By Elja Polak, Creative Commerce Hero, SuperHeroes
In today’s fast-paced market, brands strive to create captivating experiences that boost sales. But there is a conflict I want to address. Commerce-driven strategies often clash with the goal to maintain a consistent brand voice. This leads to a disconnect. Ever noticed how a lot of ads could easily swap brand logos without losing meaning? This lack of unique brand identity affects consumer decisions, leading to what we call the ‘Commerce Pitfall’.
This pitfall occurs when marketing messages lose coherence along the consumer journey. They shift from emotional branding to mere functional triggers, often driven by price. These disjointed experiences frustrate consumers. They hurt short-term sales and long-term brand reputation. This is especially true for brands targeting Gen-Z. Their shopping demands leave no room for lost messaging along the commerce journey.
To thrive in today’s diverse platform landscape, brands must adopt a brand-first principle. Brands can create immersive experiences by infusing their identity into every touchpoint. This includes digital out-of-home ads, live shopping, and TikTok Spark ads. A strong, recognisable brand will resonate with consumers and drive conversions.
Brand-first principle: introducing the connected funnel
In a world where Gen-Z buys a brand or product right after discovering it, one could argue that the brand experience starts with the purchase. This change in consumer behavior comes from blurred lines between the roles of branded content, social platforms, and creators. They are becoming more influential. It is becoming crucial for brands to connect their brand stories to everything that reaches a consumer. So where to start?
Identify each touchpoint of the consumer journey and think about how to incorporate your brand story in each part. This innovative approach is known as the ‘brand-first principle’. It infuses the brand’s tone of voice throughout the entire customer journey. This creates a personalised, consistent and distinctive brand experience; one that resonates with the long-term brand ambitions and drives conversions.
The power of creators and the collapsed funnel
It’s clear that Gen-Z’s shopping habits have changed. Creators and influencers are now driving many of their buying decisions. This implies a collapse of the traditional marketing funnel: the AIDA model. Remember how Gen-Z moves directly from discovering a product or brand to purchasing it after reading comments on social? There are new rules at play…
Creators play a pivotal role in this paradigm shift. They are key players in transferring trust and authenticity to a brand. Gen-Z, as pioneers in this “Shopified” world, demand seamless integration of content and commerce. This is where the brand-first principle can get lost. Many brands allow influencers to generate fast lo-fi content that is not connected to the brand’s look and feel.
So, let’s take one step back and zoom out: it is not just creator content that should be viewed through this lens. Every commercial touchpoint has a shoppable variant, making it easy to fall into the Commerce Pitfall. By ‘shoppable’ I mean any digital or advertising content that lets consumers buy products directly from it.
The brand-first principle is about embedding your essence in each of these interactions. They must resonate authentically with your audience. By bridging branding and conversion, brands create playful, effective brand-first commerce strategies that appeal to Gen-Z’s shopping tendencies.
The brand-first principle can saves the world from boring commerce
The future of advertising is about total integration of brand-first strategies. It’s not just about avoiding the dreaded Commerce Pitfall; it’s about igniting a blaze of creativity that sets brands apart in a sea of mediocrity. With every touchpoint infused with personality and purpose, brands don’t just survive — they thrive!
As content and commerce merge, we must act. Let’s create unforgettable experiences that captivate audiences and drive sales. Let’s dive into this thrilling new frontier. Here, innovation meets impact and every interaction sparks joy.
