"What's our digital strategy?" or, even more specifically, "What should our social media strategy be?" are the wrong questions to ask. The right question is: "What's our strategy in a digital age?"
[Thanks to Charlie Hiscocks from SAB Miller helping me understand this]
Grasping the opportunities of the digital era is key for EVERY brand. But, many of the most exciting opportunities don't involve social media. Here are a few examples.
1. Product Innovation
Nike started working with Apple several years ago on Nike+ iPod. I blogged on it here, almost six years ago, before we'd even heard of social media. This ingenious system sends a signal to your iPod or iPhone from a little sensor you buy and put in your Nike shoes. It then records your run: time, length, calories burnt etc. You can keep track of how often you have run (or not).
This is a smart way of Nike selling more shoes, and offering a valuable service to its consumers. Checking in on the Nike+ site when you upload your runs is also a clever, and free, way of keeping the brand top of mind.
And for Apple, its yet another great feature on the iPod/iPhone.
2. Insight
My Starbucks Idea is the most famous example of using digital "crowd sourcing" to get ideas for improving products and services, and inviting people to vote on them. A couple of things on this:
- Makes most sense for complex service businesses, like Starbucks. Here, there are lots and lots of things consumers may have views and ideas on. I think this is less the case if you're a simple FMCG product?
- You need to REALLY invest in talent and technology to run this sort of thing. If you ask for opinion, you better bloody well act on it. Or say why you have not. As Starbucks do very well.
My winner of "Best brand in the world" was Nespresso, here. Again, years before social media, Nespresso were building a beautiful, multi-billion Euro business model based on a direct route to the consumer. Capsules are sold online, on the phone or in Nespresso's own boutiques.
I am intrigued by Gillette's eStore, which is a similar approach in the FMCG space. They have a "subscription service", where you can have your re-fill razor blades sent to your home. This I thought was smart, as people replace their razor blades much less often than Gillette would like you to.
4. Content Partnership
Ive posted before about how social media requires brands to become content publishers. And this is a skill set most marketing teams just don't have. Also, not every brand would have content that many people want to consume. This is why for many brands, you may be better off partnering with people who have both content and an audience.
I cal this "fishing where the fish are".
For exampe, rather than relying on their own social media site to promote a "Priceless in New York" offer, Mastercard have linked up with Time Out New York.
In conlcusion, don't ask "What's our digital strategy?", ask "What's our strategy in a digital age?" And in doing so, think about your business model, not just social media.



Most it is certainly plausible assume they have for more information on wash their hair each and every day in order to avoid aspect back and forth from do you want not done and oily.
http://www.truereligionjeansoutlet2.com
Posted by: True Religion Jeans Outlet | August 29, 2012 at 10:13 AM
They are quite professional http://www.coachoutletonlineua.net Coach Outlet that the shattered Lebanese government was incapable of providing, and has evolved since then into a political force with two cabinet ministers and a dozen seats in Parliament. http://www.coachoutletonlinea0.org Coach Outlet“ in this, and this is something some Western donors are admitting that has a positive impression on some Western politicians,” said Stephan Rosiny, a research fellow at the http://www.coachoutleturla.com Coach Factory Oultet Institute of Middle East Studies at the German Institute of Global and Area Studies in Hamburg. http://www.coachfactoryoutletfa.net Coach Factory OutletThat in turn provides a rationale for the group’s charitable networks among Lebanese immigrants in Europe. “They may collect money for their institutions, but they aren’t http://www.coachoutletonlineab.com Coach Outlet operating publicly,” Mr. Rosiny said. “As long as they aren’t involved in politics and aren’t operating openly, they are tolerated.” http://www.coachoutleshome.com Coach Outlet Online Experts question how effectively European police officials are keeping track of the kind of serious, well-trained operatives capable of staging attacks versus counting up donors http://www.coachoutlet67.org Coach Factory Outlet. to funds for orphans of suicide bombers. “I don’t believe that they are able to monitor Hezbollah activities because Hezbollah is such a professional player,” said Guido http://www.coachfactoryoutletsc.org Coach Outlet Online Steinberg, an expert on terrorism with the German Institute for International and Security Affairs. http://www.louisvuittonususa.net Louis Vuitton Bag “The supporters that march the streets with a Hezbollah flag are not a threat to national security,” Mr. Ritzmann said. “We’re more concerned with small groups — a car http://www.louisvuittonsoutletua.net Louis Vuitton Handbagdealer, a grocer, or whatever
Posted by: Coach Outlet | August 16, 2012 at 03:39 AM
This is such a critical point - and unfortunately many of the senior leadership of companies are not helping as they talk about become more active "in digital" and shifting more money "into digital" - and setting targets for how much that should be.
Instead of, as you are saying, challenging their teams to ensure they are relevant and being where and how their target consumers/ customers are. It may be that for some they should be entirely digital, and for others hardly at all..
Posted by: Garybembridge | April 05, 2012 at 02:10 PM
Good point David. A really important concept for folks to understand.
So much cart before the horse these days, as we gut sucked into keeping up with the "joneses" as it relates to digital and social.
Goals and strategies first. Then tactics. One relationship that will hold up forever.
Regards,
Eric Brody
@ericbrody
Posted by: Eric Brody | March 21, 2012 at 12:12 PM
Thanks David -- Another Great Bite of Insight...!
Posted by: DigiStrat | March 19, 2012 at 07:00 PM
Hi David,
good question and indeed a good way to think of digital strategy in an other way.
* also there is a typo in your last paragraph: conlcusion.
Posted by: Frank Suyker | March 19, 2012 at 11:02 AM