Branding for a Seamless World

Note: Image from OFF=ON Trendwatching Report

I believe in approaching all brand initiatives holistically - meaning what one business group does must be consistent with how the other groups act within an organization. For instance, when working on my clients' digital marketing initiatives, it's imperative we consider how these activities can be translated to the offline world.

In fact, there was a trend featured on Trendwatching.com, called OFF=ON, which alludes to the idea that we are seeing the online world transfer into the offline world. When I was reading this, I was thinking, "Of course, especially for brands!"

Take for example Google Maps - the experience is now moving to the offline world by indicating people's favorite places first online, with it's memorable markers, then offline with those markers appearing at the noted locations:

People do not consciously recognize when they are going from, for example, an online H&M shopping experience to walking into an H&M store on Oxford Street in London, to reading a friend's comment on her amazing new H&M top on Twitter. To this person a brand is one organization, which, to them, is not managed by multiple business groups with varying business drivers. We live in a seamless world, so our organizations need to act seamlessly with consistent messages and actions, ideally based on the brand purpose.

In this year's Interbrand Best Global Brands report there is an article discussing this very topic - living in a seamless world. It talks about how digital has eliminated our traditional barriers of time & space (products & stores), and now people have more access to more information, people, opinions, etc. than ever before. This has altered people's expectations towards brands. They expect there to be complete transparency between them and all brands!

To give organizations confidence to offer this level of transparency, it is important to have purpose and meaning providing the organization with a focused direction. The purpose helps organizations make the necessary trade-offs to ensure they stay on point and maintain a consistent brand perception in their customers' eyes - after all brands can no longer control the conversation - they can only influence it!

Interbrand offered 3 new rules for building a brand in this seamless world:

1. Have Purpose: Like myself, Interbrand encourages organizations to know what they offer society, not just the economy, as consumers wish to associate themselves with brands they share values with and can believe in. It mentions that purpose allows brands the ability to engage with its consumer beyond, just, its products and services.
2. Be prepared to talk a lot about what you are working on, not just what you make: Consumers are hungry to get involved. They are tired of being talked at. Rather, they want a 2-way dialogue with brands. They want to offer their opinion. What a great way to learn and evolve by listening & engaging with your customers!
3. Embrace co-creation: Organizations need to maximize their ability to stimulate or join non-linear dialogues to share opinions & information with customers - who knows they may be have thought of something completely new, exciting & on-brand for your organization. Just look at what has emerged from the MyStarbucksIdea.com in its first year: those amazing (and I mean amazing) splash sticks, the Starbucks VIP cards, the ability to get a free coffee when you buy a bag of coffee beans, and free coffee for Gold Card members on their birthday!

Similar to what Umair Haque says in his Constructive Capitalism presentation, our economy is centered on interactions. So, lets maximize these interactions through the seamless world by building brands that stand for something, more than the bottom line to motivate both their employees & customers.

Having a brand purpose will better prepare an organization to influence its reputation, and ensure each business unit is acting in unison, so that when a consumer is engaging with a brand on any medium, whether it's online or offline, the brand experience remains consistent and memorable!