Advertising can’t build brands.

Museo Rufino Tamayo - Mexico

Museo Rufino Tamayo - Mexico

The view that you can build brands with advertising has always been a myth. This a point that I made in an article published in 2005 reviewed by @karllong here the original has moved to here. The producer of  MEDIA@SAfm had dug this out and invited Brett Morris group creative director at DraftFCB and I to discussed it on this sundays show.

It was surprise when I saw the article lying on the host Ashraf Garda’s desk but I thought that it was really cool, firstly to see how consistent I have been in my views of how marketing works, and although I am into social media and stuff now its still the same philosophy, its just that the tools have become more powerful.

The point is that brands were always built by the experience customers have of the brand, advertising can create expectations but its the real experience that determines the brand. What changes now is the speed at which people can share experiences through their connections and  social networks on the internet and on mobile phones. So the expereinces that they share are even more likely to be real than what the advertiser tells them they should be.

Not that there isn’t a role for Advertising in the future – there is but its a different one.

This is the space in which I launch the new PiKE | The integrated new marketing agency in January.

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Posted on December 14, 2009 at 8:35 am by Walter Pike · Permalink
In: Advertising, Marketing, Uncategorized, social media · Tagged with: , , , ,
  • arthurcharlesvanwyk
    Walter, do you know that you will be the first non-ad agency that uses the ad agency model of naming the agency after the founder?
  • Gee, I have spent enough effort in getting my name in the public eye, and the business will carry out my philosophy. It has to be my name - its also distinct and easy to remember - all good branding rules.

    The other part of it is that its a myth that its either digital or analogue. Its understanding how to combine and use the tools in order to get ideas to spread. Ideas are also brand ideas.

    Thanks for the chirp :)
  • arthurcharlesvanwyk
    All true.

    I myself have - over the last few months - learnt that brands live and grow ONLY in the mind of the consumer. That is the only place that matters.

    And regardless of which medium or platform is being used.. the only objective in branding should be to "make it stick". Stickiness cane be achieved both online and off.
  • ... and to get them to tell their friends :)
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