by Tiffany Assouline & Minter Dial

Need a coach for your brand ? – Part 1 : Why is the brand a key success factor on the web ?

affinyt — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 16:23:44 +0000

A brand in itself is a strong element of communication and recognition. Capitalizing on the brand and leveraging the notoriety can, therefore, increase visibility. But, this will not happen by itself. While the amount of broadcast messages and communication channels has exploded, a brand’s recognition and reputation must be preserved.

As stated by William Wrigley, the legendary founder of the chewing gum company Wrigley, “Why continue advertising when you have a brand and a product that is so famous? It is for the same reason that pilots need fuel to run the engines when the aircraft is at 3,000 meters altitude.” Even if media purchasing options are changing and that times are hard, to communicate less on the brand would be like “cutting gasoline in an aircraft in mid flight.”

Ever since commerce existed — just as with the fishmonger who shouted from his stall — businesses have always needed to capture the customer’s attention. Today, the task is ever more complex. Even for a famous brand whose name is more recognizable, the fight for attention is happening on many more fronts than in the past and is based on a new mindset. Thus, brands must work like crazy in a multi-front battle using digital agencies, purchasing sponsored links, executing SEO (keyword optimization on research engines) and, more recently, hiring a community manager. However, if such actions are necessary, they are sometimes insufficient.

The brand is a symbol of recognition and a sign of differentiation. It occupies one or more territories. It represents a quality image and makes a promise. Better yet, it conveys a set of values. In terms of media coverage, the multiple screens – within an overall communication strategy – offer new, targeted and meaningful ways to get one’s message across: the era of undifferentiated mass media is over, in favor of one-to-one highly personalized messages, adapted to the medium. These one-to-one actions are particularly important as they allow consumers to personally identify with the brand, its values and, even, the brand’s essence.

The success of private sales and VIP clubs, location-based social networks, the proliferation of codes (and passwords), and an obsession with becoming a “celebrity” through TV reality shows have contributed to a greater emphasis on ‘real time’ marketing. To the extent these shows have trivialized “VIP” treatment and “star status,” brands need to improve the understanding of their clients in order better to provide recognition and a value-added service, including corresponding, exchanging and engaging on a real time basis.

In using the different communication channels, messages must not only be consistent and complementary, but they must also be adapted to the format, which includes creating specific messages and offers uniquely designed for a particular channel. This communication strategy requires a well-informed and structured analysis, and beyond pure resource allocation, the adoption of a more organic and experimental approach and mindset.

Need a coach for your brand ? – Part 3 : After the Personal Branding, Brand Coaching ?

affinyt — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 14:42:26 +0000

Successful branding and marketing is no longer about selling a product at the right price, in the right place with the right advertising and promotions. A brand should express a personality, a sense of meaning, and, sometimes, even a sense of humor. In order to gain traction, messages from the brand should create a feeling, a reaction that encourages discussion and sharing. All points of contact with the customer can be beneficial to the brand; because they can help the company on new product development, adjusting pricing and reconfigure promotions… In some cases, customers can provide their own best customer service as demonstrated by Apple. The marketing principle of the 4 P’s (product, price, publicity, place/distribution) — invented in the 1960s — is outdated and must yield in importance to the marketing of what we have called the five E’s: Engagement, Exchange, Emotion, Experience, & Essence.

The marketing of the 5 E’s is holistic, incorporating three stages: before, during and after the act of buying. As such, marketing becomes everyone’s business. All the stakeholders – internal and external to the company, such as distributors, suppliers, employees, shareholders and customers – become communicators of the brand. The brand is no longer confined to the marketing department. In this new mode, brands often need to adopt a new mindset in its internal and external communications, which means making regular micro-adjustments to the positioning and letting go of total control. Enter the role of a Brand Coach.

The concept of coaching a brand was born in the USA. Initially, however, the definition has been limited to the role of a ”sell-out manager” (dealing with the sell through). In this case, coaching as a concept is used inappropriately. A coach should work to support — not to replace — the actors of the brand. The brand identity is expressed and felt by the consumer throughout all points of contact. The brand’s values should be embodied, as much as possible by all stakeholders. A coach, in this context, is to help a CEO to represent the brand and ensure that the expression and experience are “infused” at all levels to ultimately be passed on to consumers who become increasingly involved in the brand. Of course, the consumer was previously able to participate through word of mouth. However, today the message reaches many more people faster, and, especially, through multiple sources. Just as the spider weaves its web, brand coaching is accomplished in a multi-directional, interactive, dynamic and complex environment.

Among the difficulties faced by companies, there is the question of surveilling and listening to ”stakeholders” on the web. Who does what? How is the information conveyed? What is the best response in case of a crisis on the web? Who knows what? Who is in charge? In short, a litany of unanswered questions inside most enterprises.

In a world that is flattening (cf Thomas Friedman’s The World is Flat ), a company’s resources – such as the call center – are becoming increasingly limited; offshore outsourcing has become second nature. Thus, the consistency and coherence of the customer experience, as well as staff’s commitment and enthusiasm – particularly true for global brands – are real issues.

Brand coaching is a vast subject, which cannot be limited to a sub-contractor at the point of sale experience. The Brand Coach is designed to explain and decode the customer de facto experience. In this context, the company should try to make its business practices and communication more transparent. This does not mean total transparency or full body nudity; but, there is a need for some form of consistency between what is said and what is done. In any case, the employee’s sense of belonging and trust in the company are crucial to achieve – and exceed – customer expectations and the company’s revenues.

In seeking a successful and sustainable brand, the employee – particularly he/she of the “Generation Y” ilk – must live and believe in the values of the company. The examples are numerous as to the relevancy of this point. Compare the traveler’s experience on Cathay Pacific or Singapore Airlines where the flight crew provides dedicated and careful service, versus the passenger’s experience “as a number” traveling on American Airlines or Delta Airlines.

Brand coaching is a matter of men and women. It is to help the company navigate through all channels of communication and help find a voice / channel. What message to communicate, what audience or community, and by what means? Furthermore, brand coaching requires the full commitment of the CEO to provide the vision and reaffirm the message on a daily basis. The Brand Coach is to accompany and help transform the vision into reality. If direct communication — “private label media” as described by Egoli, Moeller and Vollmer Strategy & Business – can be facilitated in part by the “tool” of the Internet, nothing can replace the experience, efficiency and emotion of a team empowered by a strong and consistent brand.

Need a coach for your brand ? – Part 2 : DNA, Identity, Reputation: The brand as an obvious “social” landmark ?

affinyt — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 14:40:40 +0000

The brand is, by definition, a quality reference, a specific universe and a vector of values. A brand is recognized for its quality and, in its domain, garners a reputation and expertise, which can lead to taking a position of authority and providing advice.
All these factors can now to be put in place using the available digital media, of course, respecting the web code of conduct, i.e. openness, authenticity and a willingness to initiate (listen and participate in) the “conversations”.

Facebook has materially changed the media landscape through, in particular, its fan and group pages. Facebook’s classification of fan pages is increasingly of commercial interest to brands. Some brands such as H&M, Starbucks, Coca-Cola and Victoria’s Secret have found in Facebook an active and engaged audience – including their employees. Here is the list (via fan page list) of brands with the largest base of fans.

Twitter, to another extent, has revolutionized the customer relationship with real-time processing of requests, complaints, special offers, etc. It gives the ability for even smaller brands or companies to interact with their customers and allow them to become visible to the Twitter community. A perfect case in point: The Stockholm Historical Museum which spotted a tweet (a message under 140 characters on Twitter) from us and immediately sent a message @mdial to thank us for the visit. “Glad u like our museum! Interactivity and kids visiting with adults are top priorities at Historiska Museet.” This exchange was both surprising and pleasant and, most importantly, came at negligible cost to the Museum. This form of interaction demonstrates the ability of the “small” to play in the big leagues.

Staying close to the street – and listening to your client base — is crucial to remain visible and credible. The notion of friends sharing recommendations is a strong element in social networks. Famous brands are at an advantage, since they are more easily noticeable and commendable. However, new players in the market place can build their identity and increase sales and visibility faster and better than before, thanks to the social networks, operating under a set of new rules and a new myndset.

One of the more significant issues relates to ”personal branding” - a phenomenon associated with the rise of the concept of “e-reputation.” For the CEO, the stakes are high. How to accord a professional image with the personal one? As for the employee, the issue is to build his/her own identity while working within a company. And, finally, for all Internet users (i.e. consumers), regardless of their status, their image on the web — with the virtually indelible traces – becomes associated with the brands with which they interface. In any digital media strategy, brands need also take this aspect into consideration when building their community of fans.