How To Build A Brand In The Digital Age

When we talk about building brands in the digital age, so many advertising folks make it seem complicated. Is it about upping your content strategy or investing in mobile? Using customer data or developing an engagement strategy? What the hell does engagement strategy even mean?! But really when we take a step back, we realize that building brands in the digital age is SIMPLE.  

It's about putting the customer first by understanding their needs.

What does that mean? Now more than ever, every customer touch point is digital. Every interaction with a brand can get broadcasted across various social channels through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. Information can be spread like wildfire and reputation is key. Digital is a tool like anything else - so understanding a person's overarching needs as it relates to that category is key without segmenting out their digital behaviors.

So how would this play out with a newly created brand in the digital age? Recently, I received a box from Oscar Health insurance. Oscar is a new startup health insurance company that I chose to try out because bigger health insurance companies like UnitedHealthcare have shown time and time again how dishonest their practices were. Whether through burying information deep inside the fine print or having poorly made websites that are impossible to navigate, bigger health insurance companies have shown that they are not customer focused. I don't get the sense that they see me as any more than a being that generates revenue.

But Oscar has proved so far that they are different. In order to build their brand, they are building their reputation one customer at a time. When I first signed up, I received a phone call from them asking if I had any questions. On the flip side, I remember with my old insurance, even getting on the phone with an actual human being was such a hassle that I imagined their system was purposely set up so customers would give up on this task. Oscar's website is easy to navigate and clear as to what they offer whereas previous insurance websites were at least 5 years behind in design and technology.

So why is this box so important and how is it part of building a brand in the digital age? In the box, every aspect of the plan is clearly laid out and it's easy for me to find what I'm looking for. It feels personalized and almost precious which speaks to this trend of valuing physical objects (anti-digital) and of Millennials, especially, searching for meaning in the digital age. Instead of receiving a standard, generic, large envelope that will eventually become buried and lost among my papers, I have a bright blue box that can nicely reside among my files or even be used to store something else. The box itself relies on high quality design, forgoing cheesy stock images for peppy colors and expressive type to relay information. While it's too soon to tell how they're doing, they're off to a good start and gaining interest in the process. If similar disruptors like Warby Parker are any indicator, Oscar may be the health insurance solution for the biggest generation in the United States - and an industry ripe for disruption will find a leader.

Why Men Fight: A Look Into a Silicon Valley Fight Club

I recently saw The Fighter with my friend and was left wondering why the hell men fought. I mean.. seriously.. Why would you want to voluntarily get into a ring knowing that you were about to get the crap beaten out of you or be responsible for beating the crap out of someone else? I can imagine it's part of our animal nature to want to fight and I'm sure we can look into the animal kingdom to see them fighting for dominance regardless of whether or not their ability to secure food or procreate is involved. But as a woman, my nature tends to air on the side of motherly and protector. So when I came across a video on Gizmodo via The Next Wave about men in Silicon Valley creating a fight club, I was intrigued.The fighters talked about how the men bonded with each other by hitting each other. It was a way to test each other, build courage and a remedy for sitting at their desks all day. According to one of the participants, Silicon Valley has the highest concentration of aggressive people in the United States. So let's get back to nature for a minute here. For the better part of human existence, aggression was a key component to securing ones food or protecting ones family. Men in Silicon Valley no longer have to use physical force and strength to provide for their family. Instead, they use intelligence, strategic thinking, and endure countless hours behind the a computer - quite possibly for all the same reasons - that they want to provide for themselves and their family. So coming full circle, competitive or violent video games, sports, and... fight clubs are all most likely fueled by that residual aggression. Nike picked up on this insight years ago coming up with the strategy line, "Sport is war without the killing" which resulted in the line "Just Do It." And not to be outdone, Silicon Valley has taken that idea one step further with their very own fight club.

Click on the link to watch the video.

Uppercut from California is a place. on Vimeo.