FOCUS: 2000 Previews - New attitudes among consumers are driving the brand revolution

Technology is driving change in how we operate, as well as how we analyse customer experiences and how we target today's and future communications, particularly in the new areas of ecommerce and digital media The brand marketing environment is undergoing one of the most radical evolutions in history. The most significant factors bringing this about are new technology and new attitudes among many consumers willing to enter an online relationship with brands and their manufacturers, in both the pre- and post-buying phases. In this new environment, brand management unquestionably requires new solutions. For too long, discussion in our industry has centred around whether it should be mass communications versus direct communica-tion, or 'above-the-line' versus 'below-the-line'. While this discussion has droned on and on, the market has changed. For many, the train has left the station. The challenge really is the management of the brand promise and experience across all touchpoints, as well as all channels holistically. The brand exists in the consumers' heads and hearts and managing this experiential relationship with a combination of communications approaches will become the key challenge. We have around us a rapidly changing business environment. Technology is driving change in how we operate, as well as how we analyse customer experiences and how we target today's and future communications, particularly in the new areas of ecommerce and digital media. Technology is taking centrestage and those unprepared for the change will fall even further behind. Sometime ago, someone said, "No one likes change except bus drivers". Then, someone more enlightened, said, "Companies will have to eat change for breakfast". This latter point fits the environment for business these days. However, there is an awkward twist to the advent of this new technology and it is a major issue for the brand communications industry, particularly in Asia. Only the best and the brightest will act as a conduit for change for the agencies. These are the people who develop and drive this massive change in delivery, but keeping and retaining them will be a big challenge, particularly in the electronic age. In so many cases these days, we see the best people leaving to start their own businesses. Companies must be determined to keep these people, recognise and promote them, so their entrepreneurial skills and ambitions are fulfilled. This problem is so acute that business will be forced to adopt new models to retain the best. It's also clear that the instance of people becoming organisations in the future will accelerate. Smart entrepreneurial people leaving corporations to 'go it alone' with an idea or business model will become the norm. However, their existence can be as quickly threatened as change and the next wave of start-ups overtake them. It is a challenging environment, to say the least. We at WCJ look forward to these challenges and opportunities in 2000.

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