A Seamless Brand Experience

Many brands aspire to be it, few brands get it right and those that do are some of the most successful brands in the world...all brands are in search of a ‘seamless brand experience’ for the consumer...but what exactly is it?

According to Gair Maxwell's blog a ‘seamless brand’ means, “To make and keep a promise that matters.” He talks about how making the promise relates to sales, marketing and spreading the message, keeping that promise is the execution of the ideas on a operational level and the fact that it matters is the differentiator of the brand. 

I think that it is important to ensure that a brand firstly sets out what they stand for and what their identity and personality is. This is the main focus and how they differentiate themselves within their market. This can then be followed by consistent communications across all marketing and promotional activities and in everything that they do and say, whether this be the bags used in store or in the form of apps or their website.

I am most interested in how a brand can integrate themselves through digital communications. I recently found a journal that I felt explained perfectly what a seamless brand means in the digital environment. 

“A range of new marketing mediums can be leveraged to keep people tuned in and seamlessly integrate brands into their everyday lives” (Ken Martin and Ivan Todorov 2010)

Martin and Todorov (2010) talked about how brands need to think of new and innovative ways to communicate with their audiences in a market that is becoming evermore crowded . The brand needs to find specific ‘touch points’ at which they can communicate directly with the consumer, this type of brand interaction will then form a regular and prolonged relationship with the brand.

Mike Crossman from EMC gave us a lecture this week about the seamless brand experience, where he posed the following questions that, as fledgling advertisers, we should take into consideration.

• How do you create resonance?

• How do you get the consumer to remember your brand?

• What is emotional connection I can create through the use of digital communication?

One such example of a brand that has created a new digital platform to provide a seamless brand experience is Rimmel. 

Rimmel’s target consumer is 16-34 year olds, their personality is fun young and rebellious, with their colourful product range and recent advertising campaigns reflecting this. The company has used many young and popular models as part of their campaigns like Kate Moss, Lily Cole, Sophie Ellis-Bextor and their most recent signing, Zoey Deschanel. 

 NewMediaAge recently reported that Rimmel have relaunched their website as a platform to encourage their young consumers to communicate with each other about the brand. 

The new website provides the following features.

• Celebrity make-up artist tutorials so that consumers can recreate the look themselves with their own Rimmel products.
• It also includes different features such as a weekly style guide and best looks.
• Consumers get the chance to register on the website, this means that they then can create a profile and take part in something called the ‘Make-Up Bag’ that allows consumers to pick their favourite products and rate them, upload photos of different looks and blog about their experiences, they can also invite friends to the make up bag and interact with each other about fashion and the brand.
• The site also shows the models and what looks they have created and how consumers can create the look themselves.

I think that this is an innovative way to place the brand at the epicentre of conversations that occur with young teenage girls anyway. As the Facebook and Twitter phenomenon shows, many young people enjoy the use of digital communication to interact with their peers, therefore, Rimmel’s new website is like an online magazine that allows the brand to resonate with the target consumer.

The ‘Make up bag’ feature on the website allows the consumer to sign up and then tell their friends, this helps to make the website memorable as they need to pass on their experience of the website to their friends.

The ‘looks section’ that shows pictures of other girls’ outfits allows consumers to create an affiliation with brand as they can relate to one another, be that through conversation or the style tips they are giving one another. All of the features on the website have been designed to interact with the consumer at every opportunity, sending out the same message “We are a brand that is young, fashion forward and popular.” 

This digital communication has allowed the brand to effortlessly depicted that they are fashion forward and that make-up is a part of fashion, which is a part of consumer’s lives. I also like the way in which the brand has attempted to make their own forum and discussion without the use of Facebook, which so many brands are using a wagon for social interaction with the brand now days.  

It’s all in the detail and Rimmel have thought about the ways in which their consumers, in particular now interact with each other and use it to their advantage. Now all that is left to see is if their digital communication efforts prove to be a successful integration of the brand with their consumer’s daily lives. 

How Mobile Phones are Helping to Lessen the ‘Digital Divide’ in Africa

The digital divide is described as the “haves and have nots”, which relates to the divide of people in the world who do and do not have access to digital technologies such as, the internet, computers and mobile phones (Stump et. al). The divide of access to such facilities is fundamentally associated with less economically developed countries and more economically developed countries.  

Imagine a world without your mobile phone, it is a world that many us could not even consider. As Western consumers, we take advantage of the increasing sophistication of mobile phone devices and have become evermore dependent upon them. Your phone is now a metamorphic contraption; waking you in the morning as your alarm clock, allowing you to check your emails whilst on the train, browse the web and check your Facebook. This may sound familiar for many people, as the phone represents constant connectivity to the wider world, both for business and social activities.These are processes that have become intertwined with the fabric of western life, however in places such as Africa the realm of ‘mobile’ has been relatively undiscovered... until now.

David Smith recently reported in an article called ‘Africa Calling’ that mobile phone uptake has soared with figures suggesting a 550% rise in the past five years. In developing countries subscriptions rose from 54m to almost 350m, with 48 out of every 100 people now subscribing, it is the quickest growth in the world. Such figures emphasise the speed at which the digital divide is lessing and it appears to be the mobile phone that is the device to thank (Guardian 2011).

Kateine Chronicle’s blog for the Guardian discussed the developments that mobile phones have brought to the world of farming and trade in Africa. Now nearly one in three people can make or receive a phone call, such facilities have been heralded as the phone revolution (Guardian 2011). This blog discusses some of the main advantages mobile phones have had for the rural farming community in Africa.

• Facilitating cash transfers with the help of the Me2U service, that provides a unique code to allow monetary transfers across thousands of miles.
• Communication with key trading subsidiaries in towns and cities lessening the isolation of living in more rural locations.
• Increasing accessibility and lack of dependence upon infrastructure.
• Enables a wider audience and the opportunity to gain the best price for their product. 

The World Wide Web is a foundation in Africa that helps to develop digital communications among rural communities. The project encourages entrepreneurial spirit and set up ‘labs’ that train communities to use digital communications in order to generate their own revenues or their businesses. For example, they have helped farmers with the use of mobile phones and other digital communications. 

Another element of the foundation means working closely with networks and phone manufacturers to develop mobile phones that provide content and interfaces that are relevant and usable to African communities. Unlike Japan, where ‘development’ means pushing technological boundaries and discovering new innovations in digital, such a word means something completely different in Africa, but is still just as profound. The mobile phone developments in Africa are, to me, more poignant because of the meaning they hold. Equality. Innovation should be something that is available for everyone and not just the select few.

The fast moving world of mobile communication in Africa has provided an opportunity for foreign brands to invest in the newly emerging African mobile phone market. Many mobile phone brands have noted the developments in Africa and are hoping to take advantage of such exponential growth in digital communications. One such brand is Vodaphone who reported that Africa has experienced a 30% growth in mobile phone uptake in recent years (Vodaphone 2011).

The Vodaphone group have teamed up with The World Wide Web foundation to provide rural communities with the means for communication. They have committed to funding 3 years of initial work with local organisations, with the aim to teach local businesses how to use technological communications effectively to generate and maximise business. This project can been seen an a multifaceted exercise, not only will this place the brand at the forefront of newly entering consumers, it also reflects their corporate social responsibility, as well as fuelling the mobile phone market which will increase their own business.

Their mission statement to African businesses:

 “We’ll help you harness communications technology to build your business in Africa, whatever business you’re in. Talk to us now about your business aspirations in Africa. Together we can make it happen.”

(The Vodaphone Group 2011)

Mobile phones have become the most widely used digital device, giving so many more people the opportunity to take advantage of the benefits digital communication offers.

I think that projects such as the Vodaphone/WWW partnership can only be a step in the right direction to minimize the ever growing digital gap. I think that as more people around the world begin to use mobile phones, it will become the most powerful means of communication and this is something that advertisers, globally, can capitalize upon. And on that cheery note I am signing off until next week. 

How Interactive is Too Interactive??

Brands and agencies alike are pushing the boundaries of traditional methods of advertising to strengthen their relationship with the consumer. Advertising is not just about “selling stuff” now days, although that is the ultimate goal, it’s more about the way consumers interact with the brand. 

In recent years there have been fundamental advances in technology that have been cleverly utilized by the advertising industry to create interactive campaigns that engage consumers on a number of levels. An initial idea such as, a brand’s ethos and personality, can be played out on numerous media platforms, such as blogs, social networking sites, home made renditions of adverts spread via youtube and the list goes on. Jenkins describes this concept as transmedia that “unfolds across multiple media platforms with each text making a meaningful and valuable contribution to the whole” (Henry Jenkins 2006)

When applied to a brand this can be a very valuable asset. Perryman describes transmedia as “A participatory process that can potentially results in a richer entertainment experience”(2008). Culture convergence has moved the traditional ‘word of mouth’ to a  global platform. Consumers are now sharing experiences of brands across the globe.

Interactivity occurs on various platforms, however, this week’s blog is going to focus on the phenomenon that is interactive outdoor advertising. That provides an outlet for the telling of a story about a brand.

Imagine this....it is raining, the skies are grey and miserable and you are waiting to get on the number four bus to take you to work. You close your eyes and can hear the sound of a bird and the calming noise of waves lapping at the beach?!...you look to your right to see an enticing sun glowing brightly next to you...no you haven’t been transported to paradise!..although that would be nice on a drab Monday morning! You’re currently experiencing the new realms of interactive advertising. Advertisers have begun to use bright LED screens and speakers transforming traditional advertising spaces such as bus stops and billboards into virtual experiences of augmented reality. Holiday companies have been able to transform the usual “wish you were here” to actually feeling like you are there.

The global outdoor advertising supplier JCDecaux has taken interactive advertising to a whole new level! The popular channel five programme, ‘The Gadget Show’ recently show cased the company’s expertise when it comes to outdoor, interactivity. Showing advertising on floors, bus stops and phone boxes that prompts you to turn on your bluetooth, so that companies can personally send you information about the brand when ever you’re in that area. Interactive posters at bus stops where you can play games and compete against other bus stops to gain the top spot on the leader board. Adverts that show a 3D image on the screen when a card is held at a certain angle. And finally giant 3D images now jump off the billboard, grabbing your attention as your drive down the road.

The link below explains more about the campaign challenge.

http://www.jcdecaux.co.uk/innovate/campaigngallery/campaign/?id=357

The main reason for advertisers to use interactivity is that is provides the opportunity for the brand to connect with the consumer on a deeper level. Wells, Burnett and Moriarty proposed in Advertising Principles and Practice that consumers respond to advertising in certain ways with the The Facets Model of Advertising Effectiveness, relating advertising to six facets, persuasion, perception, behaviour, association, cognition and emotion (2000). In my opinion, interactivity allows one single advert to resonate with the consumer engaging numerous facets, going beyond the effect traditional advertising has on the consumer. Adverts are now literally screaming out to the consumer to be noticed.

Rory Sutherland, Vice Chairman of Ogilvy, recently spoke about how interactive advertising has blurred the lines between advertising and entertainment. I would agree to a certain extent that interactive advertising is entertaining, but if you can engage and promote a genuine interest in your brand from consumers, then there is the chance of building brand preference and loyalty; allowing brands to pertain these consumers for a longer period of time, rather than just selling a product. The link is below to an interesting interview about how valuable voluntary story telling can be to a brand.

Interview with Rory Sutherland

Another thing to consider is cost. Interactivity doesn’t come cheap and media planners are always there to bring creatives back to reality! The fairytale world of augmented reality and interactivity is one that comes at a price. Brands also need to consider what using such platforms says about the brand to its consumers and if the target audience even want or need interactivity.

So, what does the future hold for interactive media?...Well we are seeing more and more interactive campaigns from brands, however, I feel it will be a long time before this type of advertising becomes the norm. As a society we are just not ready to say goodbye to the old print advertisements.

Social Media: Friend or Foe of the Modern Advertising Agency?

Web 2.0 was something that I read about in Andrew McStay’s book, ‘Digital Advertising’ but something that was relatively unknown to me. Web 2.0 was a term coined by  Tim O’Reilly of Reilly Media and reflected a fundamental change in the way in which our modern culture communicates with each other. He described the concept as “creating network effects through an architecture of participation," using things such as flash player, search engine optimisation and social networking sites. Basically, the web became a whole lot more social! (Tim O’Reilly Media Inc 2010) 

Who is using Social Media?

Well, pretty much every single brand has taken advantage of this digital phenomenon. I am going to use Starbucks to illustrate how brands have successfully used the platforms that Web 2.0 enables. Starbuck’s Facebook page runs events, competitions and keeps the consumer updated on new product launches and store openings, it also connects the consumers to other forms of social media that it uses like Twitter. The company takes part in a lot of community work and is renowned for its corporate social responsibility, so where better to emphasise this than with the brand’s online community? 

It also regularly updates its Twitter feed to keep their loyal consumers interested and updated. The brand has adverts posted on YouTube that have ‘gone viral’ with over 99,000 hits and counting.

The company has recently decided to change their logo and actively encourages opinions and conversations about it on their website.

But, more generally what does the rapid growth of social media mean for advertisers?

Well, to answer that question, I found an interesting speech by Joanne Blakley, who talks about how social media will mean the end of gender. Traditionally segmentation has been largely based on gender and basic demographics, however she proposes that marketers will now have a large wealth of psychographic information, so that consumers are no longer defined by who they are, but what they do. For example, marketers will no longer define consumers by age, sex, occupation and class, but by their interests, so Starbucks consumers would be defined by the coffee they like etc. She talks about how social media will “free us from the absurd assumptions we make about genders in the media”. The link to her talk is below if you’re interested.

http://www.ted.com/talks/johanna_blakley_social_media_and_the_end_of_gender.html

But I do question, whether stereotypes and representations can be so easily lost? Demographics are the fundamental way in which humans classify the world in order to understand it. I think that social media will provide a larger wealth of information, that will be used in addition to, but not a replacement of demographics. It will open up opportunities for advertisers to use the information to create more individualistic advertising campaigns. It will also enable advertisers and marketers to identify and successfully target more niche communities. 

So, we are going through an era of digital revolution, there is no doubt about that. Social networking has changed the way a whole generation communicate with each other, which has provided a new frontier, which advertising agencies must explore in order to compete. Digital communication has provided us with an ever changing circle of communication that is further perpetuated by change in our society. It’s worth thinking about, because it is happening now.  Facebook and Twitter are no longer trends that all your friends at school or work are doing, it is the signifier for cultural change globally. 

Is social media good or bad? In answer to this question, I really don’t know; the only thing that’s for certain is that it is here to stay! Advertising agencies and brands alike need to embrace it as a lucrative medium of advertising or get left behind with the invention of the printing press. And on that inspirational note I will sign off until next week :)