• by Masha Geller , December 18, 2001

If one more person asks me whether I think the Internet is a good branding medium, I'll scream. The question has been asked at just about every industry gathering in online history and the answer is still 'yes' - depending on the specific objectives of your branding campaign, the web - in addition to other media - may very well be used as a vehicle to build brand awareness.

But that's not what I'm fed up with. What concerns me is that marketers seem to have forgotten that building trust, loyalty and relationships with customers is what builds a brand, which is monumentally more important than raising brand awareness (both online and offline).

As a new survey from Liquid Agency found recently, many tech brands have misspent their marketing dollars by placing an emphasis on the "idea of branding."

The poll, completed by more than 700 technology marketers in the U.S. and abroad, showed that two of the top three rated strategies for sustaining brands in challenging times involved customer relationship building.

While the survey focuses on technology brands that took quite a beating recently (and brings back memories of "Instant Branding" with Super Bowl ads two years ago), the findings can be applied to any industry -- one of the best ways to build a brand is through public relations, customer relationship management and brand advertising, the survey found.

Alfredo Muccino, Creative Director at Liquid Agency, said, "brands are built over time by taking care of customer's real needs and concerns and by being consistent with the brand essence and values."

So yes, by all means, brand online, but remember that it's just one piece of the puzzle.