Real-time marketing is all the rage, and definitely can produce a positive impact on brands. Advertising Age addresses the phenomenon this week, defining the marketing strategy as “one of the most powerful methods of story telling for brands.” That can certainly be true – if brands are sharing the right story.
We shared our insights on the social media content marketing trend and agree that it can be great when done correctly but it requires a strategic and controlled execution. Advertisers that spend too much time focused on the immediacy of real-time marketing are at risk of losing sight of their brand’s identity. We’ve seen brands lose differentiation in recent years – in part due to social media growth. The subtle qualities that identify and make each brand unique are slipping away from marketers’ focus. When the brand ‘voice’ becomes too conversational and reactive – as is the nature of social media creative – brands begin to blur together. Maintaining and improving upon the unique position a brand occupies in the mind of the consumer is critical – and too often neglected in a social media world. Brands that are able to convey their uniqueness and specialty via social media communications and real-time marketing will see far superior returns than the competition.
