The last mile just got longer! Contd..3

3. The central idea of the campaign has become more important than the media used. The campaign idea needs to create the ripples which should take a life of their own.

It is important to create seamless messages and experiences at every touchpoint throughout the path to a purchase. No longer is it possible for a brand owner to look at the TVC and its messages in isolation or within that specific media silo. The brand owner needs to understand how the message will be translated at every consumer touchpoint, be it across sales channels, in the last mile, on the web or the TVC.

In Asia, this comes with its own challenges. Asia is diverse, multicultural, multiethnic and multilingual. The task of ensuring seamless brand communication and its amplification across media formats, across on-ground activation formats and across the online space, is critical.

4. Brand activation brings with it a large extent of measurability.

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The last mile just got longer! Contd..4

4. Brand activation brings with it a large extent of measurability.

The complexities of the market and geography do not necessarily have to mean complexities in measuring the return on the marketing spend. A closed loop marketing campaign process, with a clear definition of takeaways, can help create a defined ROI and marketing effectiveness matrix.

However, the benefits of brand activation are not limited to the lifetime value of the one prospect that is exposed to the experience. It would be suicidal for marketers to limit their evaluation criteria to 'cost per contact' rather than evaluating the long-term relevance of the contact. Activation allows a brand to create tribes of believers and communities of advocates who propagate the brand with all its virtues.

In a business environment where the brand options are ever increasing and there is the possibility of an economic slow-down, there is more pressure on marketing budgets and an enhanced need to retain existing customers.

5. The customer’s experience with the brand throughout its lifetime will drive the future. Marketers increasingly need to look at extending their roles throughout the lifecycle of the product to ensure future purchases.

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