Sunday, July 27, 2008
Brand As Facilitator
by
David Armano had an interesting post yesterday about the difference between brands acting as broadcasters vs. facilitators. The point he makes – and it’s a relevant one – is while the most effective model for the future might be brand as facilitator, the preponderance of marketing today is still using the brand-as-broadcaster model.
In fact, most of the present marketing world is still locked into the brand-as-broadcaster framework, and that is why change to brand as facilitator will be slow and difficult for many companies, and for many of the marketing partners they utilize. Changing to the brand-as-facilitator framework is not as easy as adding a few younger social networking aficionados to the ranks. Until organizational leaders embrace and are participants in the brand facilitator model, it will be difficult to inculcate the mindset shift that is necessary for companies to change to this new branding paradigm.
Also, money talks. The present-day marketing world is still powered by enormous investments into the brand-as-broadcaster model. Those whose fortunes were fed by the broadcast world of marketing still have substantial communication clout. They will not go quietly into the night.
No doubt the broadcaster and facilitator models will exist side by side for years to come as Armano points out, but anybody who is still of the notion that the broadcasting-your-brand model is the de facto way to the most return on brand investment, will be severely tested in today’s challenging economic environment.
