Putting the Cart Before The Horse?
I often question how we can communicate effectively in
digital channels to maximize the impact of technology without having an
overarching brand strategy that weaves all content and platforms together. A strategy that tells a story of brand
relevance and purpose and is driven by core values. One that provides a clear articulation of how
employees as brand ambassadors should live and deliver a brand promise every
day – at every level in the organization from the front line to the C-Suite. Where the consumer journey has been
anticipated and mapped, and the brand experience consistent at every touch- and
decision-point. What technology affords us – and demands of us
– is to leverage this huge opportunity to achieve consistency of underlying
message in so many places at the same time. And that opportunity can only be maximized by
employing a well thought, overarching brand strategy that blankets the entire
corporate marketing continuum – in particular digital communications.
Some fundamentals just don’t change, although we like to
think they do. They morph. Twenty years ago, marketers had the tools to deliver the brand message on
perhaps a dozen platforms or so.
Advertising, direct, public relations, sales, trade shows come to mind. The majority of impressions were made mostly with
public/passive forms of communication. While
these platforms are still important tools
for demand-gen, we now have the ability to create brand awareness and
create demand through hundreds of digital platforms – almost simultaneously – in
a targeted and individualized way no one could have imagined.
Technology provides marketers with a VERY IMPORTANT new toolbox in their quest to swiftly create
brand awareness and demand-gen at every turn in the customer journey. And this is my point – digital technology is a TOOLBOX. It cannot
supplant a well-informed brand strategy.
Rather, it supports it by offering a broad array of highly
personalized tactics that generate demand and deep loyalty while simultaneously
creating better consumer journeys and experiences.
So what’s the bottom line here? If digital demand-gen tactics are not driven
by a solid brand strategy and the promise of an astonishing brand experience, that’s
money down the drain. If employees are not informed and motivated by
clearly articulated values that help guide them in charting great consumer journeys and resultant loyalty,
that’s money down the drain.
In my next blog entry, I’ll write about a famous brand
that lost its way. Before it could
maximize its use of technology and reaffirm its commitment to the ultimate customer
experience, this category leader had to return to its branding basics. Stay tuned for – Starbucks – Where Necessity Became
The Mother Of Disruptive Reinvention.
