Its controversial and its criticized; yet no one can dispute that WikiLeaks is here to stay! Be it the non-profit new media organization¡¯s methodical leaks about America¡¯s closely guarded secrets or its smug readiness to tackle any form of censorship that comes its way, there are a lot many lessons to be learnt from WikiLeaks. Business tips for better branding strategies too! Read on.
Understand the market ¨C brand relationship ¨C WikiLeaks is a whistleblower supremo today because it has an enviable dedicated audience which includes Governments, media as well as the world¡¯s avid citizenry that tracks its every revelation. The first step in your branding strategies should be to closely track your market, identify the niche audience you want your brand to cater to and consistently keep proving yourself over and over again to them.
Create a buzz ¨C Remember my last post, when I spoke about being positive about negative publicity? WikiLeaks is a live example of that. Keep your brand alive and kicking in news as well as in your clients¡¯ mind; be it by periodically revamping your website, coming up with lucrative offers or discounts or even promotional items as periodical gifts for your clients.
Logo, lingo and limelight ¨C ¡®Big Brother is watching- So are we¡¯, ¡®Nesting lies – Hatching truth¡¯, ¡®We open Governments¡¯ or ¡®Information wants to be free¡¯. WikiLeaks ads can¡¯t get any louder! Consider these business tips/models for effective advertising and ensure your ads speak your brand¡¯s language rather than being blas¨¦ ad copies, detached from your business context.
Have back-ups ¨C Do you know its probably true that WikiLeaks can never be completely erased from the internet? It is hosted on multiple servers and lists 1005 mirror websites to access it, in case if someone tries to delete the website from one domain. In business too, your funds may dry up or recession may play spoilsport but keep alternatives ready in advance.
Business = bruised egos ¨C Look out for them and deal with them. The Government is its sworn enemy but WikiLeaks continues to be unfazed and churns out its best works. Similarly your competitors will try their level best to bog you down but keep your branding strategies crisp and your ideology clear and you will race your competitors out of the competition.
Make your brand a movement ¨C Seems like the term brand loyalty was exclusively coined for WikiLeaks. Its thrown the world into a tizzy. Every little titbit about Julian Assange gets several hits, it has 447793 Twitter followers and 7650 FB friends, WikiLeaks promotional items are being lapped up and so on. Hope the above points will make your brand a phenomenon too!
With these business tips am sure Victory¡ or should I say ¡®Wiki¡¯tory isn¡¯t far off!
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