4 top execs on what brands should be doing to get ahead in 2016

This is a scary time to be a brand. From content studios to the growing influence of hyper-speed video production to social listening, the digital marketing landscape has never been evolving more rapidly. At the Digiday Brand Summit, taking place next week in Key Biscayne, the brightest minds in the business will convene to discuss the nuts and bolts of what it takes to build a successful brand in 2016 — both internally and externally.

As we prepare to pack our flip flops and shades, we asked four speakers at the upcoming summit what opportunities — and challenges — are facing brands today. Here are their answers, lightly edited for space and clarity:

Rachel Jo Silver, social marketing & content strategy consultant, Birchbox
Snapchat and Facebook Live. Both are extremely effective ways to engage in real-time conversations with your customers about topics they care about. Snapchat is a powerful channel for one-to-one communication and Facebook Live is one-to-many.

Stephanie Miller, senior manager, social media, GoPro
Investing time and resources in product education is a great brand-building opportunity as it deepens the relationship between brand and consumer. Education doesn’t have to be stuffy and boring. Find new ways to sneak in tips and tricks through social assets. Or Periscope to share a short and sweet pro tip series. Education can break down barriers to entry and lead to more hands-on time with your product – two major wins for any brand.

Nick Fairbairn, vp, brand marketing, Dollar Shave Club
Rather than call out one specific channel or tactic, I’ll say lots of brands have a misconception that you can only build the brand or drive response — that the two are mutually exclusive. This is not the case: you can build your brand and drive response through smart creative and media strategy along with long term and short term goals stated up front, and you have to hold yourself accountable to balance the short and long term.

Belen Pamukoff, brand director, Tecate
My advice would be three-fold. First, what’s your X-Factor? Find that unique factor of your brand that makes you stand out from industry standards. Second, get personal. Speak to your audience like they speak to each other. We made the decision last year to talk to our audience in English, while most continued talking to them in Spanish. Third, be an early adopter. Establish good relationships with your digital vendors to see how you can take advantage of the latest platforms. From new algorithms to updated video features, we never shy away from testing out the latest technology.

To learn more about the Digiday Brand Summit, click here.

https://digiday.com/?p=170734

More in Announcement

Digitas, Wpromote, Known, Critical Mass and Juice Media are 2024 Digiday Media Buying and Planning Awards finalists

The Digiday Media Buying and Planning Awards recognize the most successful companies, campaigns and technologies in the modern media landscape. This year’s finalists focused on data-driven decision-making, innovation and technology, client collaboration and partnerships, and — perhaps most importantly — adaptability and agility.  A standout for one of several new categories this year — Best […]

Bloomberg Media, MG OMD, UM and Woo are 2023 Digiday Awards Europe winners

This year’s Digiday Awards Europe winners focused on incorporating new technologies and formats into campaigns, transcending traditional advertising and tapping into partnerships that unlocked desired audiences. Themes across the 2023 winners centered on maximizing the use of social media, amplifying brand engagement with tech and establishing synergistic brand partnerships.  Bloomberg Media secured the award for […]

Pepsi MAX, MiQ, Gamelight, Tripadvisor and Netflix are 2023 Digiday Awards Europe finalists

The focus for this year’s Digiday Awards Europe finalists centered on tech innovations, brand partnerships and collaborations, as well as creating compelling narratives. The shortlist entries share a common theme: creating content that resonates with audience interests and investing in partnerships to reach new markets. For example, Pepsi MAX secured a nomination for Best Use […]