report on disciplines needed to master branding and response marketing

Branded ResponseSMThe Key to Success in Todays Accountable World of Marketing

1This reporT presenTs the argument for

managing the typically distinct marketing

disciplines of branding and direct response

marketing as a seamless activity identified

as Branded Response. It lays out the factors

affecting the rise of this approach the

increases in accountability, complexity,

and integration within marketing. It also

identifies 15 distinct skill sets marketers

need in order to master Branded Response

and offers specific techniques to manage

this new discipline.

SummaryExecutive

Not only did these fields inhabit different parts of

the marketing world, practitioners felt they had

little to learn from each other. Brand builders were

interested in creating awareness, differentiation

and recognition to drive consideration. Direct

marketers wanted an immediate, measurable

response to occur and many were willing to

achieve their goals at the long-term expense of

brand value. Techniques that worked for branding

often failed in response marketing and vice versa.

Today, the roles of brand and response are

being blurred by technology, measurability and

consumer-driven marketing. These and other

factors have given rise to a new type of

marketing one that combines the long-term

relationship-building aspects of branding with

the short-term response-driven principles of

direct a process we call Branded Response.

For YeArs, branding and direct marketing

were two distinct disciplines. Brand

advertising, with its emphasis on reach and

frequency, operated through mass media and

aimed to differentiate a product or service.

Direct marketing primarily went through

the mail, offered a measurable return on

investment (ROI) and delivered specific

increases in sales or leads, largely through

promotional techniques.

ResponseBranded

Introducing

Stand Today?the Industry

Where Does

ACCorDinG To the 2007 DMA report,

The Integration of Brand and Direct, expert

marketers are already in tune with the need

to integrate marketing efforts. A majority of

those who characterized themselves as

experts report they already use some

combination of response marketing and

brand awareness advertising to reach their

marketing goals. Interestingly, the percents

were nearly identical for both branding experts

(72%) and DM experts (73%).

in ThAT sAme sTuDY respondents

stated that on average 64% of their

marketing budgets are allocated to response

marketing and 36% to mass marketing.

These numbers were not significantly

different when compared between B2B

and B2C marketers. We hasten to note that

these are self-reported perceptions based

on individual interpretations of combined

programs. Where does a full-page print ad

introducing a new line of branded printers

with a URL and 800# call-to-action fall?

Or a TV spot with a convivial Gecko offering

online deals on auto insurance? We believe

the perceptions will continue to blur.

Furthermore, most believe that many of todays

response practices are not detrimental to a brand.

In fact, targeting (64%), personalization (70%) and

guarantees (61%) could actually be beneficial to a

companys brand.

Clearly, the buzz is out there.

is BlurringLineThe

in The lAsT 10 YeArs marketing has

become more accountable, complex,

and integrated.

The result is the need for a new form of

marketing, one that uses the emotional

and differentiating aspects of branding, and

combines them with the results-oriented

principles of direct response.

Lets review some of the primary factors that

have caused more change in the advertising

industry in the last ten years, than in the

last 100.

ACCounTAbiliTY: The C-suite is demanding more accountability for all advertising expenditures with ROI being a business focus that is here to stay. The digital nature of the Internet and online marketing has increased the awareness and usage of metrics. Transparency in the marketing department is demonstrated by the advent of the Marketing Dashboard/Marketing Scorecard defined as a collection of data-dependent measures that track and grade marketing efforts.

Those grading the marketing teams efforts are now in a position to set hard goals and hold individuals and departments accountable to those goals. And while traditional brand metrics such as awareness and perception are still valuable tools, marketing is now being held accountable for drivers that directly impact business. This reliance on metrics is forcing marketers to understand and master the practice of measured response.

Responseof BrandedThe Rise

Year 2001 2006 2011(proj.)

us internet Advertising $6.7bn $16.9bn $42.0bn

share of All us Advertising 4% 6% 13%

Source: eMarketer from IAB/PwC and Universal McCann statistics

marketers increasing use of the internet, which combines branding and detailed accountability, is one driver of the branded response discipline.

ComplexiTY: From myriad traditional, digital and mobile media, the typical consumer is exposed to countless messages per day. Like never before, consumers can exercise increased control over how and when they consume media and are exposed to your message. At the same time, there are more opportunities to extend marketing beyond traditional media.

More than just being aware of the increasing range of media/messaging choices, you need to understand how prospects interact with your message according to which media delivers it. Branded Response marketers need to understand each medias potential to build brand and generate measured response.

Technologys impact on marketing is growing rapidly as is evidenced by mobile, blogs, SEM, SEO, social, viral, and other marketing tactics. And while these technologies may dictate tactical approaches, the brand experience to the consumer must be consistent.

Clearly, the need to understand how to use brand and response principles has never been stronger.

inTeGrATion: Even for those interested in branding only, the response generated from brand campaigns through contact information or email addresses merges the marketing disciplines of brand and direct response.

Today, it is not unusual to have a marketing program start with a print and online campaign that meets reach, impression and awareness goals, but also uses a robust offer strategy to entice visitors to a content-laden microsite where contact information is captured. While such programs might require the expertise of brand, web and direct response marketers, it is seen as seamless to the consumer.

For B2C marketers, the CMO position in particular was once a bastion of brand stewardship and the position was only tangentially, if at all, held directly responsible for sales. More likely, brand perception, awareness and consideration were the primary measures. But to measure the above mentioned program requires both campaign metrics and conversion metrics.

For B2B marketers who were typically more focused on lead generation than brand, the increase in the consumers ability to find information, reviews, and competitive materials has forced the need for a more consistent approach to messaging and branding.

Today, brand and direct marketing converge to create an integrated approach to selling products and services in different channels/media. This convergence recognizes the customers power to buy directly while being influenced by the emotional or branding aspects of the message.

Daily Exposure to Commercial Messages

Source: AAAA

1977 2007

474

3000

Consumers are exposed to more and different commercial messages as TV, print, billboards and radio have been supplemented by web, email, mobile, and ubiquitous place-based messaging.

iF You Are A brAnD pro, you likely have positioning and graphic/copy standards mastered and you probably place a high value on brand voice and visual communication consistency.

Current strengths that will serve you well in managing Branded Response include:n An understanding of positioning

n An understanding of consumer research and insight development

n A mass media orientation and expertise

n Experience extending the brand to a variety of media

n A strategy for consistent graphics and messaging across channels and media

n A commitment to the big idea and lateral thinking

New disciplines youll likely need to evolve towards Branded Response:

n A better understanding of the purchase process from start to finish so you can plan for each

stage of the response process

n An understanding of purchasers/influencers and the role of each in the purchase process

n Establishing success criteria for campaigns and programs (quantifiable lead &/or sales goals)

n How to decide what data to collect, how it will be used for decision purposes and how

to establish a data collection system

n Thinking through an offer matrix and appropriate calls to action

n Database building, reporting and analytics and, importantly, how youll use the data

you collect

n Building test and learn scenarios

n Extending communications and messaging to highly targeted media

n Marketing optimization and automation techniques

According to the DMAs The Integration of Brand and Direct, people who consider themselves experts at branding tend to rank the importance of communicating logo (6.38 out of a possible 9) and brand name (5.84 also out of 9) higher than response marketing oriented people.

Brand MarketersNeed

Skills

our experienCe WiTh DireCT response mArKeTinG pros would lead us to believe that you have the metrics side of the marketing equation well in hand.

Current disciplines that will serve you well in the Branded Response landscape include:n Understanding the purchase process from

start to finish and a plan for each stage of the response process

n Establishing success criteria for campaigns and programs (quantifiable lead &/or sales goals)

n Database building, reporting and analyticsn Testing offers and plotted calls to actionn Targeted media buying and testingn Messaging segmentation by targetn Creative testing

Based on what you market and to whom, what youll likely need is:

n Development of a cohesive branding document. This document should include any or all of the

visual and messaging aspects that define a brand:

Core values Brand promise Graphic standards Emotional and personality aspects of

your brand What your brand stands for and why people

should want itn An understanding of emotional triggers to

consumer behavior

n The discipline of patiently and consistently building brand value and image

n Objective research to help you understand the emotional qualities of your brand relationship

with consumers

n Assistance developing integrated response programs with consistent messaging across

media and channels

n An assessment of current brand assets and how to integrate them into Branded Response

campaigns

Response MarketersNeed

Skills

HappenMaking

Branded ResponseiTs CleAr ThAT ToDAY, and for the

foreseeable future, marketing success

demands the combined skills of brand

builders and response management

practitioners. Along with this knowledge

set, it will be essential to maintain pace

with the technology now driving

marketing change.

Wayfinder Response Marketing is a disciplined

response-marketing group, founded by brand-savvy

creative and marketing professionals who left top

creative-focused agencies in the 1990s.

It was evident then that the tools and strategies

of accountable, results-driven direct marketing

were going to become increasingly important as

the market moved towards more technology-

enabled interaction.

Wayfinders business is helping marketers use

traditional and modern direct marketing tactics to

create immediate, measurable results within a long-

term strategy of building brand. Using specific tools

developed to make Branded Response marketing

better and easier, including the Brand Roadmap,

Response Driven Marketing Sequence, and

integrated marketing automation software,

Wayfinder Response can help you demonstrate

and improve the ROI of your marketing budget,

while continuing to build your brand.

TalkEnough

iTs Time To Do someThinG.

To find out how Branded Response

can work for your business, call

Jon Dale at 1-415-277-6963.

Or visit wayfinderresponse.com.