Brian Millar’s recent article, “Branding Talk Isn’t
Helping Your Company. Here’s What Should
Replace It,” misses the point of brands in the digital age. The idea that a great product can become a
great brand is half right. Great brands
are lived, not made. That is a more true
and involved process than ever in the digital age.
Sure, you can build a
strong identity through a superior product.
But, brand-building necessarily involves all of a business’
activities. To drift blindly in the sea
of communication options and opportunities is to resign your business to
drowning in the deluge of terabytes of information produced daily.
Because of the
connectivity that digital has enabled brands are now the entire company. Where corporate social responsibility
projects, manufacturing practices, messaging and other public relations could
at one time be divorced, they are now more intertwined than ever, interacting
via a diverse set of digital communication channels to spawn “brand x”. And, mobile connectivity will only magnify
this effect.
Is it locally
sourced? Where was that
manufactured? Is it BPA-free? What are the workers’ contracts like? Is the plant environmentally friendly? The answers to these questions do more to
influence consumers’ perception of “brand” more than ever. Because every part of their business is now
on display through media, social and otherwise, businesses must now walk the
walk to build brand.
Does this mean that
walking the walk is enough? Not by a
long shot. The requirements of
professional, polished and creative communication ideas don’t go away – they
are merely applied to a different strategy.
Not hiding from aspects of a company’s identity might be what spurs some
of the greatest creative ideas and engaging experiences for consumers.
So, keep building your
brand in all the ways you can. The
dimensionality and completeness of a brand may be what connects the most
consumers to your product in the long run.
