Seamless Brands

Branding in a Digital Age

People develop strong brand relationships that are essential to maintaining customer loyalty in an overcrowded market place. But has the development of new technology made traditional business strategies unsustainable? 

Edelman uses an example of a car salesman to express how the Internet has altered the way individuals engage with brands. He argues, “Not long ago, a car buyer would methodically pare down the available choices until he arrived at the one that best met his criteria. A dealer would reel him in and make the sale. The buyer’s relationship with both the dealer and the manufacturer would typically dissipate after the purchase. But today, consumers are promiscuous in their brand relationships: They connect with myriad brands—through new media channels beyond the manufacturer’s and the retailer’s control or even knowledge—and evaluate a shifting array of them, often expanding the pool before narrowing it. After a purchase these consumers may remain aggressively engaged, publicly promoting or assailing the products they’ve bought, collaborating in the brands’ development, and challenging and shaping their meaning.”

The digital age has redefined what it means to construct and maintain brand values. In order to influence an audience via digital communication, a brands online presence needs remain perfectly consistent or ‘seamless’.

Maxwell (2010) says that a seamless brand operates by “making and keeping a promise that matters.”  He explains that in his definition “make implies everything your brand does with respect to sales, marketing and spreading the message. The "keep" implies everything your business does to ensure support and delivery of that promise. The "promise that matters" is what sets your brand apart from your competitors. Once you digest this definition and align your external marketing message with internal culture and operations, you'll have this "seamless" thing nailed.” 

To succeed, PR practitioners have to position their brand apart from competitors. Dove certainly did this with their ‘Real Women Campaign.’

Dove launched this triumphant campaign in 2004 using real women to promote their firming cream products, with a focus on natural beauty. This campaign presented clear brand values, escaping the quintessential skinny model archetype. Women featured in the ad campaign have gone on to further promote Doves products by appearing on some of America’s most popular television shows including Oprah, CNN and The Today Show.  The company also paid 2.4 million dollars to air a 30 second advert during the Superbowl XL in 2006. The campaign has now gone worldwide with thanks to their online marketing. 

Mitchell Friedman (2002) argues that a good PR campaign often combines online and off-line media and communication. A Huge section of Doves website is devoted to the ‘Real Women’ campaign.  As well as this, Dove have a Facebook page dedicated to the cause with motivational posts to engage consumers, asking followers to answer questions such as what they like most about themselves. Their latest trend with social networking is to get customers to send in pictures in order to promote products best suited to them. Additionally, there are numerous YouTube videos that have generated a vast amount of interest. 

Dove released press releases to support their advertisements and online activity making the following statements. Dove focus on "making women feel more beautiful every day by challenging today's stereotypical view of beauty and inspiring women to take great care of themselves." The use of women, of various ages, shapes and sizes" is designed "to provoke discussion and debate about today's typecast beauty images."

To conclude this post, "A brand is a rich tapestry of ideas, images and associations. But building a powerful brand means more than simply creating a name, logo or tag line. It require shaping the many expectations and experiences that people have with your brand. At every point where stakeholders – customers, suppliers, employees, analysts and the public – “touch” your company, your brand is either strengthened or diminished (BrandLogic 2009)."