Branding.Com: Online Branding for Marketing Success [Hardcover]

On-line branding--brand marketing on the Internet--is now the biggest challenge facing most marketers. "Branding.com" reveals why branding is the most important element in any marketing plan and why it must be uniquely executed in each medium--including on the Internet--in order to be successful. For companies extending their branding efforts onto the Internet, as well as for web entrepreneurs who are looking to brand a product or service exclusively on-line, "Branding.com" explores the basics of on-line brand marketing and shows how to plan and execute a successful on-line branding strategy and how to develop a "next generation media mix" to leverage both on-line and off-line marketing media in promoting a brand.

Includes case studies of UPS.com, Fatbrain.com, and Virgin Atlantic Airways, as well as numerous examples of successful and unsuccessful online branding efforts from both dot.com companies and traditional companies who extended their branding efforts onto the Internet.Features resources and articles for further exploration of online branding and up-to-the-minute material to keep the reader apace of the latest developments in internet marketing.

On-line branding is new. . complex. . . and incredibly effective. Consider that Amazon.com made Interbrand's list of the top 60 most-recognized brands in the world just five years after coming to market. It is now more recognizable than Pampers brand, which was introduced in 1961. The Web offers unprecedented market reach and unmatched potential for brand loyalty'and the time is now to integrate it into your media mix. Branding.com is your guide to developing an on-line branding strategy that fits seamlessly with your marketing plan, while adapting to the unique conditions of the Web and the demands of the "e-customer." You'll learn how to transform your brand from a "thing" to an "experience"'one that your customers will not only remember, but actively seek on-line.

If marketing options such as rich media, interstitials, and virtual communities make your head spin, take heart. Branding.com goes far beyond web banner advertising, to explain how many new technologies work and how some companies are using them to great advantage. You'll discover which methods boast the greatest potential for brand-linked recall, which are considered most annoying to consumers, and which might be right for your brand, in the context of your on-line branding strategy.

Branding.com leads you through the evolution of the worldwide Web and its phenomenal impact on the marketplace. From the "overnight" marketing success stories of the dot-coms, to the triumphs and failures of traditional, "offline" brands, Branding.com reveals why certain companies made the choices they did when designing their web sites, selecting their technologies, or re-examining their brand objectives in the context of the new medium.

Every marketer wants to know: "Will my current brand message work on the Web?" Branding.com explains why some brands may have to alter their messages or their methods to satisfy the e-customer, who wants an experience, not just a product or service. Lessons from the front highlight the responsive, forward-thinking Web marketing tactics of companies such as:

- Volvo, who used the Web to help its brand become "hipper."
- Avon, whose "virtual beauty consultant" stands in for the Avon Lady
- The Sharper Image, who introduced 3-dimensional product views to simulate the in-store experience customers have always valued
- 1-800-Flowers, who leverages its primary brand attributes of convenience and quality to give customers a hassle-free Web experience

Like it or not, your Web site is impacting your brand at this very moment'and the impression may not be what you would wish. Branding.com explains what makes a Web site powerful. . . shows you how to take your site beyond 'stickiness' to achieve "magnet" status. . . and reveals the biggest site killers (outdated information is number one).

You'll also learn more about:
- Click-through, and why it's only appropriate for measuring response, not brand awareness
- The surprising cost-effectiveness of Web advertising
- Why some marketers argue that the Web is best suited for brand preference rather than brand awareness and how emerging formats such as rich media and interstitials are proving them wrong

A pair of in-depth case studies take you step by step through the successful on-line branding strategies of UPS and Virgin Atlantic Airways. Input from CEOs and brand managers at each company reveal how certain branding decisions played out on-line.

For a thorough introduction to Web marketing and an engaging account of current and future technologies and their applications, Branding.com is the book you'll want at your fingertips as you prepare to meet the enormous challenge of taking your brand on-line.

Deborah Kania is a recognized Internet expert with more than 10 years of experience in high tech marketing'including on-line advertising, web site marketing and e-commerce. She currently serves as the Director of Marketing for Lens Express, the leading direct retailer of contact lenses, eyeglasses, sunglasses, and other vision care products and services. She is the coauthor of The Internet World Guide to One-to-One Web Marketing (John Wiley & Sons, 1998) and The Web Catalog Cookbook (John Wiley & Sons, 1997). Additionally, Deborah has written about Internet marketing for ClickZ.com, Iconoclast and Business Marketing. She resides in Fort Lauderdale, FL.