Dana Mahoney's
Point of View

Senior Brand Strategist

Old School vs. New School Branding

Photo by Bruce Rolff. Released under Creative Commons.

Before the–world-as-we-now-know it, brands were basically omnipotent. They stood on soapboxes and they preached to us - the customer. They told us how to make our teeth whiter, our laundry cleaner, and our lawn greener. Today, we not only expect that brands respect and involve the customer in the development process, we demand that brand interaction is entertaining, engaging, and relevant. Edutainment is here, and understanding this new medium is more important than ever.

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The Mobile Tour Guide

Photo by DavidDennisPhotos.com. Released under Creative Commons.

In 2010 and beyond, the travel industry has a unique opportunity to leverage the mobile device platform to build travel brands — from offering unique location-based goods and services, to optimizing Web sites for mobile viewing, to opening up the real-time dialogue between companies and consumers. Mobile devices can give travelers relevant, actionable information, and in return, customers can provide feedback that allows travel brands to be nimble, proactive, and customer-focused. The travel industry's successful implementation of a mobile strategy — based upon listening to customers and analyzing their needs — will empower brands to give their travelling customers more of what they want, converting customers into mobile brand evangelists.

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