Coke Pavillion at Shanghai World Expo (Courtesy of Coca-Cola China)
Have you wondered how Coca-Cola became the world’s leading brand?
Well, thanks to Coca-Cola, I’m about to find out.
I’ve been selected by Coca-Cola to be one of two bloggers (the other is Alvinology) to fly to Shanghai for the World Expo to cover the launch of its pavillion, explore its new Global Innovation and Technology Center (GITC), and attend events such as its Founder’s Day ceremony and an Expo Celebration Concert.
Courtesy of Stock Snap
If you want to succeed beyond your wildest dream as an entrepreneur (or an intrapreneur), don’t just create products or services.
Instead, start a movement. Or better yet, create a cult of brand believers.
A good storyteller (like JK Rowling) makes a great marketer (Courtesy of tutor2u.net)
All this talk about conversational marketing, social media marketing, Word Of Mouth (WOM), and the spread of ideas can be boiled down to a few things.
One, the old ways of doing things are no longer relevant.
Transmedia in a diagram (courtesy of Seize the Media)
Crossing various media platforms (or Transmedia, a term which is well expounded by Kevin Lim) isn’t something new in the world of marketing communications. We have always done that in our ever desperate bid to attract eyeballs, visitors, and revenue in an increasingly crowded marketplace.
Witness how quickly the emergence of communication technologies like the printing press, telephone, radio, television, websites, mobile phone, huge electronic billboards, bus stop shelters, and building facades are used for advertising purposes.
Liberty Leading the People by Eugène Delacroix(Courtesy of Wikipedia)
In this current age of multi-tasking, multi-roles, multi-networks and multi-everything, a few things seem to stand out quite clearly.
Many appear to be the inevitable outcome of ever-increasing activity and interactivity across multi-platforms.
Are these brands or logos? (Courtesy of search-this.com)
What is a brand? How does one understand the art and science of branding in the digital driven age?
First, a brand is not a logo. Certainly, logos represent one dimension in the embodiment of corporate or product brands. However, they are just a visual representation and a signpost rather than the true meaning of the brand itself.
What was the greatest company or brand story you’ve ever heard? Why were you enchanted by it?
Since time immemorial, mankind has always relied on stories to transmit information, values and ideas from generation to generation.
Courtesy of viralblog.com
Humour works in advertising. It grabs your attention, makes you laugh, and gives you a nice endorphin rush.
It also makes you more positively inclined towards a particular brand, especially if its cleverly done without trying too hard. In fact, some commercials can be even more entertaining than comedy shows on television!
In the hyper-competitive world of marketing and sales, it isn’t sufficient just to push out an ad or a sales letter and hope and pray for a response.
Consumers and corporate buyers are increasingly spoilt for choice. Selling based on price alone is no longer sustainable in the long haul.
Hell Hath No Fury… (courtesy of Dinghy Blonde)
If you think being a personal blogger is difficult, wait till you try corporate blogging. It isn’t just a walk in the park. Just ask Coleman (a fellow media socialist), who wrote this excellent post on making your corporate blogs succeed.
But then, isn’t blogging just about shooting your mouth/fingers off and saying whatever you want to say. After all, it is the age of conversations, and everybody is a citizen journalist. Besides, people don’t want to just hear the filtered, fluffed up, fantastic stuff from the gatekeepers (like yours truly).
