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To: PartyTime who wrote (18001)	1/9/1999 5:56:00 PM
From: PartyTime	Respond to of 18444

Branding: ____________________________________________________________ The Internet Advertising Discussion List internetadvertising.org ____________________________________________________________ From: Richard Geller [mailto:rg@amazingmedia.com] Subject: Why branding is everything -- and nothing -- on the web Branding is important where the maker of a product or service must sell that product or service to the consumer, yet does not control the distribution medium. Example: cars, where the manufacturer markets the cars in the hope that the consumer goes to one of many franchised outlets and buys the car. Almost any product sold at the grocery store is sold using advanced marketing paid for by the manufacturer, in the hope that the consumer will reach for that product rather than a competitors at the point of delivery. The grocery store is a prime example of brand building. The manufacturers must build the brand (e. g. Colgate, Tide, etc.) so the consumer reaches for that brand in preference to a competitors. At the point of delivery the manufacturer has no control over the consumer's behavior, so the brand building must already have been done. In other words, for products distributed through indirect channels, brand is the way for the manufacturer to create demand for its product. The manufacturer does the real marketing, and the channel handles issues such as inventory, distribution, real estate, etc. Brands include such things as authors (every Danielle Steele novel is a bestseller), really any product or service that has recall amongst the intended audience. _Where_ the product is purchased is not important to the brand, just _whether_ the product is purchased or not. For direct marketing, the brand becomes the name of the vendor rather than the products the vendor sells. But brand building becomes more than name awareness -- that is never enough. Brand building for direct marketing means getting prospective customers to interact actively with your product, service, or web site. Amazon is a great brand because they have induced enough people to purchase and created goodwill through these experiences. Amazon may create great brand awareness through affiliate programs, radio and television advertising, etc., but ultimately the brand is built through happy customers who are happy with the books they have purchased and who tell other people. Since so much of the Net is direct marketing, it stands to reason that if you are a Net marketer, the way to build brand is to get enough people to happily interact with your web site, your banner ads, etc., so they have a happy experience with you. That builds brand equity. Is this any different than the basic core equity most "off line" companies have -- its list of customers? I would argue that it is not. Therefore, brand building for direct marketers on the Web means getting prospective customers to interact with you. Just seeing a banner is not enough. You must get prospective customers to interact with your banner and with your web site, and eventually to buy something. This is a big reason for rich media advertising. At its best, the rich media advertisements allow the respondent to positively interact with the direct marketer. Each positive interaction, even ones short of buying, create positive brand for the direct marketer. --Richard Geller rg@amazingmedia.com 818.996.7115 Better results using Bannermercials(tm)