2011: As brand communications converge digital sings its tune…

January 11, 2011

I’ll avoid the temptation to add my own take on New Year predictions for 2011 and focus on the one aspect of company communications that I’d like to see more of this year…

As organisations are now more versed in digital communications the challenge now will be to better integrate it with the core communications objectives and focus more on message and content rather than the medium. Campaigns should be centred around one focused, big idea for the brand.

Think of integration as a symphony or orchestra: better orchestration of the message where each channel (instrument) has its own unique tune (segment) collectively contributing to the overall sound (brand message).

In the age of the splinternet organisations need to seek to not only use multiple media to tell a brand story, but also that each media channel communicates a unique, complementary piece of that story. This unfolds across multiple media platforms, with each new media channel making a distinctive and valuable contribution to the whole. Think of Comparethemarket’s Meerkat campaign and how each channel (both on and off line) contribute to the story of Aleksandr.

Whilst traditional (offline) communications provides breadth of coverage (awareness), digital (online) provides the depth to deepen the understanding and level of engagement. Integration lies in the measure that the two operate in harmony with each other to generate and build relationships that result in tangible outcomes.

So, the three things you should think about when considering integration are:

1/ Consider one big idea for the brand that can be adapted to any offline/online medium without significant changes and without losing its effectiveness

2/ Map the target customer’s journey and leverage the particular strength of that medium to communicate a unique, distinct message that forms part of the brand story

3/ Focus more on the relationships (message and content), not the technology (medium)

Happy New Year.

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