I participated in a lively and interesting #brandchat session on Twitter this today. Today’s discussion was especially engaging because we looked at case studies of brands that “do it right” and brands that are struggling. We also discussed keys to saving a brand that’s in a “downward spiral”.

Toyota (unsurprisingly) cropped up throughout the discussion and for many reasons. What was surprising is that instead of a bashing of Toyota’s falling brand, there was more talk of expectations of Toyota bouncing back.

Regardless of the current recall snafu, Toyota is still associated with quality. They’ve spent the appropriate money, time, and effort to build that branding, and even in the face of adversity it sticks. Yes, Toyota clearly has a quite a bit of work to do right now:

• They have to make things right with the customer, make good on their brand promise.
• They have to go into PR overdrive, listen to consumers, and connect/engage like never before.
• They have to invest even more into branding to make sure they don’t loose the power position of quality leaders.

The #brandchat group easily acknowledged that while Toyota may be in a tricky situation right now, they’ll be able to return full force. Why? Because they have a solid foundation. They’ve thought strategically and long-term, and haven’t (until now) allowed their positioning to falter. Because of this, they’ve built resiliency and will be able to overcome adversity.  Toyota will bounce back.

The quick Toyota lesson for today is that a smart and strategic investment in branding will pay off, even if there are rough patches.

#brandchat is a weekly forum conducted on twitter where the “community” discusses different topics in branding, #brandchat is every Wednesday at 10:00am CST.

We've started a tradition of designing and producing a unique notebook each year, as a way to say thanks to our clients, vendors and friends. 2010 is the second installment and we had fun developing the concept and design for this year's book. It features a "notes" section and an "ideas" section complete with spaces for doodles, idea-ranking, next steps, date, topic and importance.

This year's ideabook celebrated our 20th Anniversary in business. It was great to reflect on the past and be reminded of the ways we've been blessed by our work and our clients.

New, evolving climates and consumer always call for new strategies.  Our words of the week:

Sympvertising: "infusing consumer advertising with a pinch of sympathy that acknowledges the tougher times most consumers are currently experiencing"

Tryvertising: "integrating your goods and services into daily life in a relevant way, so that consumers can make up their minds based on their experience, not your messages"

Social media offers an amazing arsenal of marketing tools for business.  Some companies have been so successful with social media tools that it's easy to attribute their success solely to Facebook or Twitter.  In reality, success drawn solely from social media efforts is rare.  In getting caught up in the hype surrounding social media it's easy to overlook the most important element of marketing.  Brand positioning.

Before a brand jumps into the social media circus, a solid strategy outlining overall brand goals, target audience, competitive advantage, and industry opportunities (the whole SWOT) is necessary.  If a brand lacks an understanding of their position they'll flounder in social media (this isn't exclusive to social media, brand strategy needs to come before everything else: advertising, pr, selling, etc.).  There's no replacement for taking the time to understand your brand.

It's great to be excited about all of the opportunities social media presents, but before diving in head first, a company must make sure they have a solid brand strategy.  BRAND POSITIONING comes first.

*NOTE: This isn't exclusive to social media, brand strategy needs to come before all marketing efforts (i.e. advertising, pr, selling).

**Check out this Branding Strategy Insider post for a list of brands who failed to put positioning first.

Google has recently introduced Sidewiki, a tool that allows anyone to comment on anyweb page (review here). Facebook has added tagging, allowing updates to identify people and companies. Google Wave is hitting the masses, making email social (maybe not masses, those lucky enough to scrounge up an invitation). Google Maps is becoming “hyperlocal”, making it easy to find and review small businesses. Thousands of Twitter applications are flooding the Internet, creating endless uses for Twitter, and everything is going mobile and real-time.

There is no end in sight. The introduction of these new features, apps, and platforms, has made social media inescapable. The web is “social”, and social is here to stay.

Before, you could hide and choose not to participate, but that won’t work any longer. Social media has become an integral part of how business is conducted. Customers are going to be social, with or without you. Customers will expect brands to communicate with them online, in pubic. They are going to file grievances, not with customer service departments, but with the “Twitterverse” (Example: Comcast). They are going to research every purchase, read reviews, follow blogs, build communities, and share experiences. Customers will be empowered to become both brand evangelists and powerful critics.

It’s not just the youth leading this shift to social. Demographics across the board are becoming social. It’s not just tech-related brands or CPG companies that have to embrace social technology. Every industry has a place in the social sphere because every customer lives there. It’s not just large companies that have to participate, small businesses have just as much at stake. Social Media touches every business, every brand.

While your brand doesn’t have to possess expertise and a shiny profile everywhere, it’s important to be aware of what’s out there and to start paying attention to where your customers are socializing. You need to know the tools that are available to your customers, your competitors, and your industry. You need to have a plan for how you will communicate and engage. You need to have the flexibility to try something new and react to changes efficiently.

If you’ve been writing off social media (it doesn’t touch my industry, our customers have never heard the term, it’s just a fad, it’s for kids), you need to get your head out of the sand.

If you’ve been “dabbling” in social media, you need to get serious.

If you’re hitting social media head-on, you need make sure your adapting, staying current, and measuring.

BECAUSE, if you aren’t knowledgeable, ready, or equipped, you’re going to lose out – on customers, profit, PR, and market share. It’s time to pay attention.

The meat of your message, the tools, and the tactics you use to reach your audience should always depend on who you audience is. Now, in the digital age, its more important than ever to have a solid understanding of your customers. All the hot platforms (social media, digital advertising, search engine optimization, corporate blogging, etc.) will do you no good if your customers aren't active or effected by those mediums.

If you have a good understanding of your target audience, if you really know your customers, the next step is drilling down and understanding the "technographics" of your audience. Understanding how your audience uses technology will help you evaluate what the tools and tactics for communication will successful. Drilling down and figuring out how your audience adapts to technology will help define the digital tools that will work best for your target.

Forrester Research's Groudswell has developed the "Consumer Profile Tool", which can be used to develop a snapshot of the adoption levels of varying demographics. This provides a quick evaluation of the "technographic profile" of your customers. Select your basic demographics, and get some insight on how that demographic operates online.

The oldest tactic in marketing and branding sounds so simple. Offer customers something they don't even know they want. Okay, great - but how do you gain insight to what your customers don't even know?
 
Providing customers with something new and different is not strictly about innovation, innovative products are ineffective if they don't meet customer needs. The best brands and companies anticipate customer needs. They have their ear to the ground and finger on the pulse of culture and technology -- BUT, most importantly, they know their customers. They have relationships with their customers. Being able to figure out what more you can offer your customers is impossible without a true knowledge of who your customers are.
 
With the mountains of data readily available, the plethora of research platforms that exist online, a growing crowd of citizen journalists, and the explosion of social media, all brands and companies, no matter what size, have the opportunity to forge customer relationships.

It sounds like a no-brainer, but it's not that easy. Developing real, meaningful relationships with customers takes handwork (research & strategy), persistence (several rounds of failure), patience (no relationship is built over night), and skillful listening (meaningful relationships are two way streets). Deciding to develop customer relationships is big step that requires commitment, but it's worth it.

The insights you gain from knowing your customers are invaluable, and more importantly if you're not taking the time to build meaningful relationships with your customers -- someone else will (or already is).

I was in the camping section today and observed this side-by-side comparison of two "Emergency Ponchos." One was an obscure brand and the other was Coleman. Same poncho. Same basic packaging. Only the brand names were different - yet the Coleman brand was commanding a 22% higher margin!

 If you think the marketing dollars that Coleman has spent over the years has been an expense and not an investment in brand equity...think again!