S. Ramesh Kumar

Digital marketing aims to take your marketing mindset to the next level.

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When the Indian context is experiencing a metaverse wave with respect to brands, on the other hand, in an environment where brands are becoming increasingly digital, it is appropriate to emphasize the intent of digital marketers (digital marketing intent). On the other hand, centers with half-baked digital interfaces have resulted in negative consumer experiences (author’s experience with several well-known brands).

Digital marketing and consumer expectations

Brands include functional brands (those that offer tangible solutions that consumers use to gain benefits), iconic brands (the prestige, signal value, and emotional benefits that create brand equity). ), and experiential brands (which focus on experiential multisensory consumption). Technology allows all these types of brands to take them to the next level by meeting the expectations that lead to sustainable digital brands.

Also note that the classification of brands offered is a rough indicator, but there may be overlap between them. For example, the iPhone has several characteristics in each category: functional utility, status attractiveness, visual and user experience. Expectations and experiences build positive attitudes that are the anchor and back office of your branding. Attitudes have three components, one related to rational thinking, one related to emotions (as opposed to thoughts), and a third related to intention/actionable aspects of consumer thinking. doing.

Various points that connect to the three dimensions of attitude form the touchpoints of the brand. This means that expectations and experiences influence consumer attitudes towards brands every time they interact with them. Therefore, the brand experience begins and sustains with attitude. How can digital marketing improve the brand experience through technology?

Digital brand basics

Article published in Harvard Business Review (2020) delves into the fundamentals of a digital brand: mastery, accessibility, cadence, and engagement. and digital marketing. Categories/brands/markets/consumer segments may differ in these fundamentals, but they provide exciting challenges for digital marketing in India in terms of improving consumer experience.

In addition, technology enables brand-appropriate services (even in the form of customized content for consumers). Proficiency is associated with brand-specific rewards (which, in the authors’ interpretation, can be experiential in terms of functional and psychological aspects). Accessibility is associated with access to services associated with a brand and can include several needs related to consumer cadence. is associated with creating content and news about brands, and the trap is to account for network effects, making switching costs high (including psychological costs).

Take your digital brand to the next level

For example, consider the real estate sector in India. There are some well-known brands that charge a premium. Why should a consumer buy a home from these brands? Risk mitigation, durability regarding some aspects of the building. This probably demonstrates the value and expectation of good pre- and post-sales service. A good number of these websites ask consumers to share their mobile phone number if they want to learn more about the brand. Perhaps the idea is to follow up on leads and apply sales techniques to convert them. the provision of personal information by consumers; This is sales oriented.

There may be other aggregator platforms where these brands provide web links for the purpose of “pushing” their offerings, generally leading to “aggressive sales”. There may be some brands in other categories that are not taking full advantage of digital technology. There is nothing wrong with using technology for execution or operational purposes, but the purpose of digital marketing is to ensure a win-win for both brands and consumers.

The brand flagship platform concept can make a sustainable difference for brands in the real estate sector. This category is used for illustrative purposes only.

“Away from Amazon?”

The latest issue of Harvard Business Review (September-October 2022) features an article on the brand’s flagship platform. For example, Nike Run Club doesn’t just offer products, it offers social events, fitness challenges, community interactions, expert personal training, music playlists, and more. This brand has partnered with Headspace for Meditation (Mental Health). In the real estate example above, a brand could: Digital co-selection Several third party brands with relevant needs/services of potential buyers of flats.

This creates engagement with the product rather than simply trying to sell it. The idea is to mix and match product/service offerings where consumers feel comfortable under the builder’s brand umbrella (or create strong positioning if the brand is new). The concept of holistic marketing also fits well on such digital platforms. This is because organizations restructure their internal marketing initiatives over time and digital marketing is not done in a compartmentalized way.

Online retail aggregators (such as Amazon) support brands in reaching a large consumer base, but also offer sustainable opportunities such as adopting customer-centric digital initiatives to better profit. may not provide individual brands with

Behavioral aspects of digital marketing related to consumer mindsets have the potential to make brands sustainable in the digital age.

(The author was a professor of marketing at IIM Bangalore. Views expressed are personal.)

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