Building brands in the age of digital - The power of "brand utility " in action

This is a really interesting video and article about Nike + and how it represents the power of digital to really change the ways marketers approach communications. It's no longer about building brands through comms alone, now a brand services is equally important in delivering a brand's promise as the digital revolution has meant that alomost any brand can connect and deliver a service to consumers - this is brand utility in action!

Nike+ was born as a multi-channel, multi-sensory marriage of Apple and Nike technologies. See the video case study of the Nike+ campaign. The campaign was created by agency R/GA from New York and won a Grand Prix Cyber Lion at Cannes 2007.

The concept is smart, simple, creative and innovative. It makes Nike running shoes speak to Apple iPod nanos, which sync with iTunes in turn sending your personal workout data to the Web.

Nike+ integrated an online community inside it’s website but also launched the Official Nike Running Blog- Run Faster, with integrated forums. That’s engaging target groups and smart community marketing.

Nike also integrated widgets and below viral commercial to spread the word about Nike+.

I think that CMO’s can learn this from the innovative Nike approach: don’t always listen to your media agency. Since most most media agencies tend to kill great creativity and big ideas by shopping for the cheapest production company. Do all media agencies know how to value engagement? Or are they just preaching for cheap reach? And, does cheap reach drive consumer engagement, loyalty and eCRM?

Building brands through digital :Engaging consumers through Brand Utility

Classically when we think of how you build a brand we think (or the old school ad men do at least) of solely using communications.

This is the old way, today the world of digital means that brands deliver their promise/ positioning more and more through their service. Service has always been key to many brands, but now technology means that nearly every brand can now deliver a service through the use of technology (websites, applications and the such like).

We have all herd the word "engagement" banded around, but what does it truly mean for brand marketers. Well simply it means that making a piece of communications that is entertaining and hoping it has a positive effect on consumer behaviour is no longer enough! Brands must attempt to provide real value (nothing new here), but what is new today is that the power of digital means that brands can easily and affordably, deliver this “value” through the creation of engaging content; however, simply providing content is not enough - the old media adage of "content is King" no longer holds true - this content is simply at best an excuse to make "contact with consumers" it is what happens afterwards that is really key.

To deliver real value brand marketers must build on this initial "contact" through using digital technology to provide new and relevant services to their consumers which will ultimately help make their daily lives simpler /easier / better. This is what we call “Brand Utility”.

Indeed, the real value of "Brand Utility" comes not just in the new service provided to the consumer, but in allowing brands to move out of their traditional markets and into new ones; delivering new rewarding experiences which should ultimately help build on the original brand positioning / promise.

To support my perspective on building brands through digital, here is a presentation I happened across. I truly believe is one of the most conscience, powerful and apt representation of my perspective on digital for a long time – a must read for all those truly interested in brand marketing in the 21 century!

Enjoy, and please do let me know your thoughts on this fascinating subject :)

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View SlideShare presentation (tags: digitalthinking accountplanning planning strategy)