“I Honestly have not seen what’s working, yet…. It’s kind of too early to tell if these approaches (bridging digital campaigns to physical actions) are going to drive results… I have not seen anyone who has found the Holy Grail.”

Nathaniel Perez, global head of social experience at SapientNitro
SXSW 2013 (source)

So… do these campaigns actually drive consumer engagement and purchasing decisions?

No. And they won’t until organizations shift from focusing on the latest technology, the quickest message delivery system, the next viral meme or the coolest app and begin to recognize that customers crave those things that an authentic brand delivers. So what needs to be delivered? What drives engagement and action? What makes a brand authentic?

A brand drives action. Forget hype. Forget selling. Think connection.

A brand with coordinated and thoughtful components sets expectations and strives to deliver beyond those expectations every time. Dynamic brands, just like interesting people, have a story to tell that resonates with a customer’s emotional needs. They’re not sappy, not overly cute… just real.

Thoughtful brands practice what they preach and nurture an organizational culture that reflects the attitudes that are honored by both the internal team and external market niche. Brands that understand design thinking cultivate customer touch-points that mirror the principles and values that employees and customers share and believe in. Agile brands develop fair, balanced and consistent tools; operational processes; and policies that let customers make decisions and develop the trust needed to engage the brand. Brands that bring all these archetypes together are brands that connect.

Case in point: SXSW Interactive itself. The show is overflowing with new ideas, just-launched products, fresh startups, and a growing list of huge tech firms that all use the same “me-too” language, snappy giveaways and overly hyped social media contests. Brands struggling for even a sliver of attention have opted for flashy attention getting gimmicks that, like advertising, elicit a chorus of “ooh and ahhs” that fade as quickly as the burst of fireworks. One firm held a grilled cheese sandwich eating contest featuring a world famous champion – all of which had nothing to do what-so-ever with their brand.