BrandDigital | BrandSimple: The Blog

Does goodness pay? If a company makes a “goodness” dimension central to its business strategy it certainly does. In a recent article in Forbes, I wrote about the fact that doing good will be increasingly important to companies as they try to differentiate their brands going forward. With consumers weighing not simply value, but corporate values into their purchase decisions, companies will be required to set themselves apart on factors that go beyond taste, or speed, or comfort. In fact, at Landor we’ve recently set up a practice dedicated to helping our clients align what we call “Brand Citizenship” with their business objectives. In other words, getting a return on their goodness investments. Charity used to begin at home. Today, it also begins with smart companies who understand that consumers are looking to them to help solve some of the economic, social, and environmental issues of the world. Companies who also understand that the return on their good efforts will do a good job of differentiating them from their competition and a good job of helping the bottom line.

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There’s an old saying, or perhaps it’s a toast, which goes, “May you live in interesting times.” I think I speak for all of us when I say I’d prefer to live in less interesting times. We could all use a dose of business as usual, which is the subject of my latest article for Forbes magazine; business as usual as it refers to brands, and what brands under seige must aim for as they work to rebrand their tarnished images in the hope of rebuilding consumer confidence. These are not usual times, which is exactly why business as usual would be a very comforting change.

photo courtesy of teotwawki (flickr)

Is going back to branding campaigns from the good old days going to quell consumer angst? I think not. Consumers want to see initiatives from brands that demonstrate an understanding of what’s here and now. In this article in Forbes, I write about how serving up retro branding may be fun to look at, but it’s not what consumers are looking for.

(image found on Google)

Geez, now what? As if the economy, world affairs, and health care reform weren’t enough, it seems President Obama has one more dilemma on his plate to deal with. According to recent reports, the technological infrastructure in the White House is not nearly as sophisticated as the digital tools the man and his campaigners used during the campaign, a factor that helped win the election. While this might seem like a minor issue, it’s actually a major issue. You see, Obama’s brand promise was all about change, especially when it came to making governmental workings as transparent, connected and inclusive as possible. Without a top-notch digital infrastructure, he can’t execute on this part of the brand promise, or not exactly in the way he promised. In this day and age, in a world where trust in brands, trust in all institutions, is at an all-time low, it’s critical to make sure that you’ve got what it takes to execute on a brand promise, especially something as important as a promise to keep the lines between brand and consumer open. While Obama’s promise of change was genuine, if he can’t get the geek squad out to the White House as soon as possible, it won’t matter how genuine it was. These days, if you don’t have what it takes to execute on your brand promise, your brand will seem just plain disingenuous.

We’ve yet to see any light at the end of our very dark economic tunnel. While professional economists keep us posted as to what may or may not be the answer to our recessionary travails, a number of branding professionals have made clear that the smart use of digital technology can help marketers work more efficiently, gaining loyalty among consumers while they gain market share. This is not something that should be thought of as beneficial just for the hard times, but for all times. Good marketers are taking advantage of digital tools and tactics to help them connect with customers in better, more relevant ways than ever before.

Photo courtesy of wockerjabby (flickr)

This recent article in MarketingProfs, in which I share a very interesting conversation with Bob Pearson, Vice President of Communities and Conversations at Dell computers, will give you a glimmer of what good marketers are doing to succeed in these dismal times.