Just as important to marketers, is where elusive consumers choose to concentrate their activities and free time.  Data has shown that the Internet has caused a shift away from traditional channels in effectively connecting with consumers.  In fact, 3 out of 4 Americans use social technology* which has become the #1 activity on the web**.   Furthermore, social channels such as Facebook, and most recently Twitter, have dramatically changed social behavior that influences brands. Facebook has now surpassed Yahoo and Google as the world’s most visited site sending more traffic to news sites than Google.

How does this impact my business or organization?  Beyond the obvious of creating a connection with a brand’s audience, social media (Facebook in particular), offers a variety of opportunities to get your brand message communicated to specific audiences efficiently and effectively where they live.  More important are the integrated opportunities that social media provides:

• Additional product information
• Viral marketing strategies
• Coupons, contests & sweepstakes and links to supporting web sites
• Product sample opportunities
• Feedback pools
• Mobile phone apps, widgets and plug-ins
• Calendar of sponsored events

At the end of the day Facebook Fans are 68% very likely to recommend a product and spend $71.84 more per year on the brand sites they follow†.

As you can see, it isn’t only what your customers hear, it’s where they hear it.

Were you listening or did you merely hear me?

*(Forrester, The Growth of Social Technology Adoption, 2008)

**(Neilson, Global Faces & Networked Places, 2009)

†(Syncapse “Value of the Facebook Fan”)

Nike was looking for a new idea to impact their market in a big way and yet seem to be part of a bigger idea that had consumer support.  Something that had not been done before, yet was cool enough to be clearly noticed, remembered and have the potential to go immediately viral.  A pretty tall order considering the venue, 3,642 kilometres of various grades of roads in both rural and urban settings. Nike’s agency, Wieden Kennedy’s New York office was up for the challenge and created the Nike “Chalk Box Project.”   The agency developed an idea where messages were able to be “tagged” along the route of the Tour DeFrance Race as if they were part of the landscape of the race.  These inspirational messages were sent in via text messages to a vehicle ahead of the riders competing.  The program resulted in Nike demonstrating their continued support of both Lance Armstrong’s comeback as well as all riders in the race. Additionally, Nike was able to insert their brand outside of the traditional advertising channels resulting in viewers being able to continue to follow the race as well as be impacted by the brand. Brands like Nike, continue to place themselves squarely in front of their target audience at every turn, literally.  These unconventional strategies continue to provide greater opportunities that are part of a bigger idea that has high value and high returns on investment and builds sustainable brand awareness.

“Guerilla” or “grass roots marketing,” continues to give brands more opportunities to reach their audiences through non-traditional channels, resulting in bigger, expansive ideas that reach consumers where they congregate most.  Interaction between brands and targeted markets continues to grow at a rapid pace and only strategies that go outside the traditional channels will have continued success to truly have an impact.  The Internet as we now know it, will continue to act as a starting point or catalyst to wider based strategies that include multiple touch points with brands and their audiences through broad based channels.

As Nike and many others demonstrated, the most efficient way to reach audiences may start with the Internet, but finish with broad based customer interaction in various forms, venues and tactics – from face paint to Facebook.

This is where creative ideas live.  Businesses are always on the lookout for innovative and creative game changing strategies that move a company to a sustainable leadership position.

This is achieved by working well past the obvious.  Creative partners that have the ability to drill deep into a company’s DNA and demonstrate monetary and/or market share increases, have the chance to build a new experience or brand for companies with which they engage.  However, these opportunities rarely see the light of day without supportive ROI data.  Additionally, these strategies can go a long way in directing the entire experience of a company both internally and externally.

Companies continue to discover that unless tactics are part of a well thought out plan they are destined for failure.  Those that embrace this idea such as Apple and others, are the ones that continue to lead their industries by setting the standard and setting themselves apart.

There is now a third dimension to brand development.  Brands that leverage their assets throughout the Internet, now have the capability to receive instant feedback from their brand decisions and strategies.  This valuable information can be used to position a brand swiftly and effectively, taking advantage of situations and opportunities as they arise.  Additionally, brands have the opportunity to create an experience that reflects the interaction and engagement that is now available thus affecting the overall business plan of the company.  Furthermore, it allows brands to recruit brand stewards that can champion a brand from a third party position further broadening a brand’s influence.

It is this third dimension that will significantly influence a brand’s reputation, experience and market acceptance as they build towards sustainability and the Internet evolves.

As we look more closely, the two outcomes are more perpendicular than parallel. As with many strategies there are exceptions to the rule.  However, based on the fact that sales structures are dependent on quantitative facts the method disallows much flexibility or proactive adjustments and is highly based on market conditions.

Whereas marketing is a much more proactive approach that drives customers to a brand and its influences.  Based on the leveraging of a brand’s assets, a much broader market penetration can be achieved resulting in a more efficient business structure.

With the advent of the Internet and especially social media marketing centric companies versus sales focused organizations, companies are able to target market without having to rely on one-to-one inefficient selling processes.  In addition, the Internet provides a platform for continual contact with a company’s target customer.

The new app features the current ER wait times at 5 DMC hospitals and provides turn-by-turn directions on how to get there along with phone numbers for each hospital.

To download this FREE app for your iPod or iPhone, click here.

We’ve got one app under our belt, and we are brimming with ideas for more.  If you want an iPhone/iPod app that provides your consumers with a useful tool that also promotes your business, contact us today!

With the various platforms for SmartPhone technologies it is important that the application is designed to live in the right environment.  According to AdAge research, Blackberry, Apple iPhone Android and Palm all have created a niche in the market that aligns each brand with an identifiable demographic profile.  As an example, Palm which had aligned itself with early adopters to mobile technologies, has a higher index for 35-44 year olds than any other manufacturer with more than 25% of users falling into that range.  On the other hand, iPhone boasts the highest percentage of users with more than $100,000 in income.

Furthermore, Blackberry with its profile being very much a business user, has garnered the highest segment of users reporting income of more than $100,000 annually.  However, the downside to this platform is that the typical user does not surf the web as much as others, and when they do, they spend less time online.

The bottom line is: it is reported that IPhone apps, at best, reach 25% of SmartPhone users of the fast growing segment represented by 42.7 million Americans.  Compare that to the fact that by 2013 it is predicted that phones will overtake PCs as the most common device to access the internet worldwide.

There is a way in which to solve these platform issues within this fragmented technology.  Web development providers are now able to create web sites that are specifically formatted and coded to operate in a fashion similar to an app on SmartPhones without the platform compatibility issues.  The drawback of the mobile websites is their inability to take advantage of some smart phone hardware features such as camera and compass options.

There is also the issue of exactly when is the best opportunity to engage with the target audience and the call to action strategies.  Unless the application has entertainment and high volume functionality, a case can be made for mobile designed web sites.  Apps will continue to act as a branding function while mobile sites operate as an advertising model to concentrate at a point in time, with slight crossover opportunities.  As technology continues to evolve and speeds improve in the mobile market, you will see the line continue to blur between mobile web site strategies and smart phone applications.

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This is where successful brands begin.  By analyzing a company’s assets, a message can be created that positions a company, defines its place in the market and clearly communicates its point of difference.  Only then can a brand thrive, evolve and grow.

Once this task is achieved, brand messaging, identity and marketing can move forward resulting in a complete brand strategy that a brand is built upon.  Additionally, this will allow for a focused and consistent communication structure to evolve.

Separation of your brand is what every business should be striving for.  Defining what makes your business different is where brand definition begins.  This allows companies to carve out their place in the market where they can state their case in demonstrating their unique capabilities to potential customers.

So in the future, before you say “we are better or faster” or any adjective that ends with “er”, think about what qualifies those claims to fame.  It will bring much more credibility to what you are communicating.