How to Build Brands in Digital Age†

Book Excerpt: As Marketers Deal With Fragmentation, the Idea Should Drive the Media, Not the Other Way Around

Advertising Age, October 20, 2008 — We are absolutely awash in news and information.... This wash of messages is due, in good part, to the increase in channels of communication, mostly in digital communication. The internet and all manner of things digital have made it almost impossible to escape what's going on in the world, for better or for worse. This has created a host of challenges and opportunities for CMOs and everyone else responsible for the care and feeding of brands. How do you cut through the clutter? How do you take advantage of digital tools and tactics to learn more about consumers and deliver better, more-relevant brand experiences?

This article, an excerpt from a book called "BrandDigital," is about the way marketers built brands in the pre-digital world compared with the way smart companies are building brands today.