A funny thing happens when children are born. They see the face of their mother and do something that animals have been doing for millions of years. They impress on their parents. In this case, the verb impress doesn’t mean to show off, it means to imprint and become emotionally attached to another person.
The reason I bring this up is that brands today have a similar problem. Maybe it’s the proliferation of marketing channels, both online and offline. Perhaps it’s the amount of conversations that happen out there, not just between brands and their consumers, but between consumers and other consumers. Brands are getting smaller and smaller windows of opportunities to engage their audience and get them to impress on their brands.
At Palmer, there are three tenets we stand by when we are developing brands, rules of the road that help us ensure that when our audience does have the chance, they will impress on a brand and carry that relationship forward with them.
Rule #1. A brand is not an icon, it is now a relationship. That’s right, you don’t get to put your brand up on a pedestal any more. It is not some statue for people to shuffle past and admire. Your brand has to be a living, breathing thing that people want to be involved with. As we like to say, is you brand dating or is it getting married? Your brand must be fluid, able to adapt its voice to individual channels and audiences. We don’t look the same every day, and neither should your brand.
But don’t go and think that this means going crazy. We said build a fluid brand, not an out of control brand. Otherwise you just get Super Bowl marketing. Why do many marketing people hate Super Bowl ads? Don’t get me wrong, they are really fun, and generally the client will let you get away with almost anything. But on the other hand, they tend to be the marketing equivalent of one-night stands. Consumers may laugh, they may even have a good time. But they are not going to impress on a one night stand.
Rule #2. Brands must be fluid. Let’s talk about this some more. For years marketing has been based around an assumption that the world around us doesn’t change that quickly. We bought media for months at a time. We built creative for a year. And in the beginning that was ok. Not only were there not that many channels, but people did not consume that much media before they made a purchase. They saw a product sponsor a soap opera forty years ago and off they went to the store. They read a magazine ad and then went out and bought it.
Those were the days. Today’s interactive consumer is engaging with multiple channels, multiple messages and even other consumers as they make their way down the funnel. And they almost never do it the same way twice. Your brand has to be fluid, able to move like river, under obstructions, around the competition and find where the consumer is right now. And get them the right message at that exact moment. This is what integrated marketing has become. If you drop the same banner ad on two different sites and don’t know why that audience is there, then you are not doing integrated marketing; you are doing parallel marketing. And although you may get impressions, you will never get impressed.
Rule #3. Brand is no longer just what you sell, but also what you stand for. Let’s face it, people don’t just buy products for what they do, but for what those products say about them. Whether you call it conscious capitalism or cause marketing or green marketing, there is something bigger than just those tidy boxes going on. If someone is going to have a long-term relationship with your brand, they better know you are not going to let them down and embarrass them. Today’s consumer is getting out of their Prius, wearing their Product (Red) shirt, drinking their Ethos water and talking into their Credo Mobile phones. Brands are badging…just ask Nike.
Brands that want to impress need to understand that there is an emotional story to be told along with all the techs and specs. Their brand has to adapt not only to the changes in the market, but also changes in their audience. The recent economic turmoil has made many consumers change their priories, their view of the world, their moral makeup. And brands that do not pick up these changes will do more damage to themselves than a competitor ever could. This is more than just supporting a nonprofit or giving back. Your brand must mean something beyond just what you sell, or you will be doomed to forever dating your consumer.
Right up to the point where they impress on someone else.
The reason I bring this up is that brands today have a similar problem. Maybe it’s the proliferation of marketing channels, both online and offline. Perhaps it’s the amount of conversations that happen out there, not just between brands and their consumers, but between consumers and other consumers. Brands are getting smaller and smaller windows of opportunities to engage their audience and get them to impress on their brands.
At Palmer, there are three tenets we stand by when we are developing brands, rules of the road that help us ensure that when our audience does have the chance, they will impress on a brand and carry that relationship forward with them.
Rule #1. A brand is not an icon, it is now a relationship. That’s right, you don’t get to put your brand up on a pedestal any more. It is not some statue for people to shuffle past and admire. Your brand has to be a living, breathing thing that people want to be involved with. As we like to say, is you brand dating or is it getting married? Your brand must be fluid, able to adapt its voice to individual channels and audiences. We don’t look the same every day, and neither should your brand.
But don’t go and think that this means going crazy. We said build a fluid brand, not an out of control brand. Otherwise you just get Super Bowl marketing. Why do many marketing people hate Super Bowl ads? Don’t get me wrong, they are really fun, and generally the client will let you get away with almost anything. But on the other hand, they tend to be the marketing equivalent of one-night stands. Consumers may laugh, they may even have a good time. But they are not going to impress on a one night stand.
Rule #2. Brands must be fluid. Let’s talk about this some more. For years marketing has been based around an assumption that the world around us doesn’t change that quickly. We bought media for months at a time. We built creative for a year. And in the beginning that was ok. Not only were there not that many channels, but people did not consume that much media before they made a purchase. They saw a product sponsor a soap opera forty years ago and off they went to the store. They read a magazine ad and then went out and bought it.
Those were the days. Today’s interactive consumer is engaging with multiple channels, multiple messages and even other consumers as they make their way down the funnel. And they almost never do it the same way twice. Your brand has to be fluid, able to move like river, under obstructions, around the competition and find where the consumer is right now. And get them the right message at that exact moment. This is what integrated marketing has become. If you drop the same banner ad on two different sites and don’t know why that audience is there, then you are not doing integrated marketing; you are doing parallel marketing. And although you may get impressions, you will never get impressed.
Rule #3. Brand is no longer just what you sell, but also what you stand for. Let’s face it, people don’t just buy products for what they do, but for what those products say about them. Whether you call it conscious capitalism or cause marketing or green marketing, there is something bigger than just those tidy boxes going on. If someone is going to have a long-term relationship with your brand, they better know you are not going to let them down and embarrass them. Today’s consumer is getting out of their Prius, wearing their Product (Red) shirt, drinking their Ethos water and talking into their Credo Mobile phones. Brands are badging…just ask Nike.
Brands that want to impress need to understand that there is an emotional story to be told along with all the techs and specs. Their brand has to adapt not only to the changes in the market, but also changes in their audience. The recent economic turmoil has made many consumers change their priories, their view of the world, their moral makeup. And brands that do not pick up these changes will do more damage to themselves than a competitor ever could. This is more than just supporting a nonprofit or giving back. Your brand must mean something beyond just what you sell, or you will be doomed to forever dating your consumer.
Right up to the point where they impress on someone else.
