2013 will be unlucky if you ignore the basics

By Paul Armstrong, Head of Social, Mindshare, July 25, 2012 at 8:15 am. No responses.

Now don’t get me wrong I love a new thing as much as the next man but more and more I’m observing brand communities being abused, opportunities missed and mistakes made.  2013 should be used by brands to take a long, hard look at what they are doing online.

It’s a great time to ask the immortal questions: “Are we doing the basics well enough?”, “Is our website ready for social?” and “Are we making a difference?”.

2012 has seen a whole raft of change and we don’t even have a new iPhone to go crazy over yet!  Smart companies in 2013 will stop doing what’s not working and refocus on the objectives they set (or perhaps didn’t set).  Either way, it’s time to get back to basics, ask “What value are we adding?” and then go big.

The changes we’ve seen thus far in 2012 paint a clear picture – in essence there are more tools in the toolbox for 2013 (mobile notifications, biddable media, greater analytics, greater communication control).  It’s to this end I believe that larger, business and world changing projects such as MyStarbucksIdea.com, Dell’s IdeaStorm and PepsiRefresh are key to success in a quiet year (and beyond).

So what’s the recommendation for success in 2013?  In my opinion, brands that will see success in 2013 will go beyond their own walls to create value beyond the page and profile.  They’ll make themselves and the world a better place.

It’s time to get a clear point of view and be bold by concentrating on bigger opportunities that can be owned via a combined approach with other channels and real business objectives.