Strategy: Map the Journey and Remove Friction

Not long ago, there were two primary touchpoints between a brand and its audience: advertising and retail. Now, there’s an almost infinite number of ways for brands to touch consumers. Most of these touchpoints are digital in nature. This digital-centric relationship has created growing sources of friction, which can negate successful brand positioning and traditional advertising.

Every touchpoint in the consumer journey sends critical conscious and subconscious signals. Advertising dollars must be shifted away from the big brand message and distributed across content, technology, UX design and data management.

Creative: Leverage Functional Content

With the purchase journey mapped, brands must create content that removes friction and empowers the audience at each granular step. Emotional storytelling is critical for brand building, but it’s even more important to provide extensive functional content that outlines each product’s features and benefits. This content needs to be developed not only for when and where each person is in the journey, but also in the format that meets their individual needs: text, images, videos, ratings, reviews, and interactivity.