Old Made New: "Interactive"

I am fascinated by all the people rushing to add "interactive" to their resumes and job listings as a "must-have" in the "been there, done that" column. Of course, mostly these folks mean "I've done some stuff on the Web"--but it is slightly irksome in the long view, as making advertising and marketing "interactive" is at the core of brand building.

 

If we accept the premise that a brand is a relationship, then there is de facto interaction. Because, as far as I know, there is no such thing as a one-sided relationship (okay, there is, and it's called stalking, and I don't know many brands that would like to be characterized as stalking their consumers). So, even before the popularity and proliferation of the internet as multiple channels--there was interaction with consumers.

 

I personally created packaging the goal of which was to get the consumer to pick it up--in other words, interact with it. Some of that packaging was meant to enable virtual trial of the product--again, interaction. I created merchandising with coupons for people to tear off. I created shelf talkers and danglers--all meant to interrupt the shopping landscape and engage the customer. And, of course--always with the goal of inciting the ultimate interaction--purchase. Then we'd go to work on the after-purchase interaction, known as customer service.

 

Today it's true we have many more ways to reach out and touch our consumers. We can push content at them and we can pull them into experiences on web sites (games, quizzes, communities, etc.)--the latter of which can also serve our purposes of gathering more data about our potential customers to use and sell (yes, Mr. Consumer, you are a source of revenue even if you don't buy anything!). But the thinking about "interaction" and "brand" should still follow the same lines:

• The interactive experiences should fit the brand personality
• The interaction should carry the consumer seamlessly through the purchase decision process
• There should be multiple points of entry, so we can cast our net more broadly
• There should be multiple levels on each interaction, so consumers can delve as deeply and become as involved as they like
• Each interaction should be, in some way, a value add to the brand and the consumer--never waste their time or confuse them
• No consumer should ever get the impression that they are being pointed to a web interaction when what is actually called for is a personal interaction--in that case, the web becomes a barrier to sale/brand building

The bottom line, interaction is interaction is interaction....from the sales floor to the Facebook page, consistency of brand presence and positivity of customer experience with a product and a brand is essential. And just because you've posted some bitchin' video to your company's web site doesn't mean it will resonate in any way with a qualified potentially purchasing customer unless it has context and dovetails with your branding efforts beyond the video.

 

It is a more intricate pattern of interaction that we set out to achieve in these technology-laden times, but the principles remain the same. The net effect is positive disposition to the brand and forward action of some kind--buying, sharing, discussing--as it was in the "old days" (10 years ago...), when a interruptive snipe on a package was considered pretty "in your face."