Renny Gleeson, Wieden + Kennedy’s global director of interactive strategies, on Branding
There are some intersting things in this interview of Renny Gleeson, Wieden + Kennedy’s global director of interactive strategies:
“One of the interesting things to think about with brands in interactive media is not just how you use these media to express your brand or to talk about your brand, but to redefine what it is, and I think that’s an important distinction,” Gleeson said at the iMedia Brand Summit in Coconut Point, Fla. “Social media projects who we are, but to a lot of the folks we’re trying to market to, they look at social media as a way to create who they are.”
“When you get people holding a device up, they don’t see themselves as not participating, they see themselves as sharing. They’re creating their identity”
“Reality has become less appealing than the stories consumers can tell via social media, and the medium has greatly increased that storytelling ability and the volume of consumer opinion — taking control of the conversation out of the brand’s hands. But while brands can no longer control the conversation, they still have the ability to choose who they want to focus their efforts on, which is how brands can become part of the story being told”.
Yeah, that’s pretty cool.
But what’s bred in the bone….
“According to Gleeson, centering an online campaign on an existing demographic or built-in fan base is hardly anything new, but what brands need to do is grow the campaign out of an existing community, rather than simply drop it on top of a community. This keeps the conversation going, even after the campaign is over. That way, the brand continues to earn media share even after the portion they’ve paid for is gone.
“You build and launch a campaign, but then the conversation doesn’t stop,” Gleeson said. “The next time you’re seeding a campaign, you’re doing it with folks you already know, and you might be able to do it directly. Now you can maintain the conversation.”
The way brands can move beyond this is by focusing on critical skill sets: Your staff should understand community management, be fluent in social media, and grasp the importance of making it easy to find a campaign”
I’m sure that Renny Glesson is a very smart guy.
But i’m not sure this is the best way to redefine what is a brand..
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