Digital branding is a term that we at OnQue strongly identify with, having worked with clients such as Samsung, Woolworths and RaboBank over many years to increase brand awareness in the digital space.
We feel strongly that the changes taking place in the global marketplace require adaptation on a scale not seen before, and these changes, as mentioned in the Harvard Business Review in 2011 have been happening over the last few years, “the changes buffeting marketers in the digital era are not incremental – they are fundamental”.
Digital thought leaders Rick Levine, Christopher Locke, Doc Searls and David Weinerger outlined these pros and cons in 1999 when they released a set of 95 theses organised and put forward as The Cluetrain Manifesto a call to action dedicated to all businesses operating within a newly connected marketplace.
The manifesto examined the impact of the Internet on both markets (consumers) and organisations, examining the way in which the Internet has opened the flood gates for ‘human to human’ conversations, which has in turn changed mass marketing and traditional business models.
Over 15 years later digital brand engagement continues to dominate the Digital Marketing world. The evolution of the Internet has allowed consumers to be increasingly selective about which brands they choose to interact with and discuss across all media channels.
Today’s multitude of channels have allowed for a solid and reputable dialogue between brands and consumers. Whether discussions are taking place on blogs, micro-blogs, forums, social networks, groups within social networks, bookmarking sites or imagery and video sites the important thing to remember is that people are talking, and they’re talking on mass.
According to Steven Cook founder, of CMO.com, 2015 will be the year when the person-to-person planets align. “Leading B2C brands (Netflix, Amazon, Facebook) and some B2B brands have been priming the pump and raising customer expectations to engage with brands on a personalised level”. In fact, personalisation ranked as the number one capability for marketing in the future, according to the 2014 paper “Digital Roadblock: Marketers Struggle to Reinvent Themselves” study from Adobe. The study also revealed that brands focused on delivering more personalised experiences to their customers outperformed their competitors.
Dr. Steven Althaus, Global Director of Brand Management and Marketing Services for BMW believes that marketers now hold the ability to pave the way to true digital transformation by stepping out of their comfort zone. This means, “challenging existing business models as well as enabling other divisions of the company to adapt to global trends in consumer behaviour. Be present in the moments that matter and build a framework for data driven business. Marketers need to drive the digital transformation”.
Ramesh Haridas CEO of Parakweet maintains that the “power of trust will be elevated as we look into the future. Consumer responses to marketing messages have undergone a dramatic change over the years. There’s a need to create a niche for helping consumers to discover products based on a combination of their interests and the recommendations organically generated by people they trust”.
What do you think? Do marketers hold the ability to transform data driven business and drive digital transformation? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below….