Ted Grigg's Reflections about Direct Marketing

As marketers, we sometimes get over-focused on the message because that is usually our primary area of responsibility. But branding requires the participation of the entire organization to create andfortify the brand.

Forgetting critical areas such as positioning, mission, competitive environment, product differentiation and core values, let us focus for a moment on the implementation of the chosen brand.

The visual I created below shows how marketers tend to view branding. 

This next visual reflects what I believe we should consider when looking at solidifying or creating the brand. Note that how employees treat the customer before and after the sale weighs far more heavily than advertising in supporting the brand. In fact, with little research, we see new brands emerging primary from this model in the Internet age.

One good example is Zappos.com. They did not create the brand through what they said publicly, but how they treated each customer individually.

Today's customer demands more than beautiful imagery and clever words. They demand performance where the action is. Handling the orders, shipping, supporting warranties and going above and beyond what is expected all while practicing customer respect builds today's brands.

Perhaps you have some examples of this concept in action. Please share it with us.