May 15, 2009

Digital Media – is destination the over-riding decision?


Your brand needs a digital media presence. That is the new medium. That is what people read, watch, where the new gen consumers hangout these days. If you don’t have a Facebook page and don’t send tweets to your 340 friends or consumers, then you must surely be from another planet. Everyone including my grandfather is on facebook…aren’t you?

Some such spiel by a digital media ‘expert’ typically leads to a flight (I don’t how to get on to this social media space and so I’ll just stand back and watch) or fight (let me find out the most popular social media tool and create a page there) response.

Lately, the utterly butterly delicious Amul decided to get itself a digital media presence and how? Through Second Life!

There was buzz around Second Life a few years ago and predictions how half the world is going to have a second life id by 2019 but then one day the buzz waned. Second Life expected me to download an application once I created an account and buy linden dollars. I wanted to do neither. Besides I didn’t see much sense in creating and avatar and hanging around second life.

It is surprising then that Amul’s foray into digital media ‘to be seen where it mattered’ happened via Second Life. Amul for sure has a digital presence thanks to that, though how it would enhance the brand’s visibility is a question I grapple with.

Its topical witty campaigns are so popular that I have often come across those campaigns do several rounds of my mailbox. And like a good sitcom each time I see them, I enjoy them. Converting these hoardings to virals or creating virals afresh would have been a natural extension of making the brand visible in the digital world. Refreshing their site, bringing it to date, making it more interactive with users would have made a more meaningful connect with people than a presence on Second Life. There is a lot more that can be done with their orkut page and blog which currently only has information on the Amul Vidyashree Awards – nothing more!

Rather than asking yourself WHERE I need to be in the digital media space, what makes sense to me is to ask yourself WHAT I wish to do while I’m there and then work the digital media strategy backwards from that point.

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5 comments:

sonaljhuj said...

I completely second your point of view. it's crucial to figure out what we want to do and then think of where to do it online. too many digital mktg presentations start and end with a list of social networking sites and platforms.

Reshma Bachwani said...

sonal :) and then it becomes a matter of which platform is the 'flavor of the season' ?

Allen said...

I chanced upon to view your blog and found it very interesting. Great ... Keep it up!

Paper on Research said...

Many institutions limit access to their online information. Making this information available will be an asset to all.

Pravin Nair said...

How I agree with you! :)

Digital space could be enlightening for your brand perpectives if there is a conscientious strategy building effort..when we talk consumer connect I think long term strategy always works better than tactical ones...

long term brand visibility and loyalty can only be enriched through continuously fostering relationships in this space in a planned rather than haphazard manner...

a facebook/twitter page would work better than second life which anyways doesnt have many of us on it...second life is too escapist...also u get targeted communities on twitter which would be interested in your brand..

nice write!keep blogging pls..