To make a brand happen, the first step is to go beyond digital marketing

Brands invested around US$680 billion in digital marketing in 2023, 10% more compared to 2022, according to data from Statista. And the area’s growth doesn’t stop there. Also according to the study, the expectation is that this amount will reach US$910 billion by 2027.

In fact, there is no denying the importance of “digital”. In addition to the numbers themselves, the advancement of the concept is such that it has become common to refer to it as a synonym for any action in the sector, and not just as one of the areas to be explored.

Although this preference is understandable, I believe that many companies are “losing their hand” on the issue. The enthusiasm of brands in exploring the world of digital marketing has reached a point where, sometimes, there is a certain exaggeration in the number of publications on their social networks.

Today, in such a competitive and competitive market, companies need to understand that building a reputation does not just involve publishing an image or video about a product.

Marketing must be very well designed and structured, capable of truly showcasing the company’s expertise through strategic content, in order to create a more robust and connected narrative in different spaces.

Integrated strategy

This implies that this construction does not need to be limited to digital formats, such as blogs, emails and social networks. This communication can, and should, be much broader, covering different fronts with the public in a fully integrated way. It is called 360° marketing, which encompasses not only digital, but also different channels, such as printed materials, advertising in traditional media, such as television and radio, and also live marketing.

This is far from meaning, however, that technology needs to be left out of actions. Strategies involving the increasingly influential immersive universe, for example, based on Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR) and Mixed Reality (MR) technologies, also have a very high relevance in the current scenario.

In this scenario, the more the company is able to jointly appropriate these different formats and channels, aiming to build a solid narrative around its brand, the greater the result and return of the campaign will also be.

A practical example is hiring digital influencers. As much as this strategy is common nowadays, I have noticed that several companies try to use the contractor’s image only for generic publications, without linking the message to the brand’s positioning.

On the other hand, imagine a corporation that takes advantage of the character to produce strategic pieces, mapping the possibility of structuring materials for different fronts, producing advertising films that are capable of inserting the brand and the influencer as true protagonists of the story. In this second path, digital marketing is just another channel for disseminating vast content, which is based on a universe that combines texts with images in a much more solid and structured way.

Another interesting example is the organization of in-person events or activations, an action known as live marketing. In addition to being able to play a significant role in building a closer and more vivid narrative with consumers, something much appreciated especially in the current post-pandemic context, these projects also contribute to the construction of more interesting and charming materials for the social network itself. of brand.

In other words, digital marketing is present in the campaign, but it is integrated marketing that allows content built for digital to be powerful.

The truth is that there is no longer any doubt about the importance of digital marketing for companies. However, it is worth highlighting that the real key to success lies in building integrated content and strategies that complement each other.

Without this meticulous care, the effectiveness of digital actions tends to decrease considerably compared to those brands that dedicate time to building all these details.

At this moment, it is time for marketing managers to tune in to this movement and realize that success in the digital scenario goes beyond online presence – after all, it is the harmony between strategies that makes all the difference.

*Ricardo Tarza is a partner and director of innovation and creativity at DreamOne and a postgraduate degree in brand and product management from Faculdade Belas Artes de São Paulo.