Digital: Creating Conversation Online

Web campaigns are a great way to engage consumers, but brands should be wary of the pitfalls.

Consumers are using the web more than ever, so it is hardly surprising that brands are trying to tap in to the trend and engage in online dialogue. The interactive nature of the internet makes it easier to achieve brand engagement and offers wider benefits such as opportunities for data collection.Advertisers benefit when an online campaign is done well because the activity can generate massive brand awareness and bring about greater engagement than offline tactics. Online campaigns can also have a data collection function, giving the brand greater insight into who its consumers are, and leaving open the possibility of contacting them for follow-up marketing in the future.Rachelle Headland, business development director at Blossom Hill’s agency Pulse, says data collection needs to be handled sensitively. She argues that consumers need “a very good reason to hand over personal information and they’re not going to do that if they don’t get something in return”.

Importantly, brands need to realise the difference between dialogue with consumers and monologue. McGrory says online campaigns that embrace the former, effectively work as focus groups. “One of the things we picked up on was the debate on bottled versus tap water, and that is feeding into product development,” she explains.

[Full Story at Brand Republic]