Taking a Leadership Position
Posted by Chris Kieff on April 23rd, 2009
Brands aren’t simply brands anymore. They are the center of a maelstrom of social and political dialogue made possible by digital media, said Unilever Chief Marketing Officer Simon Clift, who warned that marketers who do not recognize that — and adapt their marketing — are in grave peril. AdAge Magazine 04/13/09 by Jack Neff
The above remarks are from from Mr. Clift’s keynote speech at the Ad Age Digital Conference in New York.
So how does a brand a plan to ride out this maelstrom of change in the advertising landscape? By looking at new technologies and techniques for reaching their prospective customers. And by investing the time and resources to learn the new rules in the digital landscape.
One aspect that needs particular attention is engaging with customers in the realm of social media. People today are not only empowered by digital media and social media technologies, they are feeling that power. People know that they can talk to brands, and the brands had better listen and respond. If the brand fails to respond people will have the discussion with others in the digital landscape. Brands that fail to engage in that discussion are ceding the territory to their competitors.
Forward thinking and acting brands are finding methods, technologies and people to lead the way into real engagement with customers. An excellent example is Better Homes and Gardens, a Meredith brand. They were recently named one of the Most Engaged Media Brands by Min Online. One of the reasons BH&G was honored was their Mixing Bowl (a Ripple6) social community which was given Honorable Mention for Best of the Web in the Social Community category.
The Better Homes & Gardens brand stays ahead of the curve by creating an online community. This kind of adapting your marketing plan to the new realities is what will keep the Better Homes and Gardens brand in the lead in the years to come. And you can expect some announcements from Ripple6 shortly about other major brand names who are taking leadership positions in social marketing as well.
(For a great perspective on Mixing Bowl check out The Marketing Diva’s interview with Heather Morgan Shott.)
Photo credit: Flickr by pedrosimoes7
