Internet technology solutions must all be managed to help define the user experience, and when successfully embraced by a company these elements create the Brand-New Brand. Learn how to use new communication strategies, such as blogs and RSS, to build your brand online.

Introduction

If you believe the definition of a brand to be the overall customer experience and relationship an individual has with a product or service, or indeed a company, not just it's logo and 'look', then you'll know that the use of technology is challenging the brand with the expanding number of new touch-points a customer now has with a company. This expansion of brand visibility, especially on the Internet, has resulted in corporations scrambling to ensure the quality of their customer brand interaction and relationship is kept intact. 

This is what I call the 'Brand-New Brand' and I'm particularly interested in how the Internet is moulding a new approach to brand management. Today, the key component of most brands is the Internet and customers' experiences of the brand via the Internet.  An organization therefore needs to look after its brand marketing from a complete 360 Degree perspective across all media.  Historically, many brands' exposure on the Internet has been under-managed, and therefore made those brands' reputations vulnerable. 

Just how is the company-as-brand presented on the Internet? When you look at branding this way, issues such as accessibility, organization, the brand story, customer communications, advertising, customer support, e-commerce and fulfilment all come into play. Each can and usually does have different technology solutions behind it. These Internet technology solutions must all be managed to help define the user experience, and when successfully embraced by a company these elements create the Brand-New Brand. 

Brand New Brand Requirements

The Brand-New Brand requires an organization to have an infrastructure that delivers the support, products and services exactly when and where the customer wants them: an "anytime, anyplace" user experience.   A company can measure and analyze these experiences by developing a Brand-New Brand strategy that takes into account who their audiences are and what those audiences want. 

This is not hard to figure out. Most companies know who their customers are and can target-market them appropriately.  From that target, communications can be created to help customers access information at the time and place of their choosing.  This is why Internet marketing has exploded over the past few years, with e-mail marketing and online advertising campaigns and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategies.

The Emerging Technology

Leading the way today there's more, with the arrival of two new technologies set to change the way companies communicate and consumers interact. Real Simple Syndication (RSS Feeds) and Web logging (Blogging, Web logs or just Blogs) are changing the way marketing, communications and PR departments deliver information and key messages.

RSS Feeds

RSS Feeds are designed for sharing headlines and other Web content. Think of it as a distributable "What's New" for your site. RSS has evolved into a popular means of sharing content between media sites (such as the The Globe and Mail, National Post, CBC, BBC, CNET, CNN, Disney, Forbes, Wired, Slashdot, ZDNet, and others). RSS Feeds solve a myriad of problems Webmasters used to commonly face, such as managing web content, keeping content up-to-date, and sharing, gathering and distributing news. RSS Feeds can also be the basis for additional content distribution services and are commonly linked with Web logs.

What's the business behind the technology? RSS Feeds can keep consumers up-to-date and informed, automatically.  Advertisements, white papers, What's New, pdf documents and media releases can now be updated instantly on every partner site you have, as quickly as the changes are made to your own site. This solution earns the trust of customers, who are kept in the loop instantaneously. Corporate information is delivered much more effectively and efficiently.  A change to a document on one Web site will automatically change the same RSS document anywhere in the world at the same time - a huge time and money saver for the organization and a huge confidence booster for its customers. For example, a car company may issue a major product recall via an RSS Feed and instantly the message will be spread around the world via the Internet to any and all RSS feed subscribers.  This gives marketing and communications professionals more control over how they deliver and control the message, rather than relying on media distribution services and the media.

Web logs

Another very important development in Internet communications, related to RSS Feeds, are Web logs or Blogs.  A Blog is basically a Web page that's constantly updated with new commentary and opinions about a particular topic. The activity of updating a Blog is "Blogging" and someone who maintains a Blog is a "Blogger".  Blogs are typically updated daily using special software that allows people with little or no technical background to update and maintain the Blog. Postings on a Blog are almost always arranged in chronological order, with the most recent additions featured most prominently.

What's the business behind the technology? Blogs can provide businesses with a lot of very useful feedback, but unfortunately that feedback can contain the good, the bad and the ugly, which companies have to be prepared for and be able to properly manage. Because Blogs can be created by anyone, they have to be at least monitored by an organization and, at best, engaged and controlled. I recommend companies set up 'official' Blogs, so correct and controlled brand messaging can be properly managed, to become part of the trustworthy brand experience. Official, corporate-run Blogs can contain, feedback, input and comments from consumers, partners, suppliers and employees. A Blog shouldn't be confined just to the marketing department. Remember, open conversation is the language of doing business well, and this is conducted most effectively when organizations talk to their various audiences in an 'open market' environment.

The Consumer

Consumers have quickly caught on to Blogs and they are most grateful when a company acknowledges problems and responds to complaints in this open fashion. Organizations who respond and participate proactively in these Web log conversations are able to shape the user experience in a positive way, and this has been another area of great impact on the Brand-New Brand. 

Both Blogging and RSS Feeds provide solutions which allow marketing departments and others to listen to, and react faster to, customer demands.  In this way, strong relationships are subsequently built between the organization and its customers.  Not only that, but real consumer problems can be solved and future crises avoided. 

One thing's for sure: consumers want the facts, but they want them quickly, clearly and concisely.  They want you to provide them with the information, and an 'open market' setting is where they can feel free to complain or comment if all doesn't go well from their point of view. Shaped by these Brand-New Brand user experiences, an organization that has branded itself effectively will have a consistent 360 Degree view of marketing and a clear brand story.

Conclusion

A brand is a promise, a reputation and a perception.  It's derived from customer experience with a product, service or company.  It's made up of user experiences, and the Internet is a medium that helps to shape those experiences - and so builds the brand.  In my experience, a company's Web site often reveals the inside workings of an organization, and I've observed that there are just too many companies, many with big and well-established brands, who could be doing a more effective job with their 'Brand-New Branding' opportunities by utilizing these new technologies.

References

Levine, Rick, et al. The Cluetrain Manifesto.  Cambridge, Massachusetts: Perseus Publishing, 2000

McKenna, Regis. Real Time.  Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 1997

Rosenfeld, L. and Morville, P. Information Architecture for the World

Wide Web. Cambridge: O'Reilly, 2002.

Ochman, B.L. Straight Talk About Blogs: Do You Really Need One? September 14, 2004.  Accessed on September 15, 2004, http://www.marketingprofs.com/4/ochman7.asp

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