(def/art) "Spiral Branding".................
Another old article whose premise about the necessity for establishing brand name recognition is now proving to be untrue due to the atrocious cost of branding
and the annoying proliferation of email
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zdnet.com
Secrets of Spiral Branding
Jesse Berst, Editorial Director
ZDNet AnchorDesk
The marketing world is in an uproar over the implications of the Internet. As Business Week reported, "harnessing the Internet to build and maintain brands has become the Holy Grail of marketing."
The Internet does indeed open new possibilities -- and new dangers for anyone who ignores the signs. The advent of Internet sites and Internet email make possible a new form of marketing I call "spiral branding."
I want to bring this to your attention for two reasons. First, as consumers it pays to be aware of the tactics marketers are using to influence us. Second, many of us will need to understand and use these techniques ourselves, in our own businesses.
The word "spiral" describes the accelerating benefits of a positive feedback loop. Bill Gates, for instance, often talks about the upward spiral of his Windows business. Because there is more software, customers purchase more Windows machines. Because there are more customers, developers build more software. Which attracts more customers. And around it goes (and grows).
THE BRANDING SPIRAL
Savvy marketers use these concepts to create a three-stage branding spiral. First, you use TV, print or radio to get people interested and send them to the Web. Second, you use the Web to get those customers involved (via specialized content and interactive services). You also collect their email addresses. Third, you use email to remind and incent them to return to TV and the Web again. Email closes the loop and starts people around the spiral again.
An example. A sports channel reminds you to visit its Web site. At the site, it involves you with an interactive fantasy league. Then it uses email to remind you to return to TV for the pre-game show.
See how it works? Let me take you around the spiral a few times, using different words to illustrate the role of each medium.
TV/Radio/Print - Online - Email
Interest - Involvement - Interaction
Passive - Active - Interactive
Attention - Intention - Retention
Richness - Rewards - Relationship
KEYS TO SUCCESS
The keys to spiral branding are:
Use each media for its best purpose (for instance, don't try to create a TV experience on the Web)
Do it fast (get something up now and fine-tune as you go along)
Iterate constantly (make improvements each time around the spiral)
I know you're busy, so I won't try to get into all the details here.
If you want to know more, I asked our Web columnist Annette Hamilton to discuss how to make best use of each medium. She also has success stories to share. Click for more. In addition, after I spoke at the recent Intelliquest Brand Tech Forum on the subject of spiral branding, I transferred my Powerpoint presentation into HTML. Click to view all or part of the presentation. |
