Impact of the Internet on Branding

Impact of the Internet on Branding

The Internet has caused problems for many brands because most companies think of the web or the Net as just another advertising medium, like radio, television, newspapers and magazines. While the WWW is a mass communication medium, the difference between the web and any other mass medium is that it is interactive. The user of the message is in charge, not the sender. What the Net marketers have discovered is that people do not want advertising. As a result, when you try to advertise on the Net, people turn it off. They do not pay attention. Assuming the Web will be the same kind of a medium as television causes the biggest mistake in branding – it is not the same process, and different strategies are required in order to build a brand on the Web. The Web is a great place to start in branding your products or services.

You build a powerful Web brand by making the brand itself interactive, allowing the customer access to further information. If you are an established company with a well-known brand, the first question you should ask yourself is, "Should we move our distribution of this brand to the Web?" Every brick-and-mortar company should have a web site, but it should be an information site, not necessarily a branding or business site. It should be a place where customers can go if they want more information about a company or product.