Brand Interactivism

How the Internet Fundamentally Changes Communications

Many traditional marketing and advertising agencies (even ones that claim to be "online experts") treat the Internet as just another medium to broadcast a marketing message (the way the SuperBowl was handled certainly proves that!) These agencies see email blasts as a cheaper form of direct mail or banner ads as a somewhat more efficient type of television advertising. And while others recognize that the Internet can help support sophisticated one-to-one relationships with customers through online CRM programs, such efforts are only a good first step. While such programs can certainly be of benefit, the best opportunities on the Internet are fundamentally different from those in traditional media. The traditional worldview limits the possibilities of what can be accomplished.

By its very nature, the Internet is a highly complex system. Extremely small actions can have major consequences online. A single comment on somebody’s blog can spread via syndication technologies like RSS to millions of people within seconds of being posted. This dynamic has helped to make marketers feel unsure in this brave new world. How does a company market itself in a medium where the customers are in control -- where they can easily exchange information about pricing, customer service, or product quality? And where a single negative comment is archived forever to be found by the masses on Google?

Issues like these don’t just apply to corporations. For example, how important is it for a politician to make sure that empowered constituents stay “on message”? How can a not-for-profit organization leverage the Internet in ways to give it influence, visibility and a reach that would have been impossible just a few short years ago?

Emergent online communities form and grow every day, and it is in helping to nurture and empower these communities where opportunities lie for marketers.

An important question for any online marketer is, who controls your message? Success online is rooted in relinquishing control of your message to those you are trying to reach – your customers. Allowing them to speak, rather than speaking down to them, is the first step. Marketers must remember that the Internet is made up of empowered individuals who do not want to be treated as a mass consumer or a demographic. The ease and immediacy of communications from anyone to anyone is what makes the Internet so different from traditional media. Broadcast and narrowcast marketing each implies that the source of the message is in control, but this is not how the Internet works. The organic power of online entities like message boards, chat rooms, blogs, podcasts, RSS, grassroots communities, expert opinion sites, mobile smart mobs, and viral emails change the equation dramatically.

While marketers cannot hope to control the Internet, successful companies work to empower their natural communities to sit up, interact, get involved, take action and tell others.

Individuals respond well to organizations that are perceived as being encouraging and supportive of their communities, and brand loyalty is what results. The desired effect is the exponential power of positive word-of-mouth.

How Do You Communicate With Your Customers?

Your company has fans. Some of them are BIG fans.

They are the people who buy your product or service, again and again.

They are the people who tell their friends about you. They are your best sales people, really. Are you taking care of your fans? With all of the choices in the world today, they won’t stick around forever if you’re not.

Are you aware that they talk to each other? In fact, the Internet is making it easier than ever for them to communicate. Are you participating in these conversations? Are you inspiring them? What do they want to talk about? What are they saying about you? What are they saying TO you? Do you listen? You can be sure that other people are listening.

 And when you speak to them, do you mindlessly spew the standard corporate-speak? Or do your communications have a true, personal point-of-view? Do you provide your fans with what they ask for? Does your organization empower real people to speak their minds? They’re going to anyway.

Does what you are saying have emotive power? Can you inspire passion? Get people to sit up, interact, get involved and take action?

Do you help your fans forge relationships with other fans? Are you aware of how powerful that is?

Ultimately, the goal of any marketing strategy is to help facilitate profitable relationships. Abstract Edge brings a unique point of view to online marketing campaigns. We feel that the best kind of outreach occurs when your customers are the ones promoting your brand. There has never been a better medium for empowering customer brand evangelists than the Internet. It is the ultimate grassroots marketing channel, and a huge competitive advantage for organizations that take advantage of its full potential.

Must Read from the President of the ANA

Bob Liodice, the President of the Association of National Advertisers, writes about how technology has fundamentally changed marketing from "the creative art of yesteryear into a true business discipline for tomorrow." He writes about how consumers are now in control, the explosion in available media channels (Internet, podcasting, blogging, mobile, etc.), how brand equity is now managed, and how marketing is now measured. Finally he discusses the pillars upon which CMO's today must work to reinvent themselves.

Inside-Out Communications

Richard Edelman (the CEO of the world's largest independent PR firm) writes about what he calls the "Me2 Revolution". His argument, in a nutshell, is that since people trust their friends, families and peers a heck of a lot more than they trust corporate or government communications, it's critically important to allow employees to speak directly with the marketplace through technologies like blogs and podcasts.

It's amazing how it's only now, after all these years, that the Cluetrain Manifesto is starting to take hold in corporate America. We still have a long way to go.