subject: Conversation Is The Key To Integrated Brand Experiences [print this page] Today, one of the largest problems that many brands must overcome is how to create integrated online and offline brand experiences for customers.
In my mind, the answer all revolves around conversation. Consider the online brand experience. Not so long ago, this used to be centred largely upon functionality. It used to be about basics such as website navigation, sourcing and finding information, visibility on search engines such as Google and similar methods. In essence it was all about brands talking TO customers.
But this is no longer good enough for modern consumers. You need look no further than social media and its recent impact on the online world to understand this: today's online audiences expect two-way engagement, not just a one-way broadcast.
This shift in the way that consumers engage with brands means that brand messaging needs to change in order to remain effective. It needs to be about creating rich, memorable experiences that offer real value and are fundamentally about two-way engagement.
The most successful online brand experiences today are implementing this to create online experiences that are truly engaging, and which allow the consumer to shape the conversation to a certain extent. This can take a variety of forms, from entertaining virals to online interaction on social media platforms, and all include a visible, experiential responsiveness from the brand. This has the power to turn consumers into raving fans, by way of providing a legacy of lasting, positive experience.
This isn't limited to online, however, as when these strategies are carried out well, they can have a real positive impact on how consumers engage with the brand offline too.
Consumers have come to expect richer and more valuable experiences, which involve conversation, discovery and enlightenment - the latter of which is, in many ways, the holy grail of experiential marketing. When there is a good integration between on- and offline experiences, there is a staggering amplification effect - a good example of which is T-mobile's flash mob dance. This results in a diverse and powerful stream of conversation and engagement which can be exploited by good agencies to optimise campaign performance across multiple channels.
If you haven't yet fully considered how to integrate your offline and online brand experience, it might be a conversation worth having soon.
