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Branding and Engaging Consumers in a Noisy World

November 2022 -

How branding can engage consumers in a noisy world...


Our Account Director Jaspreet Japper, is the second to share in our Web Summit hot topics series, reflecting on the some of the most influential speakers globally on how you can cut through the noise.

Cue Jaspreet...

Attending the Web Summit in Lisbon was eye opening as it showcased the breadth and depth of the world we live in today. From talks about branding and leveraging technology in your marketing strategy, to tips on how to work in a hybrid world, it’s safe to say that this event put the whole world in perspective and it’s not slowing down any time soon.  

The tech world is becoming the everyday which can be overwhelming and complicated, particularly to those that only see a persistent ad following them around on the internet. On the flip side, advertisers and brands are sat on a pot of gold but can sometimes lose sight of what they originally set out to do for either their brand or marketing strategy. Branding and executing a marketing strategy in a noisy environment, where you are faced with a wealth of audiences and touch points across the web can be overwhelming. Many of the speakers at the Web Summit advocated simplicity to help cut through the noise.  

Let’s start with your brand. Mohammed Ballout (CEO, Kitpoi), Edith Harbaugh (Co Founder and CEO, Launch Darkly) and Annie Shea Weckesser (CMO, Uniphore) stressed that creating a brand that is simple in style and messaging is important. If you pick the most intricate font, you’re going to struggle develop a logo that’s legible. Sounding complicated meant you knew what you were talking about. Today, keep it simple so your audience can relate and most certainly don’t just do it for the ‘gram’ (we’ll come on to the authenticity part later). Your brand should not only reflect the product/service being offered but the inner workings of your business. Get everyone involved from marketing to HR to portray your inner ‘wow’.  

To add an air of relevancy to your brand, some might fall into the trap of attaching a purpose to their brand to appeal to a generation who are impacted by social and political issues without detailed thought on what they want this to be. You will have seen fast fashion brands coming out with their ‘sustainable’ line of clothes being coined as Greenwashing with other brands like Patagonia taking it a step further by donating their profits to climate change. Khanh Huynh-Kuerzinger (Head of Brand & Senior VP, Siemens) suggests that a brand’s purpose should underpin the business in every aspect and Joe Wade (Founding Partner, Don’t Panic) suggests that it’s not enough to only make profit in today’s world. They continue to discuss how brand, and social purpose can be interchangeable but not always. Cultivating this balance is key to remaining relevant in a noisy world. 

Naturally, with relevancy comes criticism about how authentic a brand is. As people are faced with many sources claiming to be true, users are becoming more in tune with what they are consuming and how trusted it is. Some advertisers will see an easy fix to this problem: the use of influencers to validate their ‘authenticity’. However, Becca Bahrke (CEO & Co Founder, Illuminate Social) and Madi B Webb (Creator, Madibwebb) argue that influencers should not be treated as media spend with instant gain but should aid the development of a meaningful connection with your audience over time. If a consumer sees an influencer that resonates, its likely they will trust your brand. 

To further your brand, you’ll need to turn your attention to your marketing strategy. In today’s world, this means one thing: data, data, data. This sounds scary but for advertisers this means knowing the most about your audience. You could have the most attention-grabbing brand but if you’re pitching to the wrong person or group, it’s likely you won’t gain the traction you hoped for. But you might say, with users searching and consuming content on various platforms, where do I begin?  

Capturing data and leveraging this in your marketing strategy doesn’t just mean waiting for users to accept cookies on every website or app and subsequently targeting them with Paid ads. The savvy part is how can you use that same data to drive meaningful business decisions. For example, Pierre Yves Calloc’h (Chief Digital Officer at Pernond Ricard) and Jessica Apotheker (CMO at Boston Consulting Group) used AI technology and marketing mix modelling for Jameson whiskey to estimate the impact of various marketing tactics on sales and then predict the probability of future impact of different sets of tactics. Starting with this allows you to decide where your focuses should be. Should it be on social channels, such as Instagram and Tik Tok, or Digital Out of Home – the list is ever changing. Using technology to drive these decisions will help future proof your marketing strategy, as the changing of the world will help guide your strategy and consistency across each consumer touch point.  

This is the tip of the iceberg when it comes to branding and marketing in a noisy world but the common theme here is keep it simple, meaningful, and relevant. Don’t be afraid to use the power of data to deepen your understanding of your consumers and help tailor your strategy to areas that will drive the most impact. Technology is not going anywhere so use it to your advantage.  

If you’d like to find out how we can support with your creative or digital performance strategies, then slide into our DM's.

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