The latest JAM (Journal of Arts Marketing published by the Arts Marketing Association) is again dedicated to branding. But things evolved since the previous number. One could say that certain ‘certainties’ have become less certain. Whereas a couple of years ago a firm or an organisation could still rely on a strong Brand, this is now less evident. I would not immediately say brands don’t work anymore, but it appears that priorities have changed since recent developments on the web empowered customers/audiences to express their ideas/experiences. Thus it is no longer just the image/message you send to the customer/audience that counts, but also the way this customer/audience perceives you. In short the customer/audience is in charge now (vendor relationship management).
I agree, people exchanging experiences is not new, but through the web it goes quicker than before and it has a bigger influence on your work. Thus a good relationship with our off- and online customers/audiences is crucial nowadays since it can have important effects on your brand. Therefore one has to think harder now how we interact with our customers/audiences. One needs to reflect on the reliability of the message one How reliable is our message? Do we meet expectations? Do we take our customers/audiences seriously? etc …
In short when branding your company/organisation today it involves more than a strong logo and tagline, it involves integrity. Thus and here I agree with Howard Raynor, in his article for JAM. When focussing on arts organisations we need to focus on actions and behaviours rather than images and words, …, we need organisations with a personality that our audience or visitors can ‘tate’, not ‘me too’ clones. Thus, words need to matched with rigorous actions towards our audience/visitors, if not the brand will not hold.
