The-Face-to-Face Book was very different from the other two books in Digital Branding. While the other books stressed the importance of online communication, this book explained how offline communication is an important tool. Authors Ed Keller and Brad Fay seemed to be against social media as a good marketing strategy.
I thought The Face-to-Face Book was assigned because Keller and Fay discussed word-of-mouth and real relationships, compared to online communication. While the class focused on online branding, the book explained how word of mouth is important, and can help or hurt a brand. When a company is talked about positively, it helps promote the brand. On the other hand, negative word of mouth allows others to share their bad experiences, hurting a brand. It also helps to have an integrated strategy for marketing. There should be a mix of online and offline communication for a successful marketing strategy. Some people may favor offline communication, while others prefer online communication, such as reviews and ratings.
Keller and Fay discuss how a brand becomes talk-worthy, which can apply to digital branding. Through influencers, word of mouth, and relationships, people learn and talk about different brands. Influencers share their knowledge with others and tell people about the brands they advocate. Word of mouth can be done in multiple ways. People can talk to others, or share their thoughts online. Finally, brands should focus on creating relationships with their customers. If brands do this, the customers are more likely to be loyal to the company and talk about the company.
There were things I liked and disliked about this book. I liked how Keller and Fay included case studies of the concepts they discussed. Instead of just explaining a concept, they provided examples of how the concept was utilized in real life. One interesting example was Target's first store in New York. The ad included Target's logo, but did not reveal the company. This allowed Target fans in the area to feel special and "in the know." I did not like how the book seemed to only favor real-life communication and not social media. While it is important to actually talk to people, there are other ways to promote and discuss a brand, such as online reviews. Plus, if companies are not online, customers will still complain. These complains will grow, while the companies still believe they are doing a good job, although online comments may give a different opinion.
I think this book should stay on the Digital Branding reading list. While it focuses on oral communication, it can still apply to the online world. People can spread word of mouth online, either by writing a review for a product or discussing a company on social media. It gives readers another perspective on branding that may not be a main priority today. This book gives a mix of online and offline communication that can be beneficial for companies.
A main idea of this book is relationships between a company and its customers, which is a main idea of the other two books I read for this class. When a customer experiences a problem and writes the company about the problem, that person shouldn't have to wait for a solution. It is important for the company to act quickly to fix the issue.
Companies should have an active presence on social media. Current and potential customers are online, so companies should follow suit. It is also important for companies to check what is being said about them. If they don't, they may be unaware of negative feedback, like Dell experienced in 2005. Also, when customers complain or ask questions, the company should answer in a relatively quick manner. If not, customers may become unhappy with the company and take their business to another company.
Although this book sparked more discussion, it was interesting to read. New perspectives to marketing allow for new ideas to form, which could help companies in the future.
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