We all know the internet is not TV (thank God). The internet is a place where advertising can listen back. It's a place where conversations can be started and the consumer can actually enjoy interacting with a brand. It's a place where brands are spending time and money to give me, a consumer, things that I enjoy using, viewing and sharing with my friends.
And guess what? I like it. I like it a lot. Perhaps I'll consider this brand in my next purchase.
Don't you wish it were that easy?
The best part about integrating your brand online is that it CAN be that easy. If advertisers take the time to think about what consumers want, it's easier to give them something they might enjoy.
Think about all the people that have enjoyed years of fantastic Super Bowl television commercials. The reason they're so powerful is because the advertisers that create them know their target audience. I've had the privilege of conceptualizing for a Super Bowl commercial. The brainstorming session usually starts out with "how do we get our message to a room full of obnoxiously drunk sports fanatics who love getting together with their friends?" Well, at least we know our target.
The "series of tubes," otherwise known as "the internets," can be used in the same way. Digital marketing gives marketers more power than ever to understand their targets and gain insight into how to integrate with them.
Did you catch that? Integrate with "them" meaning "the people," not the rest of the elements of the offline campaign.
Yes, traditional marketing will always have a place in our hearts. However, it's definitely important to bring your newest campaign online. But to create a captivating integrated campaign, it involves more than just resizing print ads and adding 15 seconds to your TV spot. Integrating with people in the digital space is an art.
Look around at all the digital applications that embrace who people are and how they act. For example, social network applications, iPhone app stores, interactive digital billboards, full video websites, digital magazines, interactive TV, user-generated content... the list goes on. These are all powerful avenues with real people and real numbers attached.
Without getting too Big Brother on you, even the simplest digital initiative can be tracked. You can see how many people saw it, how many people interacted with it and for how long, how many of them bought it, how many of them signed up for emails or became a fan on Facebook.
Here's a test for you:
If that last paragraph made you think about the amount of people you could reach, you fail.
If that last paragraph made you think about the quality of the relationships you could make, you're ready to be a digital integration superstar.
Getting your message in front of as many people as possible doesn't mean they're going to act on it or even like it for that matter. It might even backfire and damage your brand. How can advertisers avoid digitally defacing a brand? Tread lightly and it will carry a big reward.
Let's look at a couple of recent success stories:
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