Talking about the change in marketing since the 1960s, John Scully, the former Apple CEO, said,

“We’ve moved from the advertiser being in control to the community of potential buyers being in control. They are able to be motivated virally by their friends to, ‘Hey, take a look at this’. The power has shifted from the manufacturer advertiser to the consumer online, with many, many choices of media”

The internet and its proliferation among the masses has changed the face of marketing as we once knew it. Before, marketers created brand awareness through what we now call offline channels. They spent huge amounts of money on paid media to advertise their brand and generate sales.

Consumers Engagement With Brands Has Fundamentally Changed

The internet has given visibility to brands, which before may never have had the marketing budget to compete with the brands that were dominating the advertising landscape. Consumers now are exposed to numerous brands not just in the offline world but online also. Consumers have become promiscuous in their brand relationships. They use a number of channels to gather information on brands and evaluate them. Brands will be dropped and picked back up again until a purchase is made. One of the most powerful factors to affect a consumer’s decision is if it comes recommended by a friend. And it is this brand advocacy that marketers need to achieve.

Networks

Think about the ways in which we now interact online: email, social media, e-commerce, online review sites, blogs, mobile, video, news. The list goes on and on. We participate in an ever growing number of networks. It is in a brand’s interest to have a presence within each of these networks, to use them to communicate their values. Brands must develop content for the media they own (like their website or blog) and the media they earn within communities (think advocacy) continuously with the aim to engage users and convert them into consumers.

The Challenges of Multi-Channel Brand Journalism

There is a growing need for content, but not just any old content. To reap the rewards, brands must be publishing amazing content, content that is compelling, unique and captivating. It has to be editorial standard and it has to be available in different mediums. It is important that these channels are co-ordinated so that the consumer’s experience is lucid and they leave with a clear view of the brand

The Future For Brands As Publishers

Brands will recognise the need for a streamlined approach across their marketing activities. This will give rise to the appointment of one person who will take the role of chief content publisher. That person will be in charge of ensuring that the brand has a unified approach and that the brand participates and monitors the communities that they have invested in building.
Gillian Cook works as a Search Executive at SEOptimise, a search agency in London. Find her on Twitter @GillySchnilly