The On‐demand Brand: 10 Rules for Digital Marketing Success in an Anytime, Everywhere World

Citation

Parsons, A.L. (2011), "The On‐demand Brand: 10 Rules for Digital Marketing Success in an Anytime, Everywhere World", Journal of Product & Brand Management, Vol. 20 No. 5, pp. 429-429. https://doi.org/10.1108/10610421111157955

As we all know, the marketing and advertising landscape has changed in recent years. The scope and quantity of media options available to marketers and advertisers is constantly expanding. How consumers interact with brands has also changed. They can develop relationships with brands through web sites, blogs, cell phones, virtual worlds, and social networking sites, to name a few. The key to building brand loyalty is now about offering consumers an experience. Consumers can respond instantly to brand messages and experiences, and results can be measured, often simultaneously with the delivery of the message or experience. Traditional media options are still popular choices, but successful marketers need to learn how to combine them with all of the other emerging media choices. According to the author, all this new media is really the “now” media, and marketers need to understand that distinction. The On‐demand Brand provides advice and plenty of examples for anyone who wants to learn how to navigate through today's changing media landscape to build a successful brand.

Following a brief introduction, this book is set up in ten chapters. At the end of the introduction there is a glossary of terms related to digital media, which will be helpful for those who are new to the digital marketing world. Each chapter prescribes a rule to follow to help build an “on‐demand” brand. Within the discussion of each general rule, several smaller components are also presented and supported by examples. At the end of each chapter there is an interview with an advertising or marketing executive familiar with the material covered in the chapter.

The ten rules presented in this book are supported by a wide spectrum of examples that address the challenges associated with using new media. In each chapter there are suggestions on how to navigate through an extensive list of digital media which includes social networking, viral video, mobile marketing, advergames, social retailing, smart advertising, virtual worlds, customized outdoor ads, user‐generated content, and in‐game advertising. Some of the rules apply to building all types of digital media strategies and provide examples from the entire digital media realm. Some key issues addressed in the context of these rules include using consumers to be innovative, creating ways to engage your customers and to get them to interact with your brand, establishing a meaningful digital presence, creating entertainment related to the brand, relinquishing control to the consumer, and the transformation of products to products that also provide services. Other rules focus on a particular type of digital medium, such as advergames, mobile marketing, social retailing, and smart ads.

Throughout the book a prevailing message seems to be that just having a presence in digital media is not enough. As in the early days of the internet, just having a website is not enough. In order to be successful with digital media you have to create material that is meaningful to your target audience. Getting into social media or mobile marketing just because everyone else is doing so is no guarantee of success. You need to understand both the consumer and the nature of the media to effectively build your brand in today's digital marketplace.

Another common theme is the need to imagine how the consumer will interact with your brand. You need to figure out if the media is right for your brand and determine what you want the application to do for your brand. You also must not be afraid to take risks as not all attempts at digital media succeed. Marketers must also be willing to give up control and understand the power of the new media and the voice of the consumer.

This book is easy to read and packed with examples of a wide variety of companies and agencies that have both succeeded and failed using digital media. In each chapter there is a good balance of successes and failures provided. The interviews with advertising and marketing executives provide interesting insights that enhance the message the book is trying to deliver.

This book would be helpful for marketing or advertising managers and practitioners who want to understand how digital media work. It would also be useful for those who want to learn about what is possible with digital media and those who want to learn about some of the pitfalls associated with digital media. A reader who wants to learn how to use digital media effectively by reading this book and how to avoid costly mistakes would also find this book useful. Advertising, marketing and communications professors who want to educate themselves about the emerging world of digital marketing and who are looking for examples to share with their students would also enjoy this book.

The only thing missing from The On‐demand Brand is a conclusion at the end that summarizes the challenges associated with implementing all ten rules and brings everything together. A conclusion would have increased the power of this book to really bring home the important messages presented throughout it. Instead the book just ends with rule no. 10 and the related interview, leaving the reader feeling like something is missing.