A Brand as a Medium - Media as Brands (from the book Media&Change - Insight for News Media Professionals)

How come that established brands understand the role of media so well that they are actually becoming media themselves? By doing so they need traditional media less. They invest less in “classical advertising” because they find different surveys and numbers on audiences behind their argumentations which media companies are still using as their major “weapon” when fighting for ad-budgets less relevant. How should – in this new media environment – traditional news media regain and prove their social relevance?

Book published by Giacomelli media

A brand is as strong as its strong relationship with the consumer. The relationship is based on shared values: aspirations, expectations, responsibility, ambitions, dreams, interests…, that consumers associate and share with their chosen brand. Consumers are changing through their life cycle and brands do so as well. The magic happens when brand and consumer meet and travel on this life journey together.

Talk to me like the media do

Considering that we are talking of a kind of “love” when trying to describe the relationship with brands we can easily understand what
consumer is expecting from the brand – involvement in his everyday life, presence, communication. Brand has to be there whenever needed. Like the best friend. Being there means being connected much deeper than just through advertising and points of sale. Brands like Red Bull, Burberry, Swarovski and many others understand that principle very well and that is why they became so deeply involved in the audiences and highly relevant partners in daily decision making of their fans followers and customers. They took the role we associated with the media a decade or more ago and overnight they became media themselves.

Let's take the example of Red Bull. It is it an energy drink or is it the ambassador of active lifestyle? The Red Bull Media House, launched in 2007 in Salzburg, Austria, promotes itself as one of the world's leading multi-platform media companies for creating premium content with a focus on sports, culture, and lifestyle. As an umbrella brand, it offers a wide range of premium media products and compelling content across media channels as diverse as TV, mobile, digital, audio, and print, with core media offerings that appeal to a global audience. They even invite other brands to become their partners and to advertise in their media.

In April 2013 Burberry opened its new Flagship on 121 Regent Street in London. It is not just another store. It is a place where you can experience the brand. At the entrance the visitor is greeted and kindly invited to “take a tour” around the place. And there is a lot to be seen. Different media platforms are
used to introduce and guide you into the relationship with the brand. You can actually see, hear and feel Burberry. Not just as a passive passer-by but as a co-creator of the content. You are encouraged to experience the brand in a multi – sensory way. The largest video display in the world is used for presenting global events screened live, interactive mirror morphs you into a video showing the runway at a Burberry show, original Burberry soundtrack is fulfilling the atmosphere … A great example of a brand that understands digital age and new habits of the consumer and invests enormous amounts of money and creativity into dragging people from their digital platforms back into store. But not in the store at is used to be – into amazing digitally enabled cultural place.

Swarovski, known as a family-owned Austrian company producing crystals, decided to make a step into the world of film-making. Not just a supplier of products but as a financial and creative partner. They understand this step as a natural extension of their luxury brand and as a great way to express their philosophy, ideas and values. With a clear purpose – to achieve a larger reach of the brand. Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, directed by Carlo Carlei, is going to be their cinematic premiere is announced for autumn 2013.

I'm your Medium

While consumers are experiencing new, deeper, involving relationship with established brands that are successfully managing their extension into media world, traditional media many times still seem as if they were  embarrassed of the idea to be developed and perceived as a brand.

As we pointed out at the beginning of this article branding is about a relationship. Who else then, if not the media, should be interested in the relationship
(for more go to http://www.mediachangeconference.com/News/Media_Change_book/)