CReATION: Fuelled by technology, but driven by experience - this is the online brand

<p>- "Brands are Dead" </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The old rules no longer apply. Unlimited by time or space, the 'Net </p><p>provides 24/7 access to information. In such a well-informed, rational </p><p>world, the emotional foundation of most traditional branded products </p><p>must decline. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>- "Brands Will Only Get Stronger" </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>With at least 300 million publicly accessible Web pages customers are </p><p>overwhelmed by complex choice, unfamiliar names and fragmented </p><p>information. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>In this environment, consumers will gladly pay more for the quality and </p><p>reassurance of established and recognised branded products (assuming </p><p>performance and price are aligned). </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>- "The Brand is Dead! Long Live the Brand!" </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>It is probable both arguments will prove to be correct. As forces </p><p>created by the digital economy change traditional mass-marketing, those </p><p>unwilling to adapt will see their brand franchise evaporate. In </p><p>comparison, companies able to creatively embrace these new opportunities </p><p>are destined to rapidly build their brand's strength. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>- Can You Feel the Force? </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The most important and far reaching development is the creation of </p><p>information-based, customer power. The Web has encouraged 'at your </p><p>convenience' analysis of product or service information. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The most successful dotcoms have understood and embraced these </p><p>forces. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>They immediately grasped that this new, well-informed customer meant it </p><p>was vital to add a new 'P' (Promise) to the existing three Ps </p><p>(Personality, Presence and Performance) of textbook offline </p><p>branding. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>- Brand = Experience; Experience = Brand? </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The concept of experiential branding is not unique to the Internet. </p><p>However, offline experiential branding remains driven by emotions and </p><p>senses. On the Web, there must be a far greater emphasis on the </p><p>functional. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Think of your brand as an iceberg. The brand to the consumer used to be </p><p>purely what was visible above the waterline - product, positioning, </p><p>logo, advertising, and packaging. Below the surface were a host of </p><p>invisible elements, which nonetheless contributed to building brand </p><p>value. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The successful online brand builder must manage the customer's entire </p><p>experience from first encounter through purchase, delivery and </p><p>beyond. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The result in the online environment is a shift from creating brands (in </p><p>the offline definition) to delivering a complete, end-to-end consumer </p><p>experience. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>- Experience is Your Online Business </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The components of your online experience are the very ingredients of </p><p>your online business. The customer, 'value-add', promise, all elements </p><p>of Web design, the impact of marketing, even the exploration of new </p><p>revenue generating models to offset the cost of building a successful </p><p>experience (see Amazon.com's expansion from a single-low margin </p><p>product). </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>- From "Why Not?" to "Why?" </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Marketers must be realistic as to what will make customers change </p><p>existing habits or attitudes. We must understand a 'promise'. There may </p><p>be over two million websites, but there are a limited number of </p><p>fundamental promises that offer truly relevant and distinctive value </p><p>propositions. These include convenience, advantage, fun, self-expression </p><p>or community. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>- The Role of Design? </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Beyond the strong visual identities of leading online brands (e.g </p><p>Beenz.com, Ebay, Egg.com), designing an experience must also utilise the </p><p>medium's ability to effectively deliver a promise. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Involving functionality and site navigation, experiential design in this </p><p>context includes the translation of the promise into specific </p><p>interactive functions and features that give customers seamless </p><p>experience. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>- Online Marketing for Branding? </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The accountability of marketing on the Internet is stealing all the </p><p>headlines, but is not the whole story. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Take search engine optimisation. Your ranking in search engines </p><p>undoubtedly delivers highly targeted traffic to your website, but it is </p><p>also a branding mechanism, for search engines are the supermarket </p><p>display shelves of the Internet, providing many potential customers with </p><p>a first contact with your URL. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Another example is email marketing. The limits of text and its </p><p>perception as pure direct marketing diverts many from considering its </p><p>role as a brand re-enforcer. But the visual opportunities of HTML and </p><p>the delivery of added value, customer-centric and personalised benefits </p><p>enhance the overall experience, which is the digital brand. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>- Summary </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Just like the offline branding process, there is no magic formula to </p><p>create successful brands in the digital economy. For online marketers, </p><p>success now rests on the ability to create digital brands that deliver </p><p>on the new range of needs, desires and expectations that the online </p><p>customer is now developing. </p><p><BR><BR> </p>