What is a brand? Is it a logo? A tag line? A website? No, these are all a company's attempts to define the perception people have of their products or services. The brand is how people actually perceive your company, product or service. It used to be that companies were in control of their brand. They could easily attach a set of characteristics and ideals to their offerings that most people would willingly buy in to. Word of mouth of course has been around forever, it's nothing new. But the social web has created an environment of sharing and information exchange that is much more pervasive and influential than ever before. Who's in control of your brand? Individuals are. They have more power and influence than you could ever hope to have amongst your audience.
Source: Nielson
And it's only getting bigger, gathering critical mass, groundswell is reaching groundswell. (That sort of makes sense if you think about it for a minute.) So what to do about it? How do you keep control over your brand? Short answer: you can't! But, here's what you can do:
- Provide a truly superior product or service
- Provide great customer service. I think in the age of the social web, customer service needs to be a part of your marketing plan.
- Listen to your audience, what are they saying about your brand?
- Respond to your audience, participate in the conversations they are having, show them you are listening.
- Give them a good story to tell, and the tools to share it.
Give them a story to tell
Its supposed to say 'I couldnt agree more' not I could.
Its supposed to say 'I couldnt agree more' not I could.
Thanks gammill for the awesome comment, eloquently put.
Thanks gammill for the awesome comment, eloquently put. I think when we look at who will come out on top in social media in terms of brands, it's the ones that are "putting more control in the hands of the user" vs. the ones that are watching it to happen despite them that will separate the winners from the losers. And great post over at Traction Matters
[...] 8, 2008 · No Comments I just read a great post
[...] 8, 2008 · No Comments I just read a great post by Jackie over at Heavybag, what is a brand? who owns a brand? I couldn’t agree more with what she said about how to build a great brand. This all got me [...]
Great post Jackie! I could agree more with what you
Great post Jackie! I could agree more with what you said about how to build a great brand. Speaking from the perspective of a former brand guy, here is my take on it. Who own's a brand? everyone and no one. It is a collection of perceptions based on brand image (what you project) and brand equity (what the consumer perceives as valuable to them). It is shaped by both what you say and what you do. The smart brand strategist/manager is an architect or conductor setting out the desired positioning, the management system, the monitors and the tools/tactics to deliver. Social has added yet another layer on top of what was once an advertising led initiative. I helped lead a transition in the brand community back in the early 2000s to move brand from advertising to customer experience (it was fun and I met all the godfathers of brand strategy and spoke about it all over). So I look at all the brand talk today and say it's another phase of the evolution of putting more control into the hands of the user/consumer and putting more emphasis on participation & management from the brand 'owners' perspective. I remind people that for most sustainable brands there is a P&L - I'd say that is some form of ownership ; ) So, when I pitch brand people I try to focus on where they are today and how social layers on top and adds value to everything they are already charged with. I'm going to be getting deep into the brand/social marketing space in the coming months, so I've had to dust off my brand expertise ; )
Again, great post!
[...] Music Discovery Let’s start with the music
[...] Music Discovery Let’s start with the music discovery. Prior to the social web our options for discovering new music were limited. There was the radio, and the friends and family that we saw on a regular basis. People who were serious audiophiles knew the right record stores to go to, the right clubs to check out emerging artists, but your average Joe did not have access, or care enough about it to go out of their way to find it. The social web has allowed everyone to share, rate, recommend, discover and exchange music. The social web is a few to few environment; friends are influenced by friends more than anything else. [...]
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