Sunday, November 18, 2012

Corporate Branding Trends


From time to time it is useful for companies to review some of the latest trends in corporate branding. Online marketing and advertising have come to the forefront as social media experts find new ways to establish and shape how the public and prospective customers relate to products and services. Below are some of the key branding trends to consider.

1. Blogs. It has definitively been the year of the blog for many businesses of all types. Web content has been declared the king of all online media which makes it a more than viable commodity. As the economy struggles to move forward people are more interested in value for their money than anything else. This is why providing useful information is what attracts more prospects to websites. As such it is expected that the trajectory will only continue as well-established media plans continue to invest in blog creation and maintenance.

2. Social Media. Interactivity is the name of the game in the new digital marketing landscape. As a result web development has focused on a number of new ways to make screens of all sizes more intuitive and responsive to customer needs. Mobile interaction continues as the biggest new social media venue. Therefore, corporate branding will also need to focus upon engaging more consumers through their touch screen experiences.

3. Value Add-ons. As content, products and services become more digital, brands will search for more ways to add tactile, tangible experiences to use those digital offerings. While these trends are certainly not innovative companies will need to keep pace with customer and societal reactions in order to stay competitive. The new trends are geared toward providing strategic opportunities for companies to leverage the changing consumer audience.

4. Cost Strategies. The economy has changed the face of how companies do business. As such it is no longer feasible for companies to focus upon one smaller niche market of customers. Therefore, as the world becomes increasingly digitized, corporate brands may introduce entry-point services at lower price points into the marketplace. For cost conscious consumers these stripped down versions and smaller sizes are easy to afford and therefore digest.

The challenge for brands will continue to be how to position their corporate branding message in the most constructive ways to remain competitive. For example, brands will be required to adjust their offerings to incorporate macro and micro developments. Corporate branding that fail to adapt will quickly fall away into the background.