Often you’ll encounter the argument that online resources need to be organised over one centrally defined property like the companies website. Initially it makes sense, a brand to most people is a singular entity that is best off occupying one single space organised within one centrally controlled property but this assumption is fundementally flawed and worse out of touch with the way consumers interact with brands online.
A brand can be defined along the same lines as social psychologists define culture. A culture is defined as the sum total of all things that exist within or make reference to the culture from language to events, places and its people. There are literally thousands of singular elements that make the sum total for defining a culture. So to with a brand, the brand is the sum total of all things that bear resemblance and make reference to the brand and although some elements outweight others, it is not centrally defined and exists more in the minds of consumers than any central location.
Typically the motive for centralising content over one discreet property is driven by the CIO whose cost imperatives of having centrally controlled content management systems are decided on before marketing can even enter the debate (or know what to debate).
One of the most conspicuous aspects of the web is its fragmented nature and the fragmented way that people tend to consume content. Therefore it seems pragmatic to replicate this pattern by distrbuting and hosting branded content throughout a diverse range of locations.
Indeed a cultural idea or meme is percieved as having pervaded its way into a culture further (being stronger as a meme) if it is encountered over more sources rather than fewer. So in the interest of improving a brands standing and its penetration into a culture it is likewise pragmatic to ensure that it is encountered via many sources, the argument for multichannel campaigns.
Most brands see the need to have a presence on social media channels as a base covering exercise, we’ve ticked the Facebook box but the most valuable benefit of utilising social media channels to host branded content is to better replicate the natural fragmented pattern consumers follow when consuming content and reflect the naturally occuring incidence of a meme in a culture.
