Strengthen Affinities With Spiral Branding
| Category: Marketing | Date: 2001-07-27 |
Branding is finding its way back into the good graces of large enterprises and start-ups. With barriers crumbling, geography switching is rampant. Every buyer is smart and empowered.
Throughout my career, first at Gillette as assistant brand and sales promotion manager, then at Schick Electric and Bushnell Optical, where I was in charge of advertising and marketing, branding has been part of my life for 30 years. I have watched it evolve from "one-size-fits-all" to individually tailored messages for an audience of one.
In todays marketing its not enough to just get something out there. Todays messaging must have relevance and timeliness in order to separate your products/services from those of your competitors.
The distinction between products and pricing is blurring. For example, most of the time its not possible to understand the distinctions between one computer and another, or even one national airline from another. They basically all work the same. The computer screen and keyboard are basically alike, and once inside an aircraft they more or less look and feel the same.
Because of this sameness, and that were time-impoverished and over-communicated too, consumers are relying more and more on "trusted brands." Brands have not lost their importance over the last 30 years, they have just taken on a new dimension. The Gillette brand has always had a powerful image. But has it kept pace with the methods of communication? Is it wise for companies to continue to rely on mass media as their most trusted way of communicating brand identity? Or is it better to follow the Internet path of Amazon.com and embrace the new way?
I recently came across a concept that uses both the old and new communications with excellent results. To me, this is the communications paradigm for the future.
The new idea is not too different from Don Schultzs concept of integrated marketing. Its called spiral branding by Jesse Berst, publisher of an online newsletter called The Jesse Berts Anchor Desk.
The theory behind spiral branding is that a companys future and life-blood come from the confidence and relevance that a customer perceives. Spiral branding embraces the new technologies and integrates it into a full-circle communications process that delivers relevant and timely information to a customer.
Over time, the natural dialogue between companies and customers has faded into background noise as businesses have turned inward and used new technologies to "push" products and services to market. This has segmented the process from mass marketing to category marketing to niche marketing and finally to group marketing. Now, with the integration of technology and databases were ready to deliver one-to-one marketing.
Thanks to the phenomenon of e-business, customers can again choose when, where and how they want to interact with an organization. Stores are built on Web sites and the doors have been widened by URLs. Customers can click to, through and out of your company in seconds --stopping to call your contact center, visit your branch office, eye your showroom and browse your shelves -- any day, at any hour. Life is good. Or is it?
The concept behind spiral branding begins with the strength and consistency of the brand. It uses the brand image as the springboard to launch a trusting relationship affinity with the customer or prospect in order to aid him in the selection, become a trusted advisor to him, guide him, encourage him and help him to reduce the time required for personal research.
Since technology can deliver one-to-one personalized messaging, spiral branding says it is time to take advantage of all the media using a combination of the most powerful media available to marketers today: mass advertising and e-mail.
The two most powerful mediums are television (a broad reach media) and e-mail. Yes, e-mail is a media. The US post office will deliver 107 billion pieces of mail this year. However, this is dwarfed by the estimated 3.4 trillion e-mail messages that will be delivered this year. E-mail reaches us at work, at home and on the road. With more than 50 percent of all households wired and 104 million US residents using e-mail at home or work, e-mail is a gigantic medium.
When combined with traditional advertising, e-mail marketing campaigns get a 15 percent click-through rate, compared to the once powerful 1 percent 2 percent traditional direct mail rate. Yet, e-mail does not have the ability to create brand. And mass advertising does not have the ability to create affinity or personalization.
Spiral branding brings the two together. It makes the Web and e-mail (the point of contact) act in unison with the mass media to produce the interactivity or transactional state that delivers on the promise of relevancy, timeliness and affinity.
Spiral branding does not attempt to create brand. However, it takes full advantage of the image and concept that the brand represents. It delivers continuous dialog with the prospect or customer and lets them have control over the relationship.
Traditional brand advertising establishes the brand concept, and encourages the customer or prospect to go to the Web site where they will find affinity with their lifestyle or interests. Once the customer or prospect is at the Web site, spiral branding drives him to provide information on personal preferences, and his preferred timing and type of communication. With permission granted, the database engine now knows when and where to deliver dynamic content and e-mail that will show appreciation, follow-up at the appropriate time, or schedule a telemarketing call to deliver new and timely information.
As with any marketing strategy, spiral branding will be successful only if the proper infrastructure and database are in place. If a company is to succeed in e-business it must be adept at identifying, selecting, acquiring and retaining its most valuable customers. The recipe for success is this: First identify, next differentiate, then interact, then customize. The interaction must be active as differentiated from passive. The old passive method, where a Web visitor can only communicate with static information, is no longer acceptable.
The customization of communications has its challenges in achievement. Customized communications requires a database and top-down commitment. The function of the database must be to remember what the customer or prospect has told the company in the past, and then deliver the appropriate new information or find the customer-directed information.
The old rule of being able to deliver what you promise is just as necessary for the new communications as for the old. No matter what media channels customers or prospects choose, they expect a business to respond as a single, well-organized entity. Every performance is a command performance. This means, your company must have detailed, customer-specific information immediately available -- on the screen of everyone who needs it --supported by products and services that are geared to the customers and prospects individual needs, preferences and affinity.
Freshly empowered customers are creating a new business paradigm -- one defined by instant access to a myriad of communication channels. E-business is the new calling card in an environment where success is synonymous with loyal, long-term customer relationships.
A successful e-business depends on two things: a top-down commitment to retain good customers, and the use of those relationships to build profitability over the long term. To make this happen, companies need to take a spiral branding approach to capitalize on every aspect of the communications relationship in a continuing interactive circle.
About the Author.
:To contact see details below.
DBMarkets@aol.com
http://www.msdbm.com
Throughout my career, first at Gillette as assistant brand and sales promotion manager, then at Schick Electric and Bushnell Optical, where I was in charge of advertising and marketing, branding has been part of my life for 30 years. I have watched it evolve from "one-size-fits-all" to individually tailored messages for an audience of one.
In todays marketing its not enough to just get something out there. Todays messaging must have relevance and timeliness in order to separate your products/services from those of your competitors.
The distinction between products and pricing is blurring. For example, most of the time its not possible to understand the distinctions between one computer and another, or even one national airline from another. They basically all work the same. The computer screen and keyboard are basically alike, and once inside an aircraft they more or less look and feel the same.
Because of this sameness, and that were time-impoverished and over-communicated too, consumers are relying more and more on "trusted brands." Brands have not lost their importance over the last 30 years, they have just taken on a new dimension. The Gillette brand has always had a powerful image. But has it kept pace with the methods of communication? Is it wise for companies to continue to rely on mass media as their most trusted way of communicating brand identity? Or is it better to follow the Internet path of Amazon.com and embrace the new way?
I recently came across a concept that uses both the old and new communications with excellent results. To me, this is the communications paradigm for the future.
The new idea is not too different from Don Schultzs concept of integrated marketing. Its called spiral branding by Jesse Berst, publisher of an online newsletter called The Jesse Berts Anchor Desk.
The theory behind spiral branding is that a companys future and life-blood come from the confidence and relevance that a customer perceives. Spiral branding embraces the new technologies and integrates it into a full-circle communications process that delivers relevant and timely information to a customer.
Over time, the natural dialogue between companies and customers has faded into background noise as businesses have turned inward and used new technologies to "push" products and services to market. This has segmented the process from mass marketing to category marketing to niche marketing and finally to group marketing. Now, with the integration of technology and databases were ready to deliver one-to-one marketing.
Thanks to the phenomenon of e-business, customers can again choose when, where and how they want to interact with an organization. Stores are built on Web sites and the doors have been widened by URLs. Customers can click to, through and out of your company in seconds --stopping to call your contact center, visit your branch office, eye your showroom and browse your shelves -- any day, at any hour. Life is good. Or is it?
The concept behind spiral branding begins with the strength and consistency of the brand. It uses the brand image as the springboard to launch a trusting relationship affinity with the customer or prospect in order to aid him in the selection, become a trusted advisor to him, guide him, encourage him and help him to reduce the time required for personal research.
Since technology can deliver one-to-one personalized messaging, spiral branding says it is time to take advantage of all the media using a combination of the most powerful media available to marketers today: mass advertising and e-mail.
The two most powerful mediums are television (a broad reach media) and e-mail. Yes, e-mail is a media. The US post office will deliver 107 billion pieces of mail this year. However, this is dwarfed by the estimated 3.4 trillion e-mail messages that will be delivered this year. E-mail reaches us at work, at home and on the road. With more than 50 percent of all households wired and 104 million US residents using e-mail at home or work, e-mail is a gigantic medium.
When combined with traditional advertising, e-mail marketing campaigns get a 15 percent click-through rate, compared to the once powerful 1 percent 2 percent traditional direct mail rate. Yet, e-mail does not have the ability to create brand. And mass advertising does not have the ability to create affinity or personalization.
Spiral branding brings the two together. It makes the Web and e-mail (the point of contact) act in unison with the mass media to produce the interactivity or transactional state that delivers on the promise of relevancy, timeliness and affinity.
Spiral branding does not attempt to create brand. However, it takes full advantage of the image and concept that the brand represents. It delivers continuous dialog with the prospect or customer and lets them have control over the relationship.
Traditional brand advertising establishes the brand concept, and encourages the customer or prospect to go to the Web site where they will find affinity with their lifestyle or interests. Once the customer or prospect is at the Web site, spiral branding drives him to provide information on personal preferences, and his preferred timing and type of communication. With permission granted, the database engine now knows when and where to deliver dynamic content and e-mail that will show appreciation, follow-up at the appropriate time, or schedule a telemarketing call to deliver new and timely information.
As with any marketing strategy, spiral branding will be successful only if the proper infrastructure and database are in place. If a company is to succeed in e-business it must be adept at identifying, selecting, acquiring and retaining its most valuable customers. The recipe for success is this: First identify, next differentiate, then interact, then customize. The interaction must be active as differentiated from passive. The old passive method, where a Web visitor can only communicate with static information, is no longer acceptable.
The customization of communications has its challenges in achievement. Customized communications requires a database and top-down commitment. The function of the database must be to remember what the customer or prospect has told the company in the past, and then deliver the appropriate new information or find the customer-directed information.
The old rule of being able to deliver what you promise is just as necessary for the new communications as for the old. No matter what media channels customers or prospects choose, they expect a business to respond as a single, well-organized entity. Every performance is a command performance. This means, your company must have detailed, customer-specific information immediately available -- on the screen of everyone who needs it --supported by products and services that are geared to the customers and prospects individual needs, preferences and affinity.
Freshly empowered customers are creating a new business paradigm -- one defined by instant access to a myriad of communication channels. E-business is the new calling card in an environment where success is synonymous with loyal, long-term customer relationships.
A successful e-business depends on two things: a top-down commitment to retain good customers, and the use of those relationships to build profitability over the long term. To make this happen, companies need to take a spiral branding approach to capitalize on every aspect of the communications relationship in a continuing interactive circle.
About the Author.
:To contact see details below.
DBMarkets@aol.com
http://www.msdbm.com
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