DDi - June 2010 - (Page 36)

36 | Marketing & Branding ing and Br 010 in 2 rvival to From Su IVAL REV lready nearly two quarters into the year, retail designers—from powerhouse outlets like Starbucks, Target, Microsoft, Borders and others—have taken dramatic and varied steps to boost themselves out of the recession economy. At the beginning of the year, pundits pointed to technological advances driving deeper connections between companies and consumers, simultaneously increasing brand awareness and loyalty— and that has certainly come to pass. Retail shops have been retooling and modernizing their infrastructures to be more relevant to more people in more places in the word. Looking back at some of the early predictions about the factors affecting brands in 2010, a few are worth studying for their relevance to the retail design industry. Let’s explore how emerging social, technological and economic trends have inﬂuenced companies and individuals globally, across markets. In an effort to remain visible and relevant, companies are ﬂocking to social networks as a panacea for their consumer-relations ills. There’s an undeniable allure to easy brand evangelism, but never before have companies put their brands in the hands of so many—and at what peril? On the ﬂip side, consumers are suddenly eager to offer up their most intimate personal details, creating connections to brands that are far beyond skin-deep. A These shifts toward personalization—on the sides of both the brands and consumers—have driven retailers to rethink their targeted marketing strategies. Google and Microsoft are offering new methods for serving up advertisements based on users’ Web surﬁng habits. Facebook is creating custom interfaces based on users’ demographics and psychographics, and Twitter is serving as the world’s mouthpiece, giving individual consumers more sway than they’ve had before. The best brands today are not only properly managed, but also actively engaged with their target audiences. JetBlue Airways and Southwest Airlines have both been successful early adopters of Twitter, and these social sites have created new types of real-time forums, where customer service workers can answer consumer questions and respond to product or service concerns instantly. Bricks-and-mortar stores are just now hitting their stride, ﬁnding a comfortable place in | June 2010

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of DDi - June 2010

DDi - June 2010
From the Editor
Newsworthy
Quick Tips
Greentailing
Editor’s Choice
Design Snapshot
Channel Focus: Home Furnishings
Levi’s London
Berlin
Put the “StoreFirst”
Branding in 2010
Most Valuable U.S. Retail Brands 2010
POP Products
Right Light
In-Store Technology
Product Spotlight
Calendar
Advertisers
Classifieds
Shopping with Paco

DDi - June 2010