Brand Building in the Digital Age

Advertising and Messaging in the Digital Age is focused around getting the Return on Attention as opposed to Return on Investment. Businesses are looking at making news with their campaigns either by way of product design or innovating the way consumers can express themselves about the brands such as crowd-sourcing idea contests.

Brands are seeking to connect where the consumers are present with Customer Centric Brand Value Proposition.

Key factors Influencing Changes in Brand Strategy

Media is Fragmented and there are many distractions for the consumer.
Campaigns are not always scalable as what works on one Channel may not work on another.
Consumers are spending more time online and with devices where it may be difficult to adapt conventional messaging and campaigns.
The Shopper Journey as it has existed may not hold true anymore as consumers are often lured by attractive offers online and may limit visits to Conventional Stores or other Shopping Destinations.
Consumers choose to belong to Brand Communities and often see Brands as a form of Self Expression.

Brand Building with Game Changing Ideas

Mercedes-Benz has launched a limited edition car where the customers can express their interest to buy the car with an app on microblogging platform Sina Weibo to mark the beginning of Zodiac year.

Microsoft unveiled a contest for developers, giving them a chance to have their app featured in a Windows Phone television ad.

The top 64 apps will be chosen based on user rating, app quality and successful implementation of new Windows Phone 8 features, such as Live Tiles. The 64 entries will then vie for public votes in a head-to-head competition that zeroes in until the best app is chosen.

Brand Positioning is not only about giving consumers a differentiated value proposition with an emotional connect and a reason to believe but a derived outcome of Brand Experience in the Digital Eco-System.

Brand Building in the Digital Age

Determine Goals for your Brand and how your social and digital play fits within your Brand Strategy.
Determine the Tone of voice for your Brand for the type of Network Media i.e. Conversational for Twitter and more Interactive for Facebook
Determine the Social or the Digital Media Mix for your brand i.e. Apps, Online including Search and SEO, Blog, Video, Mobile, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, Instagram and Pinterest. If you are a retailer, Pinterest or Facebook might be for you because of the ability to share sales-related images and videos. Customer service-oriented companies may prefer the immediacy of Twitter.
Identify and create a network of Influencers for your Brand. What is the kind of expertise that is required for your consumer to choose your Brand and how best you can use Influencers to communicate your Brand Values.
Monitor your social Media – clearly define your objectives, and type of interaction that you are seeking to achieve in digital and the relevant metrics for measuring the same.

Source: Sysomos Build your Brand

Image courtesy of Simon Howden/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net