Online, Offline Branding Techniques Key for Effective Marketing?

MJ Gonzales │ Executive Chronicles.com

To make a brand become iconic is such a long shot, but working on it is a sweet and rewarding goal. Branding nowadays has actually become easier with the help of technologies such as digital printing and at the same time, harder because of creative minds out there battling for supremacy. Apparently the solutions can be obtained by being updated and sending the correct messages to the markets.

Thanks to social media, mobile, and guerilla marketing the advertisers and marketers can send multiple campaigns to wider audience. It’s too far before where they’re confined to tri-media and traditional styles.  However, HP Productivity Services Manager APJ Graphic Solutions Services Wouter Sieben shared branding still follow the basic – it’s about story telling.

In Sieben’s talk in the Brand Summit 2015: Meeting of Minds facilitated by Norde International Distributors, held at NIC’s office in Kalayaan Ave., Quezon City, he explained that what really left in people minds through times are brands’  commercial stories and images.  He also added to be able to compete with the giants, companies should launch great marks. One of his suggestions is to have head-turning signs and displays to could tap the big chunk of market, the unplanned buyers.

According to the study of HP Development that he showed, today’s buying habits are composed generally planned, unplanned, specifically planned, and brand switch. Among these segments unplanned and brand switch gathered higher percentage with 76% and 55% percent.  With these figures, even new players can compete as long as they take efforts with their advertising campaigns.

Also in his report, the HP official cited various ways to capture attentions which also involve product placement, exhibitions, merchandising, events, packaging, outdoor, and direct marketing. Notice that despite of the advent of new techniques or marketing, displaying ads where people can see and touch are still in and effective.  Sieben also suggested that companies need to be resourceful and mind their displays.  In fact, he also reported that putting decorations is back and big companies are biting it like McDonald’s.

“If you have a restaurant that is appealing, contemporary, and relevant, the food tastes better,” a quote of McDonald’s President Thompson that Sieben shared.

Meantime, even if more and more are becoming active online these days, at the end of the day consumers prefer the experience of the brand. Media Magnet Creative Director Trisha Uy shared, via Brand Summit 2015 that social media can create stir and driving force so people to store. But it just directing people, marketers have to do offline works and that includes satisfying experience.   Uy cited Shopper Trends Nielsen’s survey in 2014 that revealed “93 % Filipinos prefer physical store and 8/10 like to go around when they shop or buying groceries.” Uy also recommended that to get the pulse of a company’s target clients by being ‘user-centric’ in servicing them online or offline.