IBM White Paper Preview

CMOs must make digital a cornerstone of their strategy to deliver a great brand experience to their customers. Connecting the dots is more than coordination or synchronization of efforts. It’s an opportunity to carefully consider how digital will bring value to both the business and consumers. CMOs should set their digital ambitions to:

• Complement the brand, using digital to anticipate the consumer. A first role for digital is filling in the gaps within the current brand experience. Digital helps accompany customers throughout their life cycle, from catching them when they look for more information after seeing advertising to helping clients respond to service questions or manage repair appointments. For example, since its stores aren’t everywhere, Apple complements the exploring and buying phases particularly well with its Web site, providing rich product information, full specifications, and video and then walking the consumer through an easy-to-understand configuration and purchase. Marketers at companies that are unfamiliar with digital will find that complementing is a good place to start.