From Bricks to Clicks: 5 Steps to Creating a Durable Online Brand

ISBN 10: 0071381309 ISBN 13: 9780071381307

Synopsis

The convergence of the Web and branding profoundly changes our world and resides at the heart of the New Economy. Particularly in the "post-crash" period of the Internet age, where financiers and customers are looking to companies with profitability and endurance, branding is the critical differentiator used to distinguish one company from another. Few executive or marketing staff understand how to build a Web brand thoroughly, much less its purpose, its opportunities or its contribution to the bottom-line; however, many experts regard brand as arguably a company's most valuable attribute, and venture capitalists often today look first to the brand and then to the technology or the business plan. We begin the 21st century in every bit as much of a brand revolution as the Industrial Revolution-sparked 20th century. Foremost in the minds of executives is, "How can I extend my brand on the Web and continue or establish my success in unfamiliar waters?" So, how do you take a successful offline brand and make it a successful online brand? Walmart, arguably one of the strongest offline brands in the country, failed (twice!) to establish their brand online. It found that its offline customer was indeed very different from its online customer. Barnes and Noble faced similar challenges developing their online presence by noticeably hesitating because of lack of expertise in extending their strong offline brand online. Now they are playing a game of catch-up. Industry experts believe that this issue may be the biggest issue facing companies for the next 3-5 years. This book offers advice and a proven method for developing and managing an online brand that coordinates and compliments the offline brand. A state-of-the-art, authoritative and comprehensive treatment of the most important factor in building a Web presence, the book should become a useful guide for every CEO, marketing executive and anyone else interested in building a brand online. At the very core of the book is the Web brand development process that Timacheff and Rand live by. This proven and effective process includes five stages: discovery; framework; verbal articulation; sensory (visual, auditory) design and articulation; and execution. It is a sure-fire way to ensure a successful online brand. This book will address a variety of brand topics and how they all relate directly to the Web. Case studies and interviews with various people will punctuate the brand text, emphasizing the various points. Because many books exist on the fundamentals of brand development and brand management, this book does not focus on the 101 of online branding, but rather focuses on the various aspects of branding and branding challenges relating directly to extending offline brands to the Web.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

How Market Leaders from Coca-Cola to Disney Harness the Strength and Value of Their Offline Brands­­Online!

A company's Web site must grab a prospective customer's attention­­while gaining full benefit from its carefully nurtured offline brand. Problem is, conventional wisdom says that established bricks-and-mortar companies can't easily transfer tried and true, proven brand credibility onto today's fast-moving, point-and-click Web environment.

Conventional wisdom is wrong. From Bricks to Clicks arms managers with the techniques and strategies they need to successfully extend well-positioned offline brands to the Web. Case studies, interviews, and examples from a wide range of companies provide proven guidelines for top-to-bottom Web branding success, including:

-A battle-tested five-step approach for transferring an offline brand online
-Strategies to combine new sound and video technologies with proven branding techniques
-Methods to launch a brand on the Web and seamlessly relate it to existing corporate activities

A company's Web site is its product catalog, salesperson, showroom, and brand identity­­all wrapped into one package and accessible to any potential customer with the click of a mouse. From Bricks to Clicks focuses on the challenge of extending a solid offline brand to the Web and shows you how to both secure the attention of your target audience and provide them with instant brand recognition and value­­from the moment they enter your Web site.

"From Bricks to Clicks emphasizes a thoughtful integration of old economy business and marketing principles with New Economy acumen. Neither pop-marketing nor pure philosophy, it is a book about an extensively field-tested, methodical approach adaptable to virtually any business problem involving brand development."
­­From the Preface

IBM ... UPS ... Toyota ... Each of these corporate names invokes a carefully developed and nurtured brand image. Yet these recognized industry leaders can't rest on their laurels. They have discovered that, in today's take-no-prisoners competitive battleground, they must work diligently to maintain their successful brands­­and transfer that success to their companies' online efforts­­if they are to hold off fast-moving, Web-savvy competitors.

From Bricks to Clicks offers solid, market-tested techniques for developing and maintaining an online brand that coordinates with and complements your organization's existing offline efforts. Filled with examples of successful­­and not so successful­­Internet brand building, it walks you through the essential process of designing a Web site that both maximizes the attributes of an established brand and helps newer brands establish an identity that is sustainable, memorable, and profitable.

Utilizing the authors' carefully researched five-stage Internet branding process, From Bricks to Clicks shines the spotlight on the critical stages of creating a powerful Internet brand:

-Discovery­­The facts about the brand, its core message, and its overall business strategy
-Framework­­How the brand and its various components will work together
-Verbal Articulation­­Communication of the brand's many traits through names and taglines
-Visual, Physical, and Sensory Articulation­­Design and implementation of a fully integrated, engaging Web site
-Execution­­Actual launch, maintenance, and reevaluation/rediscovery of the Web site

In today's ebusiness environment, top marketers design Web sites to immediately secure each customer's attention and emotion. And even as numerous decades-old marketing standbys are either reconfigured or discarded to capitalize on the Internet's unique strengths, these forward-thinking marketers have come to understand the power­­and responsibility­­of the brand to communicate a core brand message. From Bricks to Clicks describes how they do it, and how any marketer can ensure brand development­­and promote brand consistency across every medium.

About this edition

• ISBN 10: 0071381309
• ISBN 13: 9780071381307
• Binding: Unbound