, others to disrupt traditional models. 
Using Big Data and having good content is king. Video, personalized content, education, all seem to be important to the experience. Eg:, Hilton have to have digital room layouts and pictures across hundreds of properties in order to support their room selection app.

hope that gives you food for thought.