Evolution Of Branding In The Digital Age

Branding is not a new-age concept, branding in the digital age has existed since time immemorial in some form or the other. With the advent of the internet and digitization, we need to learn about the evolution of branding in the digital age as well.

The way consumers engage with brands has evolved. And if you’re not taking your branding measures online, then what are you even doing? Branding is an integral part of marketing and it comes in various forms and sizes. From the brand logo, and label designs to marketing campaigns, all form part of the branding process.

In the earlier days, branding simply used to be how the shopkeepers at physical stores would converse and treat the customers. But, these days, as online shopping and e-commerce stores are coming into existence, branding has become more vivid and broad. In the next few sections, we’ll understand about the evolution of branding in the digital age in detail.

How Has the Digital Age Changed Marketing?

These days marketing has widened its horizon with brands spending excessive money on marketing campaigns. It’s needless to say it definitely pays off. Some iconic marketing campaigns such as Nike’s “Just Do It”, Dove’s “Real Beauty”, and Pepsi’s “Super Bowl ad” campaigns. That’s how the digital age has changed marketing.

Brands are now more concerned about how their brand image is perceived in the minds of the consumers than just making sales and earning profits. That is the impact of the digital age on marketing.

There was a time when brands depended on word of mouth to earn goodwill in the market and to create a brand image, but in the era of the internet, it was way too easy. Not just creating goodwill, but even a minor fault can easily blow up and cause huge damage to the brand image. So, brands make sure their marketing is on point.

Importance Of Branding in the Digital Age?

With resources being easily accessible, the competition has been growing fiercely. Every day, there are new business ideas and startups in the market and everyone thinks they are coming up with something unique but the reality is consumers have a multitude of options to choose from.

Branding has become necessary to combat and thrive in this competitive environment. With almost every person having access to the internet, it’s imperative for brands to maintain a good brand image and focus on creating a brand identity that is distinct and better than their competitors.

Content spreads like wildfire on the internet and every brand thinks their content should be the one getting viral. Social media is easily the biggest influence on today’s youth so to exist in the world of cutthroat competition and the algorithm war, branding is important in the digital age.

Marketing techniques used in the digital age

Marketers have a myriad of tools and options to choose from for marketing their products. Engaging and capturing potential customers’ attention on the Internet is not easy, so marketers use various techniques to achieve it.

• Influencer Marketing: One of the most commonly and widely used tools these days is influencer marketing. Almost everyone is on social media these days and social media influencers have a large following and influence on their respective platforms. Brands reach out to them for collaboration purposes as their products would gain more digital visibility through these influencers.
• Content Marketing: Brands not only create their own content but also market it widely to gain visibility and traction online. By using tools like SEO and Google ads, brands are marketing their content and making sure it reaches the desired audience.
• Social Media Advertising: Promoting products through print media advertising, hoardings, and billboards is not enough anymore. Social Media advertising is a must for brands to reach a wider consumer base.

Brands strategize and come up with marketing techniques that resonate well with people online because they know which channels would work for their content to gain visibility online which would lead to an increase in sales.

Conclusion

We can conclude that branding has become even more important and necessary in the digital age. The evolution of branding in the digital age is something to reckon with. Brands as old as two centuries are also changing their marketing strategies to match the digital pace and give stiff competition to their competitors.