The twin challenges marketers face today – intense competition and a
volatile market – often leads them to deploy ineffective marketing
strategies. And, with the ubiquitous social networks forcing companies
to ensure transparency in all transactions, marketers have to re-think
their capabilities. Traditional marketing vehicles that bragged about
the company, ‘who we are, and what we do,’ are faced with the question
– ‘so what is in for us’ by customers. Of course, progressive
marketers have resorted to interactive and engaging tools. However,
most of such engagements were bereft of an overarching theme that
allowed sustainability. The engagement appeared to be a band-aid in
the wake of increasing discontentment or sudden spike in interest in a
particular brand.
Breaking away from this tradition was the ‘smarter planet’ campaign
from IBM. Unlike the rest who tried creating or raising awareness,
IBM’s campaign was built on the basis of a fundamental question, "If
IBM went away tomorrow, what would be the impact?" It wasn't simply
designed as a brand campaign for lead generation or thought
leadership. The smarter planet platform embodies the mission of IBM's
employees and articulates the company's mission and vision in a way
that resonates with and inspires its employees and customers. No
wonder experts say that the campaign is ‘belief-building’ for the
company. How many companies can we recall that actually stand for a
cause?
A quick look at the landscape in India will reveal that most companies
are innovative, work on cutting-edge technologies, or are best places
to work. With rampant attrition and free movement of talent across
companies and industries, the reality and perception dissonance
becomes very apparent. There is no distinction between large companies
and small ones – the nature of work and culture is more or less the
same. No wonder there are very few prominent Indian brands in the
global landscape. As they say, marketing should begin within the
company. If the thousands of employees don’t resonate what the company
stand for, can the others be convinced?
--
volatile market – often leads them to deploy ineffective marketing
strategies. And, with the ubiquitous social networks forcing companies
to ensure transparency in all transactions, marketers have to re-think
their capabilities. Traditional marketing vehicles that bragged about
the company, ‘who we are, and what we do,’ are faced with the question
– ‘so what is in for us’ by customers. Of course, progressive
marketers have resorted to interactive and engaging tools. However,
most of such engagements were bereft of an overarching theme that
allowed sustainability. The engagement appeared to be a band-aid in
the wake of increasing discontentment or sudden spike in interest in a
particular brand.
Breaking away from this tradition was the ‘smarter planet’ campaign
from IBM. Unlike the rest who tried creating or raising awareness,
IBM’s campaign was built on the basis of a fundamental question, "If
IBM went away tomorrow, what would be the impact?" It wasn't simply
designed as a brand campaign for lead generation or thought
leadership. The smarter planet platform embodies the mission of IBM's
employees and articulates the company's mission and vision in a way
that resonates with and inspires its employees and customers. No
wonder experts say that the campaign is ‘belief-building’ for the
company. How many companies can we recall that actually stand for a
cause?
A quick look at the landscape in India will reveal that most companies
are innovative, work on cutting-edge technologies, or are best places
to work. With rampant attrition and free movement of talent across
companies and industries, the reality and perception dissonance
becomes very apparent. There is no distinction between large companies
and small ones – the nature of work and culture is more or less the
same. No wonder there are very few prominent Indian brands in the
global landscape. As they say, marketing should begin within the
company. If the thousands of employees don’t resonate what the company
stand for, can the others be convinced?
--
