BrandDigital | BrandSimple: The Blog

The characters of Mad Men continue their discussion on how to advertise Noodle City.

It’s the worst of times (according to some). But it’s the best of times according to many who understand how perfectly suited digital tools and tactics are to building brands in a down economy. These are the smart folks who didn’t immediately think about cutting bodies when the market started to go south but, rather, thought about how everything from search functionality to social media could help them increase productivity while paring budgets. Digital applications are becoming more and more sophisticated in their ability to let organizations listen to consumers and track actual buying behavior. Evolving search tools along with actionable metrics are paying off big time for savvy marketers, especially as they reap the rewards of search gone mobile. Watching as consumers compare, contrast and look for specific information wherever and however they want is a budgetary boon. Significant enhancements in data collection tools are enabling more precise targeting, more relevant messaging and communication via more relevant channels. Digitally astute companies are getting input on products and services often before they’re put into market resulting in better returns on branding investments. What’s more, the ability for consumers to share opinions with each other via review sites, social networks, blogs, and on industry chat pages is making the already powerful word-of-mouth dynamic an efficiency powerhouse. As organizations create platforms on which consumers can engage and give feedback, they’re building the foundations on which brand evangelists are born and nurtured, always a trusted – and free – source of branding communication. Last and definitely not least, digital technology is putting a renewed emphasis on creativity, proving that ingenuity trumps budget. Knowing what it takes to get a story line to go globally viral is a critical component to those experiencing branding success in this economic environment. It may be the worst of times for marketers, but only for those who don’t understand how effective and efficient digital technology can be when it comes to building brands. For those who do, it may be the best thing that’s ever happened.

Not surprising for someone in the branding business, one of my favorite shows is AMC’s Mad Men. There were still a few of these martini-lunching, hard-smoking fellows roaming the halls at Oglivy when I arrived there fresh from business school, but they soon retired, almost as quickly as their secretaries’ typewriters. While much of this engaging show is incredibly dated, including the martini lunches, the smoking, the attire, and the role of women in the (marketing) world, the dynamics of creating a brilliant ad campaign haven’t. Given the proliferation of digital tools and tactics and their use in brand-building strategies, I had to wonder what Don Draper and his buddies might have done had they had Google, YouTube, social media, and search at their nicotine-stained fingertips. In the spirit of fun and presumption, I made this video. Take a look.

While it was a coincidence that the 2008 Ad:Tech conference in New York took place on the days immediately preceding and following Obama’s presidential win, it was no coincidence that his win was due, in good part, to a brilliant understanding of how digital tools can and should be used to reach and engage consumers. It was apparent from the hundreds of attendants and many insightful presenters at the conference that digital tactics as part of a wise marketing strategy are no longer a “nice to have,’ but a “must have.” Obama’s team had them and used them wisely. It was also apparent from the number of digital organizations with booths or speakers at the Ad:Tech conference that players in the digital space have grown exponentially from 2007 to 2008. Unlike the first digital boom in 2001, most of these players have some tangible offer or service to provide. A money-generating business model is always a smart first step. Unfortunately, like many of the players in the first digital boom, a good many of these youthful businesses will most likely not make it to Ad:Tech 2009. Why? From my branding perspective there are three reasons. First, a good many of them have not found a way to differentiate their businesses in a way that is relevant to the consumers they’d like to reach. A commodity product on the detergent aisle is no different from a commodity product in the digital realm. Second, from what I saw, there’s a lot of atrocious branding out there. This mostly had to do with product and service names; either ultra-generic or ultra-clever, neither tied to the promise of the brand. This brings me to the third reason many newly-minted digital businesses might not make it. In this ultra-scary economy, everything a business does has to be incredibly efficient, especially the branding. If I can’t instantly tell from your brand’s name what it does, I’ll pass it by. If I can’t immediately understand what makes it different and useful to me, I’ll pass it by. If I don’t know how to use what you offer to successfully reach and engage the consumers I want to connect with, I’ll pass it by. Just as there was a shake out of less than exemplary brands in the first age of digital, there is going to be a shake-out in this new digital age. This time, however, it will be a result of not being able to communicate quickly and simply why your brand is different and better along with not having a brilliant understanding of how digital tools should be used to win voters, uh, I mean consumers.