Online brand building may be easier in 2004
Building online brands may become much easier in 2004, according to predictions from online marketing consultant, Drew Neisser, of Renegade Marketing.
According to Neisser, online marketers are becoming increasingly aware of business opportunities and prospects, and are craving innovative and efficient ways to build their brands. With many marketers turning their budgets away from traditional advertising and communication media (such as television, radio, newspapers, direct mail, and billboard advertising), the online world has taken centre stage to some degree.
Demographically, too, Neisser considers the seemingly sudden disappearance of the 'young male couch potato' as a good sign for those marketing guerrillas who consider network television to be a less efficient approach.
Good news He predicts that the marketing stage in 2004 will belong to 'connectors' - those marketers who use TWB (time with brand) as their real measure of success. Rich brand experiences, whether online or offline, are likely to reward marketers and consumers alike, providing a more fair exchange of value. These experiences will be multi-tiered, starting offline and extending online for a long-term dialogue.
Bad news Neisser also sees the world of online guerrilla marketing as 'exploding' in 2004 but also predicts that it will just as quickly implode as marketers over-exploit 'blogs' (a form of highly opinionated web-based link farm), instant messaging, games, and viral movies. A proliferation of blogs will create a density of what Neisser describes as "blabber which will collapse under the weight of its uselessness".
Instant messaging environments, which were a fresh tool for 2003, are also likely to lose their appeal as marketers forget to add the 'fun factor' in favour of the hard sell.
The offline guerrilla marketers are expected explore new territory, too, particularly focussing on WiFi (wireless networking) and cellular technologies, hoping to persuade consumers before they annoy them excessively - a prospect which seems unlikely at the best of times.
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