Some brands have been forged in the digital fire while others have
had to (or eventually will have to) jump into it. The biggest problem Michael
sees here is we are trying to treat these two entities as one.
These are two very different situations and need to be treated as
such. Those outside the bubble, who did not build their business in
these channels are interested in what digital has to offer, but they
don’t always need it just yet. It’s not that there isn’t a juicy
opportunity, but balancing multiple channels (especially a mix of
traditional and digital ones) is no easy feat.
Michael writes that we often try to show traditional brands the success digital brands
have experienced. It is alluring, but it isn’t always relevant. Rather
than enticing prospects with purely digital examples like Zappos or even those who have long had digital efforts like Levis, one needs to understand a few key points illustrated wonderfully here in a recent post by Michael Schechter.
