Brand Building

It's 2011 and print is still with us. Although beleagured, print remains a key ingredient in the B2B mix. It has impact and shelf-life; it has texture and a certain portability. And print has a way of commanding an audience's attention that its flashing, beeping, buzzing electronic counterparts are hard-pressed to match. But for print to be most effective, it must be integrated with the Web and its own content.

One of print's primary roles is to drive prospects to the marketer's website. That's even true for branding ads. Brand loyalty is a sound foundation on which businesses can build enduring, profitable growth.

By aggressively competing on features and price, it's difficult for companies to create meaningful and lasting differences from their competitors. While customers benefit from price wars by saving money, they also get confused when choice is confined to price. The customer is in effect buying a commodity and has no sense of brand loyalty because little is known about the company making the product or about service after the sale.

Next time: The Brand is the Differentiation.