The Social Media MBA Blog by Karl Long

Oct 8, 2003

eating the ad industry

Well I do love the title of this article; Branding: The Concept That Ate the Ad Industry.

But what this article is saying is that you cannot just build a brand through communication, it must have substance, and coherence across communication channels.

For positive branding to occur, a company must consider every way it touches prospective and current customersóincluding advertising, public relations, and customer service. All elements of a companyís marketing must mesh seamlessly for a new or reinvigorated brand to break through the clutter.

Advertising isn’t going to get eaten but whatever you promise through your advertising must be delivered on throughout the customer experience.

The advertising/communication heavy approach to branding is a hangover from the last 40 years of branding FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods). The goal was to differentiate products on shelves, soft drinks, cereals etc.

Very few companies are just differentiating products on shelves any more; the customer experience goes beyond popping the can. Now companies are providing a blend of products, services, and experiences across diverse communication channels.

This is kind of related to my previous post about brand behaviour.