MAM
Corporate Image Mythology
As e-commerce matures, it opens a great door for smart marketing based on some fundamental laws of common sense, which should address bringing out honest and clean messages to ease the pain of the customers. Smart messages with powerful names will grow in time, and don’t require permanent, expensive fireworks support to attract customers.
There are three common myths about corporate image and name identity: Big money will buy you a big image, customers are just sheep, and constant bombardment will bring constant sales. Corporate image and name identity form the backbone of any business. Without them there will be no growth, no IPOs, no M&As. It is critical to understand how to play this game, blindfolded or with clear vision.
Let’s explore some of this mythology.
Blowing on an Image
Traditionally, the branding advice has been that a big branding budget coupled with a big blowout fireworks will ensure a great corporate image and identity. Sure, it worked in the 1960s or 1980s, but not in the “years of the zeros” during 2000 to 2005 and beyond.
There has been a serious meltdown and erosion in this thinking. Today, big spending cannot guarantee a big image. The real truth is often traveling much faster than the sugar-coated image. Now it is necessary first to put the result in front to match the talk about the image.
Money helps to get some of the things in motion. However, “the bigger the amount, the bigger the image” is a thing of the past. Today, the right money with the right image and corporate performance will bring out a great corporate identity. Take a look at Google; it had no advertising agency, and simply relied on shoestring marketing with smarts and record-breaking performance. Now it is the top brand in e-commerce, all without any big branding bucks.
There are thousands of corporations exploring such strategies, while hundreds of others with thousands of dollars a day in branding budgets are still scratching their heads and going nowhere. Branding costs are there to help, but the idea that unlimited budgets will give you unlimited growth is just a myth.
Are Customers Really Sheep?
Big agencies believe that consumers are large herds of sheep and will follow to any creative exploitation, and for that reason, they encourage wild and bizarre campaigns.
Perhaps it was true in the past, as until recently, customers simply followed the wind and worshiped the sun; anything shining was good enough to follow. Not today. Now they are very clever and overly exposed — stalking for the best deals, ignoring the lure while frustrated by the crazy blast.
All customers want is simple name recognition as a calling device, something to remember and something easy to type. The rest of the fanfare is lost in the multi-media jungle. Today, the key is marketing one-to-one, delivered with some clarity and respect. Today, success through wild branding fanfare to the masses, as if they were all sheep, is just a myth.
Bombardment of Messages
How much bombardment of the message is required until the masses have succumbed? How often should a name be repeated in a commercial before they can recall a name, and how often should they be jolted with shock before they are all mesmerized?
Hypnotized or dazed the customers might be. However, often for other reasons, like the daily grind of life, they are not buying the old beaten up mantra of repetitiveness. The more you repeat the dysfunctionality of a message, the more they shut out.
A simple, clean message is more than enough. A clean corporate identity message with a sharp name designed to simulate their needs rather than make fun of their intelligence is what’s required.
The old concept of “thousands of repeated ads will get thousands of orders” might have worked in the past, but not today. The radio age or the TV age was responsible for this thinking, but not now, as in this cyber age it is a one-to-one format. The idea that repetitive messages will bring repetitive success is just a myth.
As e-commerce matures, it opens a great door for smart marketing based on some fundamental laws of common sense, which should address bringing out honest and clean messages to ease the pain of the customers. Global cyber-branding demands the application of proper rules.
Smart messages with powerful names will grow in time, and don’t require permanent, expensive fireworks support to attract customers. Today, corporate identity requires a serious re-evaluation and, most importantly, it must be done in light of all this mythology.
MAM
GUEST COLUMN: How strategy and creativity drives ROI in digital campaigns
Why engagement, AI, and integrated strategy are redefining ROI in digital campaigns
MUMBAI: As digital marketing matures, the benchmarks of success are undergoing a fundamental shift. Reach and visibility, once the primary indicators of campaign performance, are no longer sufficient in a landscape defined by fleeting attention spans and evolving consumer behaviour. Today, brands are being challenged to move beyond surface-level metrics and focus on meaningful engagement, relevance, and long-term impact. ForAkhil Nair, founder and CEO at BigTrunk Communications, this transition from visibility to value reflects a deeper change in how campaigns are conceived, executed, and measured. In this piece, Nair explores why traditional metrics fall short, how AI and integrated thinking are reshaping campaign effectiveness, and why creativity, context, and agility are essential to driving real return on investment in modern digital campaigns.
The shift from visibility to value
For a long time, digital campaigns were judged by how many people saw them. If lots of people looked at it and the numbers were good, it meant things were going well. Impressions and clicks were what mattered. Over time, that didn’t feel like enough. Just because someone sees something doesn’t mean it makes an impact. People scroll through content quickly and often do not really notice what they have just seen. This has changed how we think about campaigns today.
There has been a shift in how brands look at this. It is not just about reaching people, but also about what happens after that, whether someone stops, engages, or remembers the brand later. That is what matters more. This moves the focus from visibility to value.
Some metrics we have relied on for years do not tell the full story. A campaign can reach a large audience and still fail to create a real connection. On paper, it may look strong, but in reality, it does not do much. That is why engagement and intent have become more important, especially whether people are interacting with the content or simply scrolling past it. Even small actions, like spending a few extra seconds or clicking through, matter more.
AI is helping brands understand how people behave and interact with them. It helps brands make better decisions so they can create campaigns that truly connect with people, not just reach a large audience. AI can also predict what will be popular and help refine campaigns, which makes marketing more effective. This allows marketing teams to focus more on generating ideas. In this way, AI supports both creativity and strategy.
Why integration and context matter
Another important factor is how well everything comes together. Campaigns often fall short when strategy, media, and creative are developed separately, because that lack of alignment is noticeable. When everything is aligned from the start, the campaign feels more natural and the message comes through clearly. It also fits better within the platform where it appears.
This matters because people behave differently across platforms. The way someone watches a video is not the same as how they search or read longer content. These differences may seem minor, but they can significantly impact performance. Paying attention to context helps campaigns feel more relevant and effective.
Creativity, agility and long-term impact
There is a common assumption that performance-driven campaigns leave little room for creativity, but that is not the case. The most effective campaigns often feel simple and real. People tend to ignore anything that feels overly polished or forced. Instead, they connect with content that feels familiar and relatable, something that reflects how they think or speak.
At the same time, campaigns do not always go as planned. Audience behavior, trends, and platform dynamics can shift quickly. What works initially may stop working later. That is why it is important to continuously track performance and make adjustments. Small changes over time can improve outcomes, and campaigns that stay flexible tend to perform better.
While short-term results matter, consistency over time plays a bigger role. When a brand shows up in a relevant and consistent way, it builds familiarity. Over time, that familiarity turns into trust.
Digital marketing has evolved, and expectations have evolved with it. Visibility still matters, but it is no longer enough on its own. What truly drives impact is whether a campaign connects, leaves a lasting impression, and leads to action. Being seen is easy, but being remembered is what really counts.
