Way back when (circa the late 20th century), companies could spoon-feed their brands straight to the mouths (and pockets) of consumers via the mass media machine. But gone are
the days of yore. Now consumers feed themselves, and companies have very little say in the plat du jour. In fact, if companies and their communications representatives aren't
careful, their once-sturdy brand identities will spoil as quickly as week-old milk, and the leftovers are never a pretty sight.
Digital communications channels have empowered stakeholders and precipitated a cosmic shift in how organizations reach their target audiences. Yes, this is stating the
obvious; no, many companies aren't catching wind of the new opportunities that can help them take back the reins - even if they will still be hanging on for dear life. Here are
three easy ways to pass the torch and extend your brand's digital shelf life.
Pass The Microphone
According to the Edelman Trust Barometer, "a person like me" is the most credible spokesperson for companies. That statement speaks volumes: consumers want to be
informed of brands by each other; they want to make decisions independently; and their trust in the singular corporate voice is dwindling. This, coupled with the swelling
influence of consumer-generated content online, means that communications executives must bite the bullet and surrender control (let's face it, control has been slipping through
their fingers like sand for years now), empowering their stakeholders to speak for them. Consider it "engagement communication" (see sidebar).
According to Shel Holtz, VP of new marketing at crayon, it's time to "establish brand presence in online channels." (Note that Holtz prefers the digital rendition of
himself on his blog.) That doesn't mean building a Web site. Chances are, your grandmother had a Web site two years ago, and your baby pictures are posted on it. Move above and
beyond yesterday's platforms. Holtz offers a few tips for enhancing your brand in this digital world:
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Promote horizontal, peer-to-peer communications, both internally and externally;
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Use social tools: social media news releases, executive blogs, employee blogs, online videos, social networks ... the list goes on and on;
- Enable vertical communications by having CEOs talk to (not at) others in their peer group;
- Don't limit the brand experience to your Web site alone. The people who are going there are already customers; you want to reach those who aren't.
Holtz also cites eerie statistics that only reinforce the power social media has to empower or destroy brands: 1% of a community generates new content (think Wikipedia)
and 10% of a community contributes to existing content (think blog commentators). These are the new influencers. Learn to love them.
Hire John Doe
Not literally. Rather, get credentialed third parties on your side - those who aren't one the payroll, but who dig your brand and have the digital know-how to blog about it,
post You Tube videos about it, make MySpace comments about it ... you get the idea.
Southwest Airlines is famous for using this to their advantage, both by constructing their brand around the consumer experience and by hosting a contest in which
passengers could submit video commercials. It was a democratic approach, and the brand will now live on for eternity in cyberspace thanks to the heaps of content generated.
Also, look at Amazon. The site is filled with positive (and negative) reviews of customers who aren't paid to sing a brand's praises. Plus, before making a purchase,
many consumers go straight to the reviews section to find out what others had to say.
Digital Dialogue Rocks The Free World
"Conversation delivers disproportional impact," Holtz says. "Leverage is with he who seizes conversation, not with he who starts or controls it." This was evident during last
week's D&AD Global Awards, which celebrates creative excellence in marketing. Nods went too campaigns that flaunted less traditional forms of branding communication -
Nike, for example, for its interactive Web site that was constructed with the goal of building community - and the awards themselves listed new categories to keep up with
the changing landscape: branding scheme, branding application, integrated campaign experimental or street marketing, just to name a few.
"Finding the voice of a company is still a big thing. It's not about simply making it up; you have to get it from the company, and find out how that company should speak to
their consumers," said Tony Davidson, creative director of the London office of advertising agency Wieden & Kennedy, in a recent BusinessWeek article. "Whether
you're doing a piece of packaging or building a showroom, getting the DNA of a brand and determining what it should look like is still quite a skill."
Don't Try To Scam Users Into Buying Your Brand
Here's the thing about the digerati: They are very judgmental. And smart. And maybe a tad bit cynical. If you try to push your brand online in less than savory ways
(creating a fake blog, a la Wal-Mart and Edelman, or bribing influential bloggers with free stuff like Microsoft did with its Vista operating system - then you will
get burned.
Transparency is key, as always, and strong brands will speak for themselves if you hand control (at least a little) over to your consumer advocates.
Here's the other thing about life in the fast lane: Size doesn't matter. Web 2.0 has multiplied audiences and stakeholders exponentially. Now its doesn't matter to whom
communications execs are directing their messages, because everyone is listening. The smallest organization can find friends and enemies anywhere in the world because of the
power of the Internet - and thanks to human nature's propensity to gossip.
"Every company is a global company because of the Internet," said Kenneth D. Makovsky of Makovsky and Company during his acceptance speech at last week's Public
Relations Society of America-New York's Big Apple Awards.
For communicators, this means it's time to get online to launch their brand indentities full-throttle, lest they sit unopened on a dusty shelf, left to expire.
(To register for the June 20 PR News Webinar on Word-of-Mouth Marketing,
visit http://www.prnewsonline.com.)
CONTACT:
Shel Holtz, [email protected]
The 8 Critical Rules of Engagement Communication
1. Channels have fragmented.
2. Sources of trust have shifted.
3. Social media have arrived.
4. The consumer is in control.
5. Content creation and distribution have been democratized.
6. You must reach the new influencers.
7. Transparency is required.
8. Engage in the conversation or fail to communicate.
Source: Shel Holtz, "Where Online Communication Is Headed: ?The Integration of the Web," Ragan Corporate Communication Summit.