Brand Digital

I recently completed Allen Adamson’s new book, Brand Digital. Like his earlier book, Brand Simple, it helps articulate the importance of brands in the digital age. One of the key takeaways from the book is that the brand/media relationship has done a 180 degree flip. A little more than a decade ago marketers were concerned with how mainstream media was going to steer their brands. Big media was just about the only game in town and communication between a company and the public depended on that connection. However, today, astute marketers are more concerned with how the brand concept should determine what media is to be used, and how best to use that media.

Adamson points out, both brands and media are now beholden to a hyper-networked consumer, and that consumer has become a major and immediate factor in building brand equity. As a result, Brand Digital reveals that for more and more marketers, the major focus of their branding platform is dependent on digital communication channels, and increasingly, how to develop and maintain a positive dialog with customers and prospects.

After reading the book, you are left with the obvious conclusion that in this digital age it is imperative your brand promise aligns precisely with your brand experience. As a result, a substantial part of the marketing effort for today’s CMOs is not aimed at directly “selling” the consumer, but instead enhancing the brand experience by using digital technologies and Web-based marketing platforms that ensure their company’s brand experience will be second to none.