How's Your Brand? Interactive Marketing Trends for 2008

When I helped set up Caldwell VanRiper's (once the fifth oldest ad agency in America, now part of the $400 million MARC USA) interactive division in the mid-1990s, we used to wonder how a Web site would ultimately impact corporate brand. After all, back then there were NO search engines, and local bookstores sold tomes that listed "hot" URLs that one had to manually and laboriously type in.

Today there's no question that a company's interactive presence is a main (if not THE main) driver of the elusive corporate brand. As chiefmarketer.com says: "Your Website is the central expression of your company's brand."

Of course, a brand is not a single thing. It's not a logo, but a logo is part of a company's brand. Brand equity and value can best be defined as the total consumter/stakeholder experience heavily salted by perception. Your company has a brand whether you want one or not.

With regard to online marketing and how it impacts your company's total brand, the Web is a scary bit. Why? Back to chiefmarketer.com: "The Web is in its 'Uncle Miltie" stage. More than 50 years ago, Milton Berle's television programs capitvated the country. While incredibly popular and important in TV history, the experience of a grainy black and white program pales in comparison with the Tivo-driven high-definition world that we can experience today."

The upshot? "We're about to see the same type of change online."

Look for more in upcoming blogs about major changes coming online. Now, if I can only get The MEK Group's Web presence fixed where I want...