Social Branding: The publicity of the facts

We could define Social Branding as the new discipline that deals with brand building from an authentic Social perspective and sensitivity. Bearing in mind that for most companies, the presence in Social Networks and Corporate Social Responsibility has always been addressed and conditioned by the almost unique Culture, Sensibility and Perspective of the Business, Marketing and the Market … This theme prioritizing other new realities based more on Cultural Identity, Consciousness, Honesty, People and Ethical Values, is undoubtedly a real change of substance not easy, but also a great opportunity to connect with a Society in crisis that It is increasingly sensitive to the Sincerity of the Marks.

We must be aware that when we contemplate the possibility of integrating the vision of Social Branding in the construction of our brand, we are really integrating “the publicity of the facts” into our business dynamics, so it is important that we understand that we are facing a true change of background and not a simple change of form or aesthetic.

Much of the problem with regard to the construction of the brand today is that although in theory new ideas are accepted and demanded, in practice stubborn models are still applied based on variants of a vision of the Communication of the Era Industrial, so first and foremost, I believe that the management of the company requires a true willingness to consciously and effectively adapt to the following changes:

• A Brand is not something static, rigid and permanent circumscribed to the desires of our plans, but something alive, constantly changing and totally conditioned by the people and environments with which it interacts at every moment.
• A brand is not in the offices of its managers, but is “out there” in the hands and minds of its consumers and the environments that influence them, so our plans can always become a simple wish list or directly in a nightmare, if we do not take them sufficiently into account.
• A Brand is not just a logo, or a graphic, or a certain advertising campaign or message, or something that depends on a single department of our company … but it is a transcendent Cultural issue that conditions all areas of action of our company and finally our income statement.
• A brand is no longer only perceived by what it says, but in a digital environment that is increasingly uncontrollable, intelligent and transparent, it is increasingly judged by the coherence between what it thinks, what it says and what it does.
• A Social Brand is not a Brand that is Connected on Twitter or Facebook or another type of channels or tools with its consumers, or that makes timely donations or charity, but one that is a Brand truly sensitive to its Responsibility to generate wealth for the Society and the Planet on which your Market depends.
• A Brand must learn to be “Culturally Sustainable”, converting the attitudes and visions of the Company into “Nutrients” that facilitate the development of the natural cycle of Motivation, Creativity and Innovation.
• A Brand in the practice of a company, really starts in its Shareholders, in its Board of Directors and totally depends on the leadership of its CEO … the theory that the Brand is something independent of the business or that it can be managed only from a specific department it is increasingly questioned by reality. It is important to be aware that the Brand and the Business are the two “pedals” of the same “bicycle” that needs balance, coordination and sustainable energy to move forward.
• A Brand must learn to base its Identity on its own authentic Culture, that is, on the true essence of the relationships between all the people that integrate it inside and outside the company, so that the true Value of its potential flows “human”.
• A Brand must assume that its new playing field is no longer just the Market, but the Society and the Planet on which it depends and with which it is directly connected.
• A Brand is also and above all in the Digital Age, a Media and should learn not to base the construction of its Digital Identity in the punctual Lottery of the “Virality”, but rather in a solid Editorial Line that is coherent with its Long-term goals.
• A Brand is made by and for people, so the most efficient thing is to always prioritize the human factor.
• A Brand must learn to “Flow” with events through the flexibility and serenity that self-knowledge provides.
• Each Brand is a World. What works for a Brand does not have to work for the others … so it is advisable to always look for the “own” solution.

In short, at a time when the traditional link between users and brands is more deteriorated than ever by the excesses, mistrust, saturation of offers and financial and economic deterioration, it is about gradually replacing the current paradigm of ” Brand Promise “already exhausted, for a new one based on understanding that the Brand is simply the” Footprint “that remains of all our actions, over time.

I think it’s a good time to learn to make the most of our dual realities. For example: just as our Western Culture sees reality as a collection of independent things and the vision of the Orientals, on the other hand, usually understands things rather in terms of relationships and connections … Marketing Culture tends to codify everything through the figures, while the Culture of Branding does so by focusing more on people, emotions and perceptions.

I am increasingly convinced that the current crisis puts us before the great opportunity to find new combinations and ways to generate wealth, as long as we are open to discover new ways of understanding ourselves …