A look at what's needed to build digital ecosystems which go beyond building basic user needs into building the brand through distinctiveness and creativity
Make things people want
How does it make their lives better, even if in some small way? How does it make them smile, inspire them, help them cope, energize, get done more easily what they need to get done?
What would advertising look like if it were the product, if people had to buy the ad?
In a very real way, digital marketing asks that people buy the ad (by paying with their attention)
Brand is a perception
Brand is emotional
Brand is imagined
All interactions with a brand, from the first time you become aware that it exists to every touchpoint that you encounter along the way of your daily life, there is a net-positive impact. (pg 78)
This has lead to this nifty diagram from Wharton on designing your brand for this ecosystem type thinking
An ongoing, synergistic orchestration and optimization of all touchpoint value creation among an enterprise, the people in tis network, the people it seeks to reach and serve, and the societies and cultures in which it exists and has responsibility
Beyond Advertising: Creating Value Through All Customer Touchpoints
Technology is core to building brand ecosystems
It is time to think about brands’ ecosystems – the brand’s multiple touchpoints and how they interact with each other, from a digital out-of-home experience to a tablet, from mobile to the store.
83% could not link data across consumer touch points.
68% lacked automation, relying instead on manual processes.
78% could not attribute value to their individual touch points with consumers
80% suffered from inadequate cross- functional coordination
Homogenized experiences and table-stakes technology have created a sea of digital sameness that threatens CMO’s go-to strategy for growth — improving the customer experience. (forrester)
The cost of non-working technology dollars reaching the same levels of working media budgets is unsustainable.
Disproportionate spending leaves CMOs little room to expand creatively and build upon their technology investments. (forrester)
Technology is core to building brand ecosystems
Tend to be in the service of people. Great communication ideas act as a bridge between what people are interested in and what you make / sell.
They reduce friction. Learning from Design Thinking to remove friction between themselves and people, between what people do now and what they want them to do. Ogilvy example: Hellman’s mayonnaise
They’re one of many: Brands need to do lots of things, not one big thing. It’s about placing little bets and is about managing portfolios rather than playing roulette. (Russell Davies): being the brand of new news and seen as having momentum and energy is the best leading indicator of future preference and usage
They do rather than say: make communication products, not just communicate a product
These work across the entire CDJ
Emotional territory 1: on your side. across customers and prospects in both the retail and banking categories, being on the side of the customer (or prospect) is of singular importance
Emotional territory 2: At your service. The second emotional territory that contributes to high- energy brands revolves around experience — both promised and delivered.6 note: This is not about the “what” but about the “how.”
Emotional territory 3: Unlike others. Brands that differentiate themselves from a sea of sameness in which competitors tread water are more salient and stand a better chance of being considered
Started in 1998 for burning man
The team has created over 2000 doodles for our homepages around the world.
Burger king
DD + waze
DD + waze
DD + waze
Audio Guided Runs lets you run with Nike’s coaches and athletes in a series of guided workouts. Each run is paired with a unique playlist and features guidance from the likes of Mo Farah and Kevin Hart.
Nike chat coach
In select locations, NikePlus members can scan barcodes inside each shoe on display, using the Nike app to learn more about any product, discover available sizes and colors, and see real-time inventory online and in-store without having to call upon a store employee. If the shoe is currently in stock, shoppers can request to try on the pair of shoes, and wait in the designated area for a Nike employee to bring the requested shoes within a few minutes.
Also mention t-mobile
Taking the brand into all aspects of the business
Promise of current technology:
The availability of relevant data and information, the technology to capture and process it, the focus and guidance from human insights and caring, and the creative sparks to bring it to life through all touchpoints of the product sets the stage for the future of marketing and branding.
Going beyond the Big Idea of the traditional ad campaign to something more lasting, more connected to the aligned objectives that draws heavily on all disciplines.
Solution silos – need [x] vs what problems can we solve
Organisational silos – us v them
Generational / inertial silos – getting stuck in the way things have always been done
Responsibility
Intelligence – people v computers
Going beyond the Big Idea of the traditional ad campaign to something more lasting, more connected to the aligned objectives that draws heavily on all disciplines.