Online Marketing Can Kill Your Brand?

On InfoSys' blog, writers Simon Harper and Zoe Schagrin argue:

There is no doubt that new technologies are causing a permanent shift in the way companies and consumers communicate. But what makes these new channels so attractive – low cost, ease of implementation, global reach – also makes them dangerous for companies who don’t understand their nuances or just how drastically digital marketing has evolved. Some of the biggest names in business have entered the new digital marketing arena with good intentions only to wonder "how could it have all gone so wrong?"

Keep in mind that online marketing blunders aren't the domain of small firms making rookie mistakes as some might think. Some of the biggest names in business have made equally large mistakes recently as outlined in these high profile examples.

According to InfoSys, online marketing mistakes are often due to one of the following:

• A lack of transparency or authenticity
• A hastily assembled campaign due to the easy ability to create and distribute digital content
• The digital campaign is a "one off" and not integrated with the larger marketing message
• Failure to monitor the message after launch and/or the lack of a mitigation strategy
• An inability to balance controlling and protecting the brand while providing consumers a voice

Companies must acknowledge that this is no time for amateur-hour, as savvy consumers leave little room for silly mistakes.