ad:tech brain » Brand

Reputation Management In The Digital Space: Challenges & Opportunities

Jenny Williams (Ideagarden) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 03:56:41 +0000

Reputation management is a critical issue in the digital space. With the advent of social media and the growth in user generated content, anyone can say anything they want about a brand and there is very little that the brand can do to control this.

Many companies shy away from any form of social media because they fear they will be opening the floodgates of consumer complaint however this isn’t really the solution. Consumers will talk anyway and it is invariably better to be part of the conversation than a helpless observer. At least if you are part of the conversation and you create the spaces in which the consumers can talk to you openly, the chances that you will be able to maintain some control is much higher.

It is true though that people with an axe to grind are often more vocal than the happy campers. Search remains one of the most important ways that consumers find information. If a brand is to retain any control and deliver relevance in an environment where they are competing against consumer comments, they must tackle any issues that they face or brand misrepresentation head on. Negative search results should not be ignored. They should be dealt with in the environment where they exist.

Proactive reputation management involves first listening to consumers, observing the issues, responding, often to the very individual who is complaining and having the ability to admit mistakes and correct them if that is necessary.

Additionally, proactively stimulating positive comments from multiple different environments is crucial to dominating SERP and, if possible, pushing negative results down the page. To do this, it is important to gain a real understanding of who ranks well. What influence do they have and how to engage them.

In this session, we will hear a couple of case studies from Canon and Cadbury to learn a little about how they have managed some of the challenges that reputation management involves. The panellists are:
Brett Wiskar, Director, Speedwell eBusiness Solutions
Myrna Van Pelt, Director, Technology, Hill & Knowlton Australia
Jeff Richardson, CEO, The Online Circle
Roger Sharp, Director of Corporate Affairs – Pacific, Cadbury

launch of breakfast briefing series

Lucy James (ad:tech) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 02:57:10 +0000

ad:tech is launching a new series of breakfast briefings giving you more chances throughout the year to benefit from relevant, interesting content and to engage with other like-minded professionals in digital marketing.

These relaxed, small scale events will allow you to gain quality education and extend your industry network, all before you get to the office. The first breakfast briefing is taking place in July and we hope you’ll be able to join us for an inspiring and through provoking session.

Google and Millward Brown

Analysis, Achievements & Anecdotes From The #1 Valued Brand In The World

24 July 2009

Hilton Sydney

8-9am

Free of charge **Blue note charity donation on the door

The breakfast briefings are free to attend but only available for club ad:tech members. Click here for further details.

new club ad:tech members’ only area

Lucy James (ad:tech) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 02:52:58 +0000

New on the ad-tech Brain, we have introduced the club ad:tech members’ only area. If you’ve already registered as a club ad:tech member you can enter the area using the password that was emailed to you. If you want to join club ad:tech you can register for free.

The members’ only area will feature exclusive content from global ad:tech and iMedia events. There will also be advance notices of new events and members’ only discounts for the events you love attending.

You can go to the members’ only area here.

Are brands able to let go?

Jenny Williams (Ideagarden) — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 05:17:52 +0000

We have heard much discussion in recent times about the need for brands to increase engagement and two way communications with their audience. The rise in usage of social media means that like it or not, brands are being discussed however there is still a lot of resistance from advertisers to actively hand their brand over to consumers.

I met with Kate Carruthers last week who is chairing the panel on “handing your brand over to the consumer – are you ready to let go”, to get her perspective:

Kate

Kate makes some interesting points about the fact that you can’t really control what people will say, but it is better to be part of the conversation. Some marketers think this is a somewhat uncontrollable thing however it does have some manageable components.

Most brands have at least some advocates as well as some active and vocal detractors. Smart brands already know who these people are and proactively engage in dialogue with them to either inspire on brand content creation or to actively listen to and address issues.

Even the worst situation such as the Dell hell story there can be a happy ending if brands can actively listen.

I am interested in your thoughts on the areas that we should explore in this discussion.

See more about Kate’s session and book your place at ad:tech.

The Accidental Brand

Justin Barrie (Perkler) — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 11:10:29 +0000

A couple of years ago I wrote a short piece based on my experience undertaking brand consultancies with some of Australia’s largest (mainly public) organisations. My obsession was, and is, as a user or consumer focused marketer.

In my mind this involved transforming the organisation rather than merely positioning or packaging the brand, as so often happens.

Though the points I made are by no means unique or highly detailed, I think they stack up pretty well a couple of years on.

Now I’m in a web start-up, perkler.com, that will fundamentally transform the loyalty and rewards market by making it consumer driven. Brands will interact with consumers as one of their complete loyalty portfolio. In our minds this is a true reflection of the consumer reality, rather than the direct, singular, transactional relationship most brands crave and convince themselves exists.

The bonus is by engaging with consumers in this way brands have a much greater chance of creating meaningful relationships with consumers – creating advocates rather than targets.

So, the following are my thoughts from 2004

By getting ‘Inside the Square’ first, you can save in the end.

A common mistake made by companies undergoing change is to make cosmetic changes first.

In most cases the results are obvious. Internal change that is largely cosmetic can quickly be identified by monitoring staff feedback or uptake. The success of cosmetic changes to product offerings can be measured by sales and support targets.

But when it comes to your BRAND in the market place, cosmetic change can result in negative impacts to your reputation, market position and long term viability that can be hard to pick up until it may be too late.

In simple terms, if your capabilities don’t match the slick look and feel delivered by the creative agency then your clients, customers, staff and shareholders won’t be fooled.

Cosmetic changes alone often reflect a DESIRED BRAND. But the real brand of a company isn’t chosen by Executives in Boardrooms. It is set by the interactions and experiences your customers have with you on a daily basis. If there is a difference between your promise and the experience of your customers then you are actually building an ACCIDENTAL BRAND without even knowing it.

Being able to define BRAND can help you manage it – I see the core elements of BRAND as a combination of:

1. the strength of your explicit goals and vision
the company’s intent

2. the behaviours of your people and performance of your systems
the company’s internal capabilities

3. the range, quality and performance of your products and services in the market
the company’s public commitment

4. your connection and relationship with your clients or customers

the market’s response to your public commitment

You are simply not in control of your own brand if you don’t work hard to maximise your
company’s potential in ALL of these areas.