What now? Everyday, the brand is chasing new ideas to hold their message in a cluttered and interruptive market place. Does the brand need more advertising? How can the brand benefit from social media? Is there a formula to keep my customers from switching to another brand? Examining these tactics require new ways of applying marketing with confidence.

NEW FOCUS ON TODAY
Telling-and-selling tactics need to migrate and move into a marketing relationship platform. But, the formula takes a longer business cycle than traditional in-your-face programs. Brand managers know too well that programs are measured by incremental sales. Did the ad make a consumer buy the product today? Pressures upon the brand manager increase and expose a perceived success model with monthly sales data.

RELATIONSHIPS BECOME TOP PRIORITY
There are branding events in every city with street teams assembled to hand out free product. Radio spots help bring awareness to the event. Direct mail or full-page ads provide event location and parking recommendations. Good weather, and now you have the components of a well-planned event. But, does the public really want to buy your product more today than yesterday?

PLAN ON STANDING BEYOND TODAY
Brand managers across the country have risen to their deserved status with measurements including reach, frequency, purchase intent, redemption rate and recall. Marketing ads in the digital space gives us the ability to measure how many people actually avoid our message vs. those professing to love the brand. Consumers indicate their interest. New thinking challenges the number of impressions in the market. The only brands that will be left standing after these economic challenges will be those that are “in the life improvement business.”

So, a few things to consider when executing the next marketing plan:

• Allow customer engagements to occur in their natural environments when possible. If a surprise or unexpected location is required, this may be pushing the consumer and they will possibly avoid the message more often than seek to learn.
• Provide an easy way to document the top selling reasons of the product, such as a mobile application, printed brochure or notepads. Or, a special webpage link or QR Code that can be easily downloaded.
• Invest in research to deploy targeted campaigns with a desirable audience that needs your product.
• Provide a tool that allows the consumer to “hear about the product and learn more on their own schedule” so they will notice and potentially buy.
• Instead of the “Tell & Sell,” focus more on “Give and Take.”

KEEPING STRONG TOMORROW
Relationships take a long time to develop, yet can be distinguished in minutes. Being impactful rates high with every brand. Putting together the right ideas, in the right environment, will encourage more than discourage a consumer. It’s marketing that is often more meaningful than the product it aims to sell. The risk is too high for doing the same marketing tactics today that were only successful yesterday. Engagements need to improve a consumer’s world and not just a brand manager.