Tag Archives: b2b
Step by step, consumers are taking over creative control. Some brands are willingly embracing this opportunity – crowd-sourcing their ad campaigns, giving out prizes for packaging, outsourcing their naming or voting over videos – but others are being forced to play the game more reluctantly. And the corporate logo appears to be the next target. The design story of 2010 was the consumer reaction to the new Gap logo and the back-peddling that followed as Gap succumbed to the pressure of consumer dislike (much like Tropicana did) and went back to the way things were. And now, the new Starbucks logo could be heading for the same fate. Consumers have a voice and when they don’t like something today they have many ways to express it. This year, we are going to see design become the next platform for creative expression – but when is the right time to listen?
Read MoreInternational brands are going to need each other more. Western brands going east; eastern brands going west. We are going to see more deals, more tie-ups and more relationships as brands look to become more relevant and more pervasive in expanding communities around the world. The truth is, brands don’t necessarily need to – or know how or to – do it on their own. International partnerships will give them inroads to new territories and new users where they can find success not just eventually in the long-term, but immediately in the short-term. A new era of global collaboration is underway.
Read MoreFinally brands are beginning to look at B2B customers as B2C consumers. For years, the word “Enterprise” implied a second rate user experience, sacrificed to the altars of productivity and profitability. But, no more. After a decade of living with iPhones and BlackBerry devices, 1-click buying and “LIKE” buttons, we’re seeing a new generation of users looking for that same easy experience in their spreadsheets and business applications, forms and reports. Why shouldn’t business processes be as engaging and efficient as iTunes, Flickr or Facebook? The user economy is demanding a better user experience and as brands apply the same elegant digital, social and mobile efficiencies that are driving modern consumer applications to B2B products, they’re creating deeper loyalty
Read MoreConsumers want engagement and this year they are going to get it – with or without your help. They don’t want to just participate in your brand’s conversation; they want to shape it, control it, sell it, evangelize it and even try to destroy it! Consumers are out there doing those things however they can, committing rampant acts of “brandalism” every day to get themselves heard—whether it’s creating video content to tell your brand’s story their own way, championing social causes or lampooning your company’s behavior. They want to get noticed, and they want your brand to react. Sure, big brands like Shell, McDonald’s and Coca-Cola have dealt with this for years, but now no brand – no matter how small – is immune to these spontaneous acts of brandalism. So be aware, and be prepared.
Read MoreLet’s face it, consumers are going to be confronted with more choices and more incentives this year than ever before. Brands will be throwing more freebies, competitions and videos at them; they will be drowning in social and overwhelmed by engagement. And pretty quickly they are going to ask the big question – why should I care? Do I really need another brand marketing to me? Do I really care about this product? Consumers are going to become more selective and if your brand is not clearly differentiated, you’re going to lose out very quickly. Get ready to stop thinking tactically and be prepared to answer the big question – why should they care?
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