Re: Branding, etc

From: Tim Lee <TLee_at_webcmo.com>
Date: Thu, 4 Mar 1999 10:47:33 -0600 (CST)

I want to discuss a couple of issues about online branding.

1. Awareness is not branding

Although Rob Frankel and I have disagreement on many online
branding issues in the past, we have at least one opinio in
common. That is: awareness is not branding. Except in Rob's
post, the concept of branding in others' posts from this
thread (including original article at Searchz.com) is in
fact awareness instead of branding.

The confusion of these two concepts is from the fact that
branding needs awareness. However, branding is about to
understand your customers' needs, segment the market based
on these needs, create the correct image to distinguish your
brand name from your competitors' and deliver such image to
the right audience. Awareness only plays its role in the
last stage.

2. Does a small business need branding?

One opinion is that branding (to increase brand awareness)
is too costly for a small business. Therefore, a quick sale
banner campaign is more suitable to a small business.
Branding is something a business should consider when it
grows.

The fact is: every business has a choice: to brand to grow
or to grow first and to brand later? The chance is: if you
don't brand, you are less likely to grow. Therefore, you
never need to brand. That is what we see in the real world.

3. How to measure branding effects?

The real branding effect (not awareness) should be measured
under a competitive environment. CTR and conversion rate
don't measure any branding effect. They only measure the
advertising effect. I could not find any sound solution of
measuring branding effect (or more precisely awareness) from
Jay Schwedelson's article.

4. Lag effect of banner advertising?

Leo Sheiner provided an interesting example about the
possible lag effect of advertising. I am wondering whether
it is a common phenomenon. Can anyone on this great list
provide more cases of this lag effect? Why it happens? How
it happens? What does it mean to advertisers and publishers
respectively?

Regards,

Tim Lee
Editor -- Journal of Web Marketing Research
http://www.WebCMO.com
A site dedicated to web marketing research
Participate in our "Online Targeting Study" survey to receive free reports
http://www.webcmo.com/mis/survey.htm


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Received on Thu Mar 04 1999 - 11:31:30 CST