New Form of Interactive Media

Technology is constantly changing and with that, so does policy. Companies such as Heineken and Skype, are leading the pack in this new change by incorporating Skypecasting in their marketing efforts.

Skypecasting is a new medium, not to be confused with webcasting, which allows up to 100 users to be in direct contact at any one time. This interactive communication enables listeners to ask questions upon demand and to even applaud during concerts or other live events.

Heineken hosted Skypecastings first live concert on September 8, 2006, earning substantial free PR placements. Use of this new medium will bring increased popularity of corporations’ brand name and will in-turn strengthen brand recognition among Skypecasting's consumers.

Bringing a Brand International

The world is fast becoming smaller with global economies rapidly expanding and people from all over the world exchanging in business ties. The web has made this possible and as a corporation, you would be foolish not to partake.

ComScore Network released its World Metric Service, a service that measures visitation metrics and demographic characteristics, and the results were in your favor. Internet audience is up 10 percent worldwide.

The Internet reaches 747 million people worldwide, and of that only 1.3 million resides in the top 15 countries ranked by Internet population. Among the highest is India at 33 percent. The highest average hours spent monthly on the Web are found in Canada (39.6) and Israel (37.4). Properties such as Microsoft, Google, and Yahoo! are the highest rated in the world.

As a corporation you must utilize the technologies that result in these astounding numbers. With interactive media, corporations can reach their global markets and build a stronger identity in the global world. Using methods to increase a company's SEO on such sites as Google, eBay, and Wikipedia will generate mass awareness of its brand and will allow the company a chance to further its reach to new segments.

Repositioning a Broken Corporate Name

Can you really re-invent a corporation's brand and its identity? GE thinks its possible, while the majority disagree, especially Bob Garfield.

Years ago, GE dumped 1.3 million pounds of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the Hudson River. This decision by GE caused much grief for consumers and GE, which to this day has still not dissipated.

In order to rebuild their brand, GE developed a new ad campaign that references the new technology available for desalination, which will benefit the ecosystem in times of drought. Is it possible for GE to surmount the negative stigma attached to it?

A brand's identity and its reputation symbolize the corporation’s culture, its beliefs and practices and also ensures the public of its social responsibility. GE is taking steps in the right direction by promoting these eco-friendly innovations. When a corporation's identity hinders its ability to do business the Internet, which is ubiquitous and convenient, can help rebuild confidence with the proper campaign.

Moms: The New Target Group for Industries?

An article on AdAge today was talking about the increased demand of blogging by moms, which is a demographic that spends more than $2 trillion a year. This segment is constantly seeking information on products for themselves and their children, so this information needs to be readily available. Sites that have developed to host such blogs are SheFind, SheFindMom, BlogHer, and even Technorati has tags from parenting. BlogHer is the only site that receives a low 400 blogs, but the other blogging sites log visitors into the thousands.

Mothers are already active on such sites as AOL, a site that has been its own browser for more than a month now, and are constantly subject to advertisements and corporate names while on AOL. There are even rumors that Google is considering changing into its own browser.

Corporations are already present on these sites so it is an easy domain for them to broaden their brand. This presents a great opportunity for corporations to further their brands' identity in the consumers mind and really reach out to better serve their market.

Staying True To Your Brand

There are two airlines that I enjoy flying--Southwest and JetBlue. I know many of my colleagues (my parents as well) do not like the cattle call approach that Southwest uses. No assigned seats, no problem for me. I enjoy it. I know if I get there early enough I can sit my large self in an emergency row. JetBlue it seems as though everyone loves. Spacious seats, friendly staff, and Direct TV all come to mind when I think of Jet Blue. For the past week one more thing has came to mind-- no flights.

I don't want to focus on the negative of this recent hiccup (to me that is all this is). I want to focus on the positive. Here are my thoughts:

1) David Neeleman, JetBlue CEO, seemed genuine in his apology on the Today Show. Rarely do you see a CEO this candid while handling some tough questions.
2) JetBlue took out a full page ad in the NY Times to apologize and wrote a "Passenger Bill of Rights". Though the advertisement has been done before, the Bill of Rights is estimated to cost the company $20-30 million. To top it off, they will retroactively pay the passengers effected by delays.
3) They did not fire any top level executives (much to the surprise of Matt Lauer, you got to watch the video). This shows to me stability and trust rather than panic and lack of accountability.
4) All of these moves upheld their brand has being "passenger friendly."

In this era, I find moves like this refreshing. Now just give me the cattle call and I will have the best of both worlds.

Got Opinions?

Martin Lindstorm said it right when he stated “consumers are tiring of perfectly polished brands.” Consumers want to understand the brands' corporate identity, its position towards the environment and its' philosophy on social responsibility.

The corporate world has a social responsiblity to report it's stance on enviromental, social and political issues. Employees should also understand and convey the corporate position when they speak with customers and prospects.

As a communicator, it is your job to ensure that the message is consistent with the brand's core values and are truly integrated in the culture of the organizaiton. Exercising truthful disclosure can differentiate your firm from it's competitors in ways that resonate with smart consumers.

Developing Your Corporate Brand Effectively

Developing your corporate brand is essential in ensuring long-term partnerships with the end consumer and is accomplished in a variety of ways. Through internal communications, businesses integrate all the necessary means to successfully notify the market of the corporation’s brand.

Having employees and systems monitor the broader conversations allow corporations to stay in-tune with the changing trends in the consumer market. By understanding the target market, corporations can further engage in relationships with the end consumer, almost guaranteeing the brand’s success. Participating in social media, such as YouTube, can help reach the varying markets and promote further correspondence.

To measure the success of the corporation’s new efforts, try exploring the traffic on the corporation’s site as well as other sites consumers frequent. Track the extent of PR relating to the new methods of reaching markets and see how this buzz affects your brand.

By developing and establishing your brand, consumers will recognize the corporation’s brand as a more meaningful icon and it will positively impact that corporation. For more information on developing your corporation's brand, please refer to Heidi Cohen's article on Branded Communications.

Relationships vs. SEO

Next-generation marketing ... an evolution of advertising to say the least. It continues to get more innovative and personal with every new channel introduced to the market. Podcasts, Wikis, and blogs lay the foundation for developing stronger relationships with the consumer market, but is a strong relationship all we want as marketers?

Building solid relationships with consumers is indeed critical to the success of the brand because it leads to trust, support, profitability, and hopefully referrals, but is that all? Forrester Research's, Charlene Li, thinks that strong relationships are more important than search engine optimization (SEO) and quite frankly, I disagree.

How does a marketer develop the relationship to begin with?

Marketers need to begin by establishing a corporate identity and build brand recognition. In the world of Web 2.0, what better way to establish an ongoing relationship than by optimizing the company website so consumers can find it?

Research shows that consumers will not browse past the first page of results when performing an online search. As a marketer, you should do everything possible to achieve first page ranking for your company.

Whether you utilize paid placement or optimize the site for organic search, you must have a comprehensive SEO strategy to ensure your ability to create a strong and lasting relationship with the customer.

Web 2.0 Is about Building Relationships

Is Online the Best Way to Promote a Company?

With all the spam one finds on the Internet, is online advertising the way to go? I agree with the survey findings Double Click Inc. posted about targeting your audience through emerging media; however, what about all of the other companies that do not fit into any of those genres?

If you are trying to influence someone to buy your product or frequent your store, you need to gain their attention and develop your corporate brand into a recognized icon. 57% of people surveyed stated they watch online videos, 44% read blogs and 39% spend 5 or more hours a day online.

This information clearly identifies how corporations should integrate their brand into these markets. Restructuring your corporate identity to include these techniques will guarantee your corporation's place in this evolving market. Practices and policies need to evolve as well. Without change the company will not go anywhere, thus, it will not survive.