Has the power of TV eroded?

This engaging film has been created by ThinkBox to promote the power of TV.

It cleverly highlights some of the famous TV tag-lines from the UK in the 80s and 90s. It ends with the line: ‘Funny how thirty seconds can last a lifetime.’

It works for me because I can very easily conjure-up all these old ads in my mind when I hear their tag-lines.

However, the world has changed so much and how people, particularly the young, consume media has changed dramatically. I therefore wonder whether my kids will remember any of the campaigns they are currently exposed to when they have grown-up. I doubt it.

When I first started in the media and communications business at Saatchi & Saatchi, the model was simple. A brand built sales by delivering sufficient levels of consumer awareness. In those days TV was king.

These days it is a lot more complicated. To compete brands have to deliver relevant and engaging consumer brand experiences across an array of touchpoints. Digital (in its broadest sense) is now king.

My advice to brand organisations is to look at their consumers’ journey [maybe using the PDD and Path to Advocacy frameworks] and identify the types of brand experiences that need to be delivered to delight consumers.

It is worth the investment in time and resource because getting it right will drive loyalty and maybe even get your brand talked about.

So, back to the original question: “has the power of TV eroded?”

Yes and no.

No.... TV ads viewed in the traditional way is not as effective as it used to be [see research by Forrester for the Association of National Advertisers].

Yes....TV films consumed via screens (TV, computer, mobile, etc) can be extremely effective when part of an integrated brand experience strategy.

While I’m on the subject of old TV ads, here are some of my favourites: British Airways 'Global'; BASF 'Dear John'; Heineken ‘Majorca’ :

Best Buy & Wells Fargo use digital to help deliver winning brand experiences

To win brand organisations have to deliver the brand experience promised (usually via advertising).

Moreover, the brand experience has to be aligned with the expectation, every time the consumer touches the brand.

Smart organisation work with employees using the type of approaches made possible by digital technology (social networking, tweeting, texting, etc), to design guidelines that ensure delivery to the consumer is consistent at every level of an organisation.

Forbes.com had a useful post about two brand organisations that do this well.

The first is Best Buy, where Michele Azar say:

"The Web is a platform for customer delight. Tapping into this delight requires leaders to be open to new ways of listening and learning through social technology and open approaches....”

Another company is Wells Fargo. In a speech at a recent Association of National Advertisers conference, Kate Frohling told participants:

 "We all know that customers can form their impressions of a company from a phone call, a web site, a retail counter, a reservation agent, or any number of other encounters. To make employees not just advocates for their corporate culture, but allow them to operate with the same voice, 'our voice,' it's essential to make customer conversations part of our training. The customer's experience is our No. 1 priority. We give our employees the digital tools they need to ensure the customer's experience is consistent wherever they touch the Wells Fargo brand."

These brands get it.

Any brand organisation that truly aspires to deliver and consumers should work-out how to use digital approaches that enables them to listen to consumers, and develop guidelines that will ensure they exceed consumer expectations at every touchpoint.

That’s how you can build loyalty and advocacy.

These are two consumer actions that will ‘turbo-charge’ brand success in today’s inter-connected world.

Collaboration is key to building a successful brand

All too often brand organisations operate in departmental silos.

Marketing departments rarely talk to sales and no one talks to the customer service department. Digital are the new kids on the block and no one knows how to talk to them.

Then there are the agency partners. Clients ask their agencies to work together but they usually because they don’t know how to, and/or too insecure; and/or not rewarded, and/or are desperate to protect their miniscule margins, etc.

The recession will change everything.

I hope one good outcome will be that brand organisations and agencies will learn how to collaborate.

If they do it should result in improved brand experience being delivered to the consumer.

This is a vital step to move the consumer along the path to advocacy.