One of the cornerstones of late 20th century marketing, the heralded “brand promise,” is on the verge of extinction. In its place, the new concept of social proof is leading the next wave.
Several years ago-before the explosion of social media-branding expert Marty Neumeier hinted of this new era in his bestselling book “The Brand Gap.” In defining a company or a particular brand, he decreed, “It’s not what you say it is. It’s what THEY say it is.”
It turns out THEY have a lot more power than marketers anticipated. In the B.S.M. years (Before Social Media, circa 1996-2007), word-of-mouth was certainly an important consideration. Yet companies never truly questioned who was “in control” over their messaging. Now, in the A.S.M. years (2008-present), WOM has supplanted basic control (what “you” say it is) as the gold standard for success in the global marketplace.
The “new” social proof is defined here as what real people actually think, feel and understand about products and services. More important, it’s what they collectively share online that then influences the opinions and behaviors of others.
Driven by ubiquitous websites and mobile applications, consumers can share, shoot, rate, rant, post, tweet, blog and vlog about their opinions and experiences instantly. Gone are the days when people have to wonder or wait on what others think, or know, about a considered purchase. Reputations are just a Google search, Facebook update or QR code scan away.
Marketers have many new challenges: one, to keep up with what is being said about them in real time; two, to react quickly and in a genuine (non-scripted) manner; and three, to go on the “offensive” (in their communications efforts) without offending while playing “defense” (putting out fires) judiciously, knowing when and when not to engage.
The result of this impending loss of control over the brand promise is a sort of brand compromise, where anything done for the “good” of the brand or company must simultaneously take into account the “good” of the crowd. It’s an interesting time, and one that will require digitally-savvy, empathic, non-egotistical professionals at the helm.
"[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Brandon Uttley, Lisa Frame, Marilyn Carpenter, Conor Sen, Focus Communications and others. Focus Communications said: Interesting concept! RT @brandonuttley: RT @wrayward The Death of Brand Promise and the Birth of Social Proof http://bit.ly/fp72Bb [...]"
January 26th, 2011 at 6:09 pm