- by using digital media creatively, brands can develop closer ties to customers.
The internet, mobile services, gaming and other digital media are tremendously flexible and far- reaching media channels. They provide easy access to authoring tools in many formats, such as video, images and the written word. These media are being advanced every day by millions of bloggers, writers, artists and filmmakers who are both customers and influences.
It is increasingly clear that with a voice and an audience, these people are changing the way brands will behave in the future. By engaging more actively with these voices, brand owners can build unique and special relationships with customers and partners, turning them into evangelists of the brand.
To do this, brand owners will need to treat each customer as a unique individual, using the possibilities of digital media. To move beyond B2B or B2C and reach “B2U”.
the hangover of mass media.
The traditional media platforms of television and print, as well as the economies that have grown up around them, have shaped our lives and the way we market products and services. In the traditional marketing model, brand owners delivered one-way messages to customers, who had no voice. Traditional media are being replaced by more specialised and interactive digital channels that have created greater possibilities for customers – and raised their expectations.
the power of niches.
Recently, the expansion of digital media and production tools have lowered barriers to entry and democratised the media landscape. Now, niche media and markets are becoming immensely powerful, focusing on the intensely personal and specific interests of individuals.
Retailer Amazon now dominates its industry because it has harnessed the niche and “long tail” possibilities of the Web effectively. It makes previously obscure products widely available, then infuses life into these niches by letting customers review the products and generate excitement about them, using tools such as discussion groups and user-generated “Listmania” lists. By catering to the long tail of thousands of narrow market niches, Amazon has achieved more success than it would have by replicating the mass market approach of traditional retailers.
customers demand to participate.
Digital media have also empowered consumers. With blogs, review sites, instant messaging and wikis, customers’ ability to communicate with each other – and to influence brands – is radically amplified.
This is eroding the old branding model built on oneto-many broadcast communication. In its place, a more democratic, network-based model of branding is growing.
The rise in customers’ influence on brands is an opportunity, not a threat, for brand owners who embrace the reality of the situation. By using new media constructively and engaging consumers in meaningful, two-way dialogues, companies can develop stronger brand relationships. IBM, forexample, encourages its employees to create public blogs, thus achieving a greater market presence, credibility and influence than it could achieve with its marketing staff alone. Participation also bonds customers to the brand and provides it with a virtually unlimited source of creativity. IBM has also engaged its clients and partners in a network-based open meeting, in which they examined the company’s technology assets and generated ideas for new products. At the consumer level, Nintendo has infused enthusiasm into its brand by actively courting users of its Wii gaming console and encouraging them to develop communities of interest. The benefit was vividly demonstrated during the simultaneous launch of the Wii and Sony’s competing PS3 console, which was deflated by a user-generated ad campaign that compared the consoles, favouring the Wii.
Web-based social networks, such as Facebook, are also becoming increasingly important arenas for participation. Using traditional marketing approaches in these channels can be a challenge for brand owners, because users perceive these networks as user-driven zones, rather than platforms for advertising. However, brand owners can benefit from grassroots-based movements, such as British discount fashion retailer Primark’s 100,000-strong Primark Appreciation Society on Facebook. The group generates tremendous benefits for the company in terms of brand equity, customer engagement and marketing efficiency.
serving markets of one.
Marketers now have the opportunity to create closer bonds with customers than ever before, by using new media to reach specific segments of an increasingly wider and more diverse audience.
To do this, the branding must now be tailored to a market of one: the person receiving the message. That is the essence of the B2U model. It is about developing closer, interactive relationships, built on detailed knowledge of the customer’s specialised needs. Google has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of this model. For example, with users’ permission, Google analyzes their e-mail activity, then serves up relevant advertising – useful information – directly related to the activity and location of each particular individual. The model works because customers welcome brand owners that engage in helping them find what they want, rather than force-feeding them with irrelevant offers.
That B2U branding approach, driven by engagement, insight and relevance to the individual, is repeated in the company’s other products. It has made Google the strongest brand in the world. In the future, consumers and businesses will continue to expand their use of the new, niche-driven media. And brand owners can generate similar benefits for their brands, by finding and tapping into the elements of B2U that are most relevant to their businesses.
b2u: business to you
