When I was on a panel with Kelly Mooney at an AdAge breakfast bites conference in New York, she gave me a copy of the book she co-wrote with Dr. Nita Rollins, The Open Brand: When Push Comes to Pull in a Web-Made World, and I quickly fell in love with it.
The book is a power-packed framework and guide for how brands can thrive and participate in a world where the consumer is the creator.
Mooney and Rollins are on the senior-executive team of one of the largest and oldest digital-marketing shops in North America. I was able to follow up with Mooney to discuss some of the insights and frameworks presented in her book.
SH: I get to read a lot of books on marketing and branding, and I must say that yours really surprised me. Too many of the books I read seem to be nothing more than an attempt to cash in on the brand craze of the last few years.
KM: I think a lot of marketing books aren't written by marketers, quite frankly. A lot of them are written by journalists or academics who aren't necessarily working with brands to solve real problems on real projects. We live in a world where digital is changing the landscape. I wanted this book to present not only a framework but also real tools for marketers to help them begin thinking about opening their brand.
SH: Well, you succeeded. I love this book, and I've been using some of the models you share with my clients with very positive results. I did notice that many of your examples are B2C in nature, so I wanted to explore whether the ideas you present would apply to B2B initiatives.
KM: Everyone wants to think that B2B is a separate, distinct, and unrelated challenge from B2C. I think there is more overlap and more in common than there is different.
We can certainly point to a number of tactical elements used by B2B marketers, such as the use of professional forums, email campaigns, and mobile access to information. However, few B2B companies are truly open, but because of the Web, that's about to change.
Take the model of the Love Triangle presented in the book as an example. It's all about brands meeting consumers at the shared intersection of passion and products—and it completely applies to B2B relationships.
Traditionally in B2B, we think of the trade partner, wholesaler, distributor, specifier, procurement agent, etc.—to the exclusion of the end consumer. However, there is a definite community aspect that can be leveraged.
The Web is that perfect place for B2B to communicate and connect with the end consumer. Not to mention, by leveraging open tools, B2B companies can facilitate and strengthen those vital relationships of trade partner, wholesaler, etc. It's a win all around.
Also important to note is the importance of an emotional connection in an increasingly competitive market. When the choice between alternatives is relatively equal in price and quality, having an emotional connection and relationship with the brand can be the dealmaker. Becoming a more open brand can make the difference.
SH: You talk about engagement from a variety of angles in the book. I wanted to level the field and define that term. A lot of people are bandying the term "engagement" about without a lot of consensus on just what it means. How do you approach and define what is or isn't an "engaging experience"?
KM: In writing the book, I looked to the advertising industry for a common definition, and, in fact, there wasn't one. We define an engaging experience as one that creates the desire for a consumer to spend time with your brand. It isn't simply about getting people to feel something, it's about getting them to feel and do something.
SH: In the book, you devote a chapter to defining the foundational and emerging metrics around digital engagement. I wanted to explore the debate around measurement where traditional players are arguing that there are no standardized measures in digital. How do you see the state of measurement and its ability to report on how effective we are at getting a customer to feel and then do?
KM: It's true. There are no standardized measures. That said, we measure more things more frequently and are much more accountable in digital media, but I don't think we have developed the broader macro measures across channels.
And, to be fair, the traditional advertising space has accepted inadequate measures over the years. It has forgotten about the holes and shortcomings, and simply accepted the current measurement approaches as standards.
In the book, my co-author and I discuss that at the end of the day there are four over-arching business objectives that marketers are really focused on. We identify the accepted foundational metrics for each of those that most companies are already capable of measuring. As an industry, we're working toward a macro set of standards around measurement. I think it's just too soon to lock down what those will ultimately be.
SH: You focus on a variety of strategies to create and measure repeat traffic to a destination brand site. In this world of MySpace, YouTube, and Facebook, is the end game always about generating traffic to a brand's website?