Business Models and the Internet

I have just been marking (and completed today) 42, 20 page assignments from my BSNS 7454 Strategic Brand Management class. The topic was to analyse the Google brand from an online, service and business model perspective. Some great work was put forward. I have also in the last two weeks with my APMG 8117 Marketing Strategy course, been working with Trademe on future marketing thinking.

As I was nearing the end of the last two busy weeks it struck me; what is a successful brand online. I started to randomly think about some very successful brands online and what simply had defined their success:

1. Google: search, consumer control, interactivity, knowledge and prediction. Constant change.

2. Amazon: anything and everything – from everywhere.

3. Facebook: community and relationships.

4. Trademe (and eBay): community, the thrill of the bargain and auction, buyer/seller control, local brand.

5. Apple: simplicity in a complex world.

5. Woolworths Online (now countdown): brand trust and leveraging the physical infrastructure.

I could go on. The main point is that they were obsessive about the key drivers of their brand value with customers.