Don’t Think Branding, Think ‘Being Part Of The Social Fabric’
November 29th, 2007 — admin
Whether you’re a television station, newspaper or radio station, you are probably obsessed with “branding.” Which makes sense, if you’re dealing with traditional media.
If your TV station is branded “News 13,” well, then you want everything you’re associated with to be branded the same way. You want your website to be News13.com and you are going to focus all of your station resources towards that co-branded site.
But that “branding is everything” philosophy doesn’t necessarily translate to the Web. Online users are less impressed with a brand, and more likely to be drawn to sites that are useful to them, no matter who they are affiliated with. It’s all about the connection to users, and to the social fabric of the web.
That point is illustrated by this Washington Post piece on AOL’s current trend of launching websites which often have no direct connection to AOL.com itself.
AOL executives say their new products attempt to capitalize on an Internet that is rapidly becoming a mix of feeds, blogs, widgets, profile pages, user-created content and other elements that are collectively regarded as Web 2.0.
“It’s really about getting a piece of the usage,” said [Kevin] Conroy, who is leading the new strategy from his office in Dulles. “You don’t just steal someone from that environment and say, ‘Come here.’ You want to be part of the social fabric.”
To a traditional local news executive, not branding something seems insane and counterintuitive to your core business. But there are a number of advantages to the idea, not the least of which is creating an extended local ad network, similar to the one AOL is creating nationally.
Beyond that mainstay, much of the new strategy involves services and products that don’t prominently feature the AOL brand. A joint venture with Telepictures Productions, TMZ is the top gossip site on the Web, according to ComScore, with more than 10 million unique visitors in October. Yesterday’s headlines included “Ballroom Battle of the Sexes” and “Britney, Please, Leave Chris Crocker Alone!” The only clue to its parent is a small “AOL News” logo at the top of the page and a few tiny links to AOL sites. Another popular site is Black Voices, the top destination for African American content, which has almost no mention of AOL. AOL has bought Userplane, a Los Angeles start-up that focuses on providing chat software to other sites, and it has a plug-in for Facebook that lets friends know when a user is online. Redskins fans can get free e-mails with the address @Ultimateredskinsfan.com through AOL. There are similar opportunities for local news organizations. If you’re in a state capitol, then launching a state politics site with integrated discussions is a natural. If you’re in a big, sprawling city, launching a site that focuses on the suburbs is a good fit. A radio station group would be a good match for a site highlighting the local music scene, etc. There are lots of possibilities, and by not branding them with your core news organization brand, you have the chance to have a product that is lively and engaged without worrying about interfering with the mission of your newsroom.Engaging in your community’s social fabric is more than just sponsoring a Health Fair or running a Toys For Tots campaign. It’s also about connecting with people indirectly and seeing the conversation not as a branding opportunity, but a chance to build a relationship.
