Clarification in ClickZ's What's the Buzz?

From: Tim Lee <TLee_at_webcmo.com>
Date: Thu, 22 Apr 1999 14:13:01 -0500 (CDT)

JOHN DAY WROTE IN CLICKZ'S WHAT'S THE BUZZ? COLUMN:
>Is the Net is.. or is it ain't a branding vehicle wondered a
>few Online-Ads participants. The takeoff point was Michael
>Fischler's contention that branding was essential for web
>business success, but the web isn't the place to do it.
>
>Tim Lee insisted on separating product branding from online
>business branding, then took the discussion to a higher
>plane, contending that the Internet was neither for branding
>nor for direct marketing, but is "the place we are
>surviving... the place we brand for" and the "whole lives"
>of the likes of Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com.
>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

John, just a couple of explanations about your summary:

Michael Fischler's conclusion is: branding is essential for
web business success, but the web isn't the place to do it.
To support this argument, we need to use a web business
(instead of P$G) as a good example. We need to use a web
business brand (instead of a product brand) to illustrate
why branding is important and why the Internet is not the
right place for branding (of a web business). That's why I "
insisted on separating product branding from online business
branding". We cannot use an apple as an example but then
make a conclusion about an orange.

As to the argument about whether we shall treat the Internet
as "a media for direct marketing and branding", if we accept
such opinion, we simply restrict ourselves to very limited
functions of the Internet. For example, Amazon.com shall not
treat the Internet as a direct marketing media. Internet
marketing is not direct marketing although direct marketing
is the closest concept in the traditional world. It is much
more than direct marketing. As well, Amazon shall not treat
the Internet as a media for branding. Branding is only a
tool instead of the goal.

Maybe P&G can treat the Internet as a branding and direct
marketing media currently. But we certainly shall not treat
the Internet as a branding or direct marketing media.

Regards,

Tim Lee
Editor -- Journal of Web marketing Research
http://www.WebCMO.com
Innovations in web marketing research & strategies


========================================================================
------------------------------------------------------------------------
       This week's Online Advertising Discussion List sponsors:
                  Iconocast's Web Attack and FlyCast

                  JUST SAY NO TO BORING CONFERENCES!
  Register today for Web Attack!-The Ultimate Internet Marketing Event
  June 17-18, San Francisco http://www.iconocast.com/webattack/tenagra

                                ---

WEB ADVERTISING THAT MAKES YOU A HERO. Our Web experts optimize your
buy across 780 sites. All for what you'd normally pay for placement on
one. Call it superhuman. http://WWW.FLYCAST.COM/OA

------------------------------------------------------------------------
========================================================================
Online Advertising Discussion List To Unsubscribe send UNSUBSCRIBE
http://www.o-a.com/ to online-ads-request@o-a.com



Received on Thu Apr 22 1999 - 14:57:02 CDT