The debate has started. Will apps on iPhone, Droid devices and iPads supplant the desktop Internet? Will Google search be completely transformed ("Search is not where it's at" - Steve Jobs asserts in a recent NYTimes article) and will Flash become irrelevant because it’s “too buggy”?
Make no mistake – the arrival of the iPad and the continued growth of mobile is sending shock waves through the industry. Brands large and small are quickly defining and launching their mobile strategy across the five mobile pillars - Mobile Web, Apps, SMS, Social and mobile advertising. Often, they’re doing so without clear integration points with their existing channel strategy save for consistency in brand look and feel. The urgency of the situation requires cutting corners – for now.
But to pit one mode of Internet access against another misses the point. There’s no clear line of demarcation between desktop and mobile internet…and that IS the point. Seamless brand experiences that traverse mobile, social, and desktop while reaching into other places where brands exist – like packaging and print ads that direct shoppers to product-specific URL’s using QR technology – is the future of digital brand development. Using the power of social media to tap into social graphs and fuel word of mouth further bolsters this point. The Internet is everywhere, touching nearly every aspect of our lives.
So rather than debate which platform will prevail, brands should worry more about how they’re using all these platforms in a seamless and transparent brand experience. Rather than devote all your resources to ensure your Web site is superior to your peer group, brands need to move from experimentation with social and mobile to a full-on distributed brand presence.
The winners will realize that consumers use multiple, interchangeable ways of engaging with a brand. They’ll respond to email promotions one day. The next day, they’ll be walking through the aisle of a Wal-Mart, accessing their mobile device for the latest price comparisons. Another day, they’ll be thumbing through their favorite magazine and notice a QR code for a product. They update their Facebook profile, they Tweet about their status, they visit Web sites, they send text messages. This is the reality of the digital consumer.
In order to address this digital consumer, brands need to pivot away from the mentality that all your tools, content and functionality are on a Web site. Success no longer is measured in visits and conversions to your Web site. Success is measured by the entirety of your brand interactions across the digital ecosystem. It’s one giant engagement funnel supported by several mini-funnels representing your Web site, email channel, mobile channel, social channel…each with their own unique trait to engage consumers and elegantly move them through a stage of the funnel. Tracking and optimizing each mini-funnel will make the entire ecosystem more efficient. Developing your digital channel strategy with this guiding principle will be the fundamental difference between winners and losers.
The debate about which mode of accessing the Internet distracts from the real question. Which brands will embrace all elements of the digital ecosystem and provide an integrated, relevant, personalized brand experience throughout this ecosystem? It’s a defining moment for many brands as they seek to innovate and tap into the next stage of their growth. Care to take a bet on who will win?
