A musical road trip

On the drive into work today I think I had an epiphany in the way I explain how brands can extend their presence and value online.

Now I have already blogged about how Dell has changed the way they project their brand image online and engage in conversations. But that would only seem to work because they are trying to re-engage their customers, admit previous wrong doings and understand what products their customers actually want to buy. This allows them to be at the center of the conversation but that wouldn’t work for every brand.
Redemption is a wonderful driving emotion, just pick up any gossip magazine and there’s always some star mounting a comeback.

In this new age of digital transparency where the smallest mistake or bad experience can be amplified by any consumer (which in effect is turning all consumers into broadcasters) brands need to be part of the conversation not at the center of it.

Traditional advertising has been set up in the broadcast model, we need to open to change and be part of the new conversational model.

Think of this in real world terms, if you walk into a party and you see a group of people gathered conversing together, you wouldn’t just walk right up and start talking about yourself. Well you might, but that would be rude and the group would shift away from you and the point you are trying to make.

Brands need to be more about the customer and their needs rather than about themselves. That doesn’t preclude us from entertaining or providing ‘broadcast’ moments that can be shared and passed along.

And to close the loop, these positive and fun experiences can now be shared and broadcast by consumers. Take the Honda musical road for example: it’s really an amazing piece of advertising that works because people do broadcast their personal experience to their friends. The fun experience has become the center of this conversation and Honda wins because they are the brand that provided this wondrous moment.