Bloghound

The folks in the “global sensing network” at Future Monitor
have weighed in that “brand, brand and brand” are among the top “trends
that will matter most” to business in two years. (Hmm, brand is right
up there with China, energy, the baby boomer bulge, and info
overload…some of the other issues identified in the inaugural Future
Monitor survey.) So last week FM threw a VoIP webcast called “Brand Building in Web 2.0” to get the conversation rolling. Ted Nelson
of Mechanica caught everyone up on the three new realities marketers
have to accept and the three ways they need to adapt. Quick version on
shifts: competition is changing; consumers avoid marketing really well
now; segmentation ain’t what it used to be. Advice: CEO-level vision
must inspire risk taking; think beyond traditional category boundaries;
and elevate the role of design.

What was really interesting (as usual) were the questions.
Future Monitor is bringing Ted back in a few days to share some
answers. In the meantime, here are a couple of the Qs and my take at
As.

Q You mentioned “enlightened research.” How can marketers find the
inspiration and ideas they need for the kind of innovation required to
engage consumers?

A. Just ask, and listen. But do it in new ways. Look at online
communities, where people talk to each other about things marketers
wouldn’t even know to ask. Get a handle on the “market conversation”
with new visualization tools.

Q. Is “viral marketing” overblown? And if not, how do you practically think about it as part of a branding strategy?

A. It’s not overblown when you consider that people are talking to each
other more and more – because they can with web and mobile technology,
and because they don’t trust marketers as much as they trust each
other. What needs to happen now, though, is viral or WOMM that actually
produces business results not just buzz. That requires conversational
marketing, which is where most brand strategies fall down.
Conversational marketing is based on something more interesting and
emotional to talk about (which is usually NOT the product or service
itself.)

Q. Can you give examples of companies that have successfully created
brands enabling customers to “self-select” how they relate to it?

A. Consumers are inventing their own marketing experience while
they’re pushing away what’s pushed at them. The brands that thrive are
not fighting but are creating these more participatory environments,
inviting consumers to make their own ads (Converse, GM, Mastercard),
create their own customized products (Nissan, iTunes, Nike), and
creating forums where customers can not only talk to the company but to
each other (Unilever, Hallmark, SunMicrosystems).

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