How Brands Are Built In The Digital Age
This winter, I applied to the Admap Prize 2014 through WARC on how brands are built in the digital age and was shortlisted. Here's my entry and thoughts on building brands in the digital age.
Approximately two to three times a week, I purchase my morning coffee at a charming French café that’s slightly out of the way on my morning commute. I allow myself this small luxury, despite owning all the necessary requirements for home-brewing. The moment I step into this café, I am magically transported from the realities of fast-paced New York City to every American’s romantic notion of Paris. Furthering this illusion, I am surrounded by elegant French expats energetically catching up after dropping their children off at the Lycée Francais, ordering their cafés and croissants. As I approach the register, the refined Scottish barista, Andrew, greets me with a familiar hello and how are you, already knowing my usual order. I am not just a customer, but am the mayor (according to FourSquare). And this café is not just a caffeine and gluten–dispensing establishment, but a well-curated experience. Every employee, cake, cup and decoration has been specifically chosen to appeal to a particular customer. Impeccable service and friendly employees engage customers, while goodies like imported French treats delight them. It’s no surprise that I am not their only loyal customer.
Frank Rose points out in The Art of Immersion that “[The Internet] is the first medium that can act like all media—it can be text, or audio, or video, or all of the above. It is nonlinear … inherently participatory … constantly encouraging you to comment, to contribute, to join in. And it is immersive.” (1) The Internet is not just immersive, but mimics real life, in-person experiences. It can replace the music we hear as we walk into an establishment; the patterns, textures and colors specifically chosen to tell a story about that store; the stories and information the sales clerk tells us about their products. It can even substitute how employees interact with customers with a virtual “How can I help you?” through Twitter. As brands show up in our social network feeds, the line between “Would I like to buy this product?” and “Do I want to have a relationship with this brand?” has blurred.
As marketers, we are tasked with understanding how our brands should behave in the digital age—with wondering how to unlock the magic formula, the right amount of customer data with the appropriate social channels and mobile apps. But what if there is no magic formula? What if succeeding in the digital age, regardless of the customer or location requires a different attitude from brands, one that involves genuinely caring about their customers to create a unique, branded experience. Digital technology enables brands to infuse genuine human touch in all communication points - a two-way conversation and personalization that mirrors the types of in-person interactions that have dominated seller/customer relationships throughout history.
“May I help you” begins with actually being there. An establishment carefully picks their location to cater to a specific clientele—to fill an unmet need. Although businesses are developed with the intent of making a profit, successful brands are also closely tied with the intent of helping people – either through their location or actual products. For my favorite café, the owners may have been compelled by the intention of giving French expatsa place to connect. For Warby Parker, their purpose may have revolved around giving customers affordable glasses, shipped online. But most importantly, both establishments carefully picked their location based on their customer’s needs, whether it’s choosing a particular neighborhood to deciding on an online distribution platform. Brands who genuinely care about their customers’ needs and behaviors have an obligation to continually track where their customer may want to purchase products in the future and to serve those unmet needs.
Tesco famously catered to the buying needs of their customers when they created a “virtual store” in a Korean subway, allowing busy customers to conveniently scan products using smartphone-enabled QR codes. Kate Spade did something similar, creating a 24-hour virtual store in front of a few New York City empty storefronts, allowing customers to purchase products via the window screen and have it delivered within an hour. While the focus of these examples are often on the technology used, at the heart of these executions was a recognition by brands that they could use technology to better serve their customers’ needs.
A brand that genuinely cares about their customer delivers what they say they will deliver, and understands exactly what their customer values and needs. At a basic level, a person entering a coffee shop might value impeccable customer service and delicious pastries, but nowadays, a caffeine junkie might also seek reliable Wi-Fi. My favorite coffee shop offers free Wi-Fi, a service that has delighted Starbucks’ customers for years. By anticipating and catering to customers’ needs, brands are building their reputation one customer at a time. In the digital age, reputation is critical –the shareable nature of social can cause one bad Yelp review to go viral. A quick Google search can make it easy to tell which companies genuinely care about their customers and which companies one suspects are only focused on short term gain. In fact, the only types of companies that have survived despite bad reputations are those that customers have had no choice in supporting—from cable to health insurance. But even those are seeing a decline in sales as alternatives become available. Even brands that compete on price, most famously Amazon, work to ensure quality customer service and products, showing they care about their customers’ needs.
At its core, what a customer seeks in a product is unlikely to change with the introduction of new technology. Even purely digital brands, built in the digital age, like Facebook have revolved first and foremost around needs of their users. Apple understood that buying expensive electronics requires extensive research and the assurance that the product will continue to work. Consequently they have built their brand on excellent customer service that they have extended to online tools. With banks, people value security and customer service. In person, that might mean money held in a secure vault and helpful, well-dressed clerks at bank locations. In the digital space, that could translate to 24-7 online chat access, a user-focused mobile app and online, informative content. Citi has a history of using technology to serve their customers’ needs—first with the introduction of ATMs, and most recently with a mobile app that allows customers to scan checks into their accounts. Nike sells the promise of fitness whether through their athletic gear, mobile apps, FuelBand or even in-person athletic events.
Millennials, as a consumer group, are particularly important for brands to understand in the digital age, since they are the demographic most likely to be heavy consumers of digital technology. In December 2013, The New York Times published an opinion piece called Millennial Searchers, noting the ways in which Millennials seek meaning and purpose in their lives. For them, it is no longer enough to purchase something that will give them a fleeting sense of happiness—they seek more meaning in their purchases. Across categories, we see older brands tying themselves to a bigger purpose –showing they care about bigger issues and using social to spread that purpose. From IBM’s Smarter Planet to Dove’s Real Beauty, each seeks to convey that their products help fulfill a bigger mission. On the flipside, brands built within the digital age started with a genuine purpose: TOMS’s Buy A Pair, Give A Pair campaign was based on the premise of philanthropy, allowing the average person to be a philanthropist. Warby Parker followed suit. For younger brands, especially those appealing to Millennials, what you do as a company is more important than what you say because it helps establish you as being genuinely focused on customers. Each brand helps customers fill an emotional need with their purchase.
It has never been more important to ensure that at the heart of your brand, you care about customers. Digital technology has pulled away the curtain that marketing previously created around brands. Each communication and customer touch point becomes an opportunity for everyone to see how a brand treats their customer. Brands like United (Breaks Guitars), JPMorgan (Ask JP Morgan) and have learned that infusing a customer-focused culture is critical in maintaining the reputation of the company. On the flip side, companies with excellent customer experiences, such as Apple, Virgin America or Zappos, have grown in the digital age. In fact, their success is often attributed to a strong company culture. Employee and in-person experiences have the potential to represent the brand, and interactions can easily go digital through an online review or public Tweet.
Finally, a brand that truly cares will add that little bit of delight, fulfilling a human desire and want. It’s asking how your day is in a way that makes you feel special. Carefully wrapping your purchase. It’s the décor that provides a mini escape to Paris. Or the music that puts you in a better mood. It’s an employee that goes above and beyond for their customer—remembers their order, ensures a particular product is in stock. Or the particularly knowledgeable store clerk, who, like a good friend, gives you an honest opinion as to why you shouldn’t buy something in their store.
For the online experience, decor can be translated into a well designed website that takes you to another place as you browse during your lunch break. A busy shelf of curated objects can be turned into a Pinterest board meant as visual eye candy, as in Anthroplogie’s merchandising. It could be having a well-designed e-commerce site that allows customers to browse thoroughly and uninterrupted before purchasing. It’s the technology a company can harness to predict what a customer wants based on their interactions. Or six-second how-to Vine videos bringing out fantasies of DYI home improvement. Brands can even create physical spaces to cater to customers’ desires.
In December 2013, Samsung created a pop-up experience store in New York’s Soho. Customers were treated to free coffee, and the ultimate indulgence- cupcakes while enjoying a space to relax during the busy shopping season. In the digital age, what may once have been a local stunt can now be shared instantly and globally through people’ssocial feeds, allowing everyone to see how a brand caters to the hidden desires of their customers.
Two-way interactions can be built with a brand over time through social media—an exchange never achieved through traditional advertising. A barista can facilitate conversations between like-minded customers, playing host or even matchmaker. Social media communities can be built and nurtured by community managers with no direct intention to sell products, only a direct intent to care about their customers’ wants.
Traditional advertising plays a critical role in adding to people’s desires and wants. Now that a Google search (ZMOT) has taken over the role of conveying detailed product benefits and reviews, traditional advertising, more than ever, is a place to tell a compelling story. Budweiser’s “Puppy Love”—a heartwarming story of love between a dog and a horse—was voted one of the most popular ads of the Supe
r Bowl in 2014. As viewers, we may not exactly understand how the commercial fit into the heart of the brand, but our hearts were filled with warmth as we viewed the commercial. Popular viral ads of 2013 were likely to illuminate bigger issues that we are often too afraid to discuss on our own but want to (Dove’s Real Beauty Sketches), act as a purely distracting entertainment (Evian’s Baby & Me), make us laugh (Kmart’s “Ship My Pants) or make us cry out of joy (GoPro’s Fireman Saves Kitten). Ads that “go viral” are emotive, story-driven, funny and genuinely entertaining—all qualities that compel us to share so that we can fulfill our desire to connect with others, using them as conversational fodder.
While print ads are still a place to inform people about product benefits, they’ve also always been a place to inspire. Just as people have always cut out print ads and posted them in their spaces to inspire and aspire to, we can now “pin” and share visuals created by brands. A traditional print ad might be more product-focused, whereas brands can now create inspirational, shareable online images with quotes or content that touches on that hidden desire of constant self-improvement.
Regardless of the medium or execution, every point of communication for a brand is connected and conveys whether or not a brand genuinely cares about their customers. For brands with exciting products and strong, customer-focused values, there is a world of opportunity in the digital age. But for brands with a weak product that is not customer-focused, succeeding in the digital age will be an uphill battle.
To the naked eye, it appears that digital technology has revolutionized our universe. It has changed how we communicate and how we interact with each other, with ourselves and even with brands. But ultimately it has brought humanity and a new sense of intimacy back into our lives that brands can now tap into. It’s that human touch, that feeling that a brand genuinely cares, brought to us through a personalized Facebook exchange, a convenient mobile purchase or inspiring branded content. After decades of impersonal, mass marketing, digital technology finally enables brands to reach across the counter—warmly shaking their customers’ hands.
Faith In Humanity Restored: Cheerios
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VifdBFp5pnw]As a stark contrast to my last post, I thought I'd end the week with something a bit more positive. I'm sure you've all seen this by now. It's an interview with kids - about 6 to 13 years old, regarding their thoughts on the controversial Cheerios commercial that was aired with a mixed race couple. Spoiler: the kids had absolutely no idea that people could be against mixed race couples. Once they were made aware of the negative comments via the YouTube video, they were completely outraged and thought anyone who would spend their time spewing racial hate, was a loser and should be banned from YouTube.
I love when interviews of a random sampling brings more color to a quantitative study that's already been done. Back in April 2012, JWT published a report, Gen Z: Digital In Their DNA. While the report focused on the digital habits of Gen Z, it's findings show that their digital habits might explain their worldview. I've always found fault with separating digital strategy with account planning. As planners, we have an obligation to understand how digital technology effects our very being and we should use digital tools to gain these insights. Thanks to the ubiquity of experiencing life through Instagram, we now all have constant FOMO - a term coined in the mid-80's but only now coming into common use. Parents are cautioned against giving their children too much iPad screen time for fear it will effect their cognitive abilities and make them more prone to ADD. And on the more positive side, children can now use digital to gain a more personal view of their counterparts from around the world through social media - way more revealing than the hand written pen-pal letters of the past. Without barriers such as geography or even social exclusion, children have learned that the kid on the other side of the world might have a different reality, but at their core, they are dealing with some of the same set of problems. They can no longer be taught to fear "the other." In fact, JWT found that:
"One consequence of this hyper-connectedness will be Gen Z’s multicultural and globally oriented mindset—much like Millennials but further amplified. Kids are Skyping with peers on the other side of the globe, and they’re taking part in initiatives like the Face to Faith program (part of the Tony Blair Faith Foundation), which uses technology to connect students of different religions and cultures. Expect even more linguistic and cultural borrowings and consistencies across distant nations and regions."
So as us New Yorkers deal with the extreme heat, still reeling from some of the sadder and maddening news that started off the week, we can find comfort in the knowledge that there's reason to be optimistic about our global future.
Digital Strategy vs. Brand Planning
During my internet research, I stumbled upon this thorough explanation of how digital strategy and brand planning are different. I've always been interested in both and hate that the industry makes us choose. In fact, I think choosing to work in both areas has hurt me in landing a full time job because employers want to pin you as one thing, not a generalist. People, this ain't politics and I shouldn't have to pick sides! I'm a strong believer, like Jinal Shah, that the two disciplines will eventually merge. But as Jinal points out, right now there aren't enough planners who are interested in digital for that to happen. And as someone who regularly attends tech meetups, just volunteered at a hackathon and is considered an early adopter, I can tell you that one needs to be excited about digital to delve into digital strategy. See Jinal's post below.
Let’s fuckin’ set the record straight: Account planners and digital strategists are NOT the same
May 29th, 2012 •
I vehemently disagree with the tendency most planners have in assuming that a planner and a strategist is one and the same. The argument is not about the title – which could be merely semantics but it is about the work process and the skill-set. It is especially easy to mistake and get confused about this in the type of environment we work in (i.e advertising agency) Step outside this bubble, and you’ll see that there are many flavors to a digital strategist and there are several deep skill-sets they have honed and developed over time to be simply merged with planning.
Just as there are several layers to brand planning, there are several layers (maybe more) to digital planning. If you ask me, digital planning sits under brand planning and not next to it because it needs to ladder up to the brand attributes/ values etc.
My biggest criticism of traditional account planning is that the planners don’t get very involved in the actual “making” of the idea. It’s called production in planner speak and the word is boring and uninspiring but in digital – that’s really where the idea gets made. And the idea continues to morph until it is beta tested. It continues to morph even as it is launched and the results come in and we tweak and make the idea better in real-time. Digital strategy is the true marriage of account planning, creative and production.
A (good) digital strategist works for the idea. With digital, you have to launch an idea that is in perfect harmony with innovation and current consumer habits/behaviors. You have to launch an idea that is technologically not too advanced and not too behind – Goldilocks! And that is not production or creative’s job alone – that is as much strategic thinking and application of tactical insights.
Also, the insights a planner brings to the table often only inform the birth of the idea or a creative direction. The insights that a digital strategist brings to the table informs the success of the idea and the actual meat and flesh of it. Sometimes the insight or “strategy” maybe tactical (will this particular user experience really invite participation and sharing?) and sometimes it is blue-sky. Point is – these insights underwrite the making of the idea and its success across the phases.
Our role will eventually become obsolete – it will mostly be absorbed by creative and a very small part of it will be absorbed by planning. But not yet. And not for the next few years. We have far too many traditional planners that simply aren’t interested in digital to wear this hat. You can’t teach someone to be an early adopter or experiment with technology or play around and deeply immerse/ engage in every new social platform or make games. Advertising needs us right now so if you still don’t get it – please STFU and let us do our jobs.
Call us whatever the fuck you want – as long as you let us work for the idea. I’ve even swept floors and washed dishes in name of creative. So there.
If you have more questions or want to hear more thoughts – please see the most popular posts (to your right). Feel free to leave a comment, unless you are going to serve up the same drivel I’ve been reading.
Digital Strategy Toolbox
Just stumbled upon this very helpful Slideshare Deck, Digital Strategy Toolbox created by Julian Cole of BBH and Amber Horsburgh of MTV. They go through the process of digital strategy; i.e. consumer and category research, discourse analysis and environment using Holiday Inn as an example. Because planning processes tend to vary so much between agencies, it's great to get a sense of their process and tools. Amber is also teaching a Skillshare Class which you can check out here.[slideshare id=15164027?rel=0&w=427&h=356&fb=0&mw=0&mh=0&style=border: 1px solid #CCC; border-width: 1px 1px 0; margin-bottom: 5px;&sc=no]
Digital Strategist Goes Client Side: Interview With Christina Lin
I was very fortunate to get paired up with Christina Lin through the Advertising Women of New York's mentorship program a few years ago when I knew I wanted to switch careers into account planning. Christina is a Director of Digital Marketing at L'Oreal, working with digital ad agencies on the Garnier brand.
What's a typical day like at L'Oreal and what are some of your responsibilities?
I manage all digital marketing for Garnier, which means I’m responsible for our website, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and mobile. Our product launches cut across these platforms but I also manage general updates/revamps to these platforms as well as adding reviews and launching our mobile site this year. I also help plan digital media.
What was really different coming to the client side is that it’s obviously more corporate, but there are a lot more cross functional teams involved. There’s marketing, media, events, pr, sales, customer marketing, consumer affairs, corporate - the list goes on! So there are a lot more meetings involved and just a wider variety of projects going on at the same time. I’m fortunate to work on a brand that has a lot of sub-brands (haircare, styling, skincare, and haircolor) so it’s never a dull moment.
Because contact with the client is somewhat limited, misperceptions and miscommunications between the two sides often occur. How has your view of the client's responsibilities shifted since coming from the agency side as a digital strategist?
Before, I didn't understood how the client never had enough time to keep up to date on what was going on in the industry. Now I know why, since I find myself in the same boat. I’ve worked more hours here than I ever had in my agency life and it’s hard to keep up with everything going on when your days involve non-stop back-to-back meetings. I do think coming from the agency side helps me work better with my agency and I think that my endless pitch practice has helped me become a better presenter.
What advice would you give to agencies to help build better relationships with their clients?
Make an ally on the client side and communicate with them frequently to better understand the hallway conversations that happen when you’re not there. There are so many things going on, and it helps to have someone on your side giving you the inside scoop of what people really think of your creative. They will help direct where to focus your efforts on and where not to.
You started your career at OMD, working in media on Apple, now part of the TBWA/Media Arts Lab. How did working in media prepare you for your previous job as a digital strategist at Tribal DDB and your current job at L'Oreal?
It is rare to make the jump from media to creative, but I have to say that I definitely recommend getting a more holistic background for agency people. Having the media background helps me during creative concepting because I know more about vendor capabilities and am more familiar with what goes into the media space. It also helps with the analytics portion of the job, which is becoming increasingly important as everyone is looking for ROI. Since my job now involves both digital creative and media, it definitely helps that I have both skills from my previous jobs.I'm often told that when asked in interviews what brands I admire, I shouldn't mention Apple because that's everyone's go-to brand that they mention.
You had the opportunity to work closely with the iconic brand while at OMD. What wisdom can you impart about strategy and branding that you learned while there?
Being that Apple was the first brand I worked on right out of undergrad, it was hard to fully appreciate it at the time. But when I look back and realize that I was part of the action from the silhouettes to I’m a Mac/I’m a PC, you start to realize what a huge movement that was. While working on Apple, you learn to go with your gut and to think outside of the “rules.” Steve Jobs was known for not testing his creative and that is very different from other brands I’ve now since worked on. Sometimes when it works, you just know it and you don’t necessarily have to test it to death.
After working at OMD, you took time off to get an MBA in marketing at Kellog. I've often heard that you don't need an MBA to work on the agency side in strategy but do if you want to go client side. Is this true? Is your MBA directly applicable to what you're doing at L'Oreal?
An MBA is not the end all, be all. What matters more is what you’ve gained from your MBA (a lot of it is intangible) and how you apply yourself. You don’t need an MBA to work in strategy on the agency side, but I would say my MBA has introduced me to different ways of thinking that helps in a strategy role. And with so many MBA grads on the client side, it’s helpful to understand all the frameworks they’re using in order to better position your work. It’s the same when I think about how I apply my MBA at L’Oreal. It’s not specific things, it’s the overall learning you get. Having attended Kellogg, there are plenty of marketing clients that are in my alumni network.
What is it about digital that excites you?
The fact that it’s always changing and it’s hard to ever truly be an expert since there’s always something new. It’s rare that you’re ever bored by the industry. We’re also at an interesting time for “digital,” since everything seen as “traditional” is now digital. TV online, interactive TV, iPad magazines, etc. Where is the line anymore? It’s all become integrated and fragmented at the same time.
What digital tactics would you like to see more of that you think ad agencies haven't yet fully explored?
I wouldn’t say it’s that digital tactics haven’t been fully explored (everyone’s seen their fair share of apps, social tabs, interactive videos). It’s more a question of how to evolve beyond the digital banner and traditional digital tactics. Most of us ignore banners and we now live in a time where most content discovery is social. So now it’s more, what’s the campaign idea and what’s the best way to execute in the digital space and integrate with TV and print. It needs to be a holistic idea and not just “I need an app but I don’t know what I want it to do.”You have a wide range of experiences and have worked at some great places.
Aside from working hard, what advice can you impart to those looking to make a career in strategy?
Aside from always having a point of view, never stop reading and learning. It sounds obvious, but you’d be surprised how many people don’t carve out time every day to keep up with what’s new and culturally relevant. Immerse yourself in a wide variety of experiences. Your consumers are not always you and live in Manhattan. Travel, and don’t spend so much of your life creating your “digital presence” that you forget to have a real-life presence.
And finally, what are some blogs, websites, digital products or apps that you read or use to stay on top of your game?
Twitter is my main news source to keep up in the industry and my all time fav is Fast Company Design. Always great articles to inspire. I’m also currently teaching myself HTML/HTML5. It’s always important as a strategist that you’re not just a brief creator, you need to understand how things are executed too.