Branding in the Digital Age: You're Spending Your Money in All the Wrong Places

Consumers today connect with brands in fundamentally new ways, often through media channels that are beyond manufacturers' and retailers' control. That means traditional marketing strategies must be redesigned to accord with how brand relationships have changed. In the famous funnel metaphor, a shopper would start with a number of brands in mind and then systematically narrow them down to a final choice. His relationship with both the manufacturer and the retailer ended there. But now, relying heavily on digital interactions, he evaluates a shifting array of options and often engages with the brand through social media after a purchase. Though marketing strategies that focused on building brand awareness and the point of purchase worked pretty well in the past, consumer touch points have changed in nature. For example, in many categories today the single most powerful influence to buy is someone else's advocacy. The author describes a "consumer decision journey" of four stages: consider a selection of brands; evaluate by seeking input from peers, reviewers, and others; buy; and enjoy, advocate bond. If the consumer's bond with the brand becomes strong enough, she'll enter a buy-enjoy-advocate-buy loop that skips the consider and evaluate stages entirely. Smart marketers will study the decision journey for their products and use the insights they gain to revise strategy, media spend, and organizational roles.

• Consumer behavior
• Social media
• Customer experience
• Marketing strategy