Fact: You Don't Control Your Brand
No matter what you think, how you spend your resources, or what your agency tells you, the honest truth is that you don't control your brand anymore. Consumers do. They have the ability to make it whatever they want, and share that definition with their sphere of influence. Companies need to participate in this new era of branding.
Today's lead article of 1to1 Magazine explores this new reality of brand strategy. B2C company like toymaker Hasbro has redefined itself as a "branded play company" that uses social networks, online games, user-generated content, and other new tools to help shape its overall brand. Just like its Transformers, it lets its users make it what it is.
Even B2B companies are getting in the act. Customer experience is as much a part of branding strategy as awareness-building is these days. Software company Corensics mixes traditional advertising (keywords and paid search on Google) with trusted advisor efforts on developer forums to show its ability to be a resource. If it can build trust with prospects and provide value, these prospects will define its brand in that way, and spur purchases and word-of-mouth.
Some marketers (and their bosses) have a hard time letting go of this control. But the sooner they do, the sooner they can adjust their branding strategy so it becomes a joint effort with customers and prospects.
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