Interbrand to build Digital Branding in India

Digital branding space still has a lot of untapped potential that savvy marketers could use to build strong brands

BestMediaInfo Bureau | Delhi | May 3, 2012

Close on the heels of strengthening its India presence through Water Strategic Branding and Design, Interbrand, the world's leading Branding firm, is focusing on the next big opportunity in the branding space – digital.

Simon Smith, the young and dynamic head of Digital at Interbrand, who was in Mumbai to speak at the MTV Youth Marketing Forum, feels that the digital branding space still has a lot of untapped potential that savvy marketers could use to build strong brands.

“Digital, unfortunately, is seen as just another medium and while many more marketers are waking up to its potential, they tend to see it as a way to reach their audiences in a targeted, cost effective manner. In that sense, they see it more as a communication medium instead of a branding medium. There's a lot more than communications that you can do,” said Smith.

He should know, considering he spent most of his career living and breathing digital. Smith started his career in computer game design for Sony while still at University. After completing his first degree in Industrial Engineering he was seduced into the rock & roll creative departments of the dotcom boom. These early experiences exposed him to gaps between the digital and traditional marketplace, which he filled.

In order to help that foray, Interbrand intends on working closely with the local talent in India. “Indians understand the cultural nuances best and are best placed to leverage digital branding here,” he asserted.

Ashish Mishra, the chief strategist and head of Water, now part of Interbrand Network, echoed the sentiment, “While digital itself has become all-pervasive in today's world, digital branding still has a long way to go. Currently, the medium is used more for downstream activities and tactical communication. With Interbrand focusing the space, we believe the digital space itself will move upstream and begin to play a strategic role. Interbrand's core belief is that Brands have the power to change the world. And Brands that have a socio cultural evangelism at their core have a far greater chance of espousing causes & conversations in a genuine way.”

For the record, Interbrand is the world's foremost strategic branding company and was started in 1974 at a time when the world still thought of "brands" as another word for logos. Interbrand changed the world's view of branding and brand management by creating and managing brands as valuable business assets, not just logos. Interbrand operates through 40 offices worldwide, and offers the widest range of disciplines including Analytics, Brand Strategy, Brand Valuation, Corporate Design, Digital Brand Management, Internal Brand Engagement, Brand Naming, Packaging Design, Retail, Verbal and Visual Identity.

Interbrand works with some of the world's best known brands including 3M, AT&T, BMW, Godrej, P&G, Thomson Reuters and many more.

Info@BestMediaInfo.com

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