Creating Loyal Brands : Themes Of The Week...

So much content, so little time...

A weekly round-up of the themes and posts I found particularly interesting or useful.

With the combined impact of social media and smartphones, several conversations urged marketers to forget consumers and just think people, and to concentrate on what the user needs, while there was also some good advice on how to use Big Data.

People are people...
In many ways, the impact of social media is taking companies back to building trust through what they do, rather than through an image they try to create.

Why Companies Have To Romance The Same Consumers They Once Bought argued that in today's transparent world, every function of a business needs to focus on earning the trust of all concerned, in order to build relationships with customers.
Social Media Are More Interested in Your Supply Chain Than Your Marketing urged CMOs to get a better handle on the reality that underlies their communication, as this is now the basis of their brand's reputation.
Unilever Logic explored in an interview with their CMO how and why they are focusing the whole business on sustainable living.
While Is the Era of Purpose-Driven Ads (Finally) Over? made the point that if the cause is not fundamental to the brand, people will soon see through it. 

Let's get together, in sweet harmony...
With social media and smartphones, technology can create far more personal and intimate experiences, if there's a focus on the user's needs.

Don't miss retail's digital destination urged retailers to focus on the potential outcome of the application of technology to shopping, rather than to get lost in the latest features and tactics.
3 ways for brands to create groundbreaking mobile experiences highlighted the necessity for putting users' needs first, to create a compelling experience.
Why eBay Redesigned To Look More Like Pinterest showed how this was driven by changing user expectations of technology.
Similarly, With News Feed Overhaul, Facebook Delivers Your 'Personalized Newspaper' showed how this fits better with people's mobile lifestyles.

Taming the beast...
With the volume of data continuing to explode in today's connected world, several posts offered practical advice on how to create value from it.

How President Obama's campaign used big data to rally individual voters provided the definitive story of how data was used to capture the individuality of each voter, and recapture a more personal style of politics - a must-read for any marketer.
Big Data: A Means to an End explored how EA have changed their approach to managing data, thanks to the huge volumes that are now generated by the video game industry.
Know the Difference Between Your Data and Your Metrics used a non-profit example to highlight the difference between numbers, and numbers that matter.
While The Limits Of Big Data Marketing served as a useful reminder, that while technology can dramatically improve efficiency, truly inspired marketing comes from imagining and fulfilling human needs and desires.

Finally, on a more sober note, Digital Darwinism: What Killed Borders, Blockbuster and Polaroid and How to Survive explored how technology and society are evolving faster than the ability of many organizations to adapt.

Have a good weekend...