Electronic Retailer - June 2011 - 8

YOUR ASSOCIATION, YOUR BOTTOM LINE

BY JULIE COONS

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electronicRETAILER | June 2011

Bringing Clarity to the ERA Brand
Marketing professionals know all too well the critical nature of establishing your brand in the marketplace. The brand sets your company, products and services apart from the competition, and it’s the brand that helps to build trust between you and the consumer. The Electronic Retailing Association (ERA) is no different. As the premier trade association representing leaders of direct-to-consumer marketing, ERA recognizes the importance of clearly and effectively conveying its brand to its members and the industry at large. Marketers are storytellers who utilize different media to speak directly to their target audiences. Now it is ERA’s turn to tell its own story directly to the marketing community. That’s why beginning in July, ERA will launch a comprehensive Brand Clarification campaign that not only defines the brand, but communicates the brand proposition. Our mission is to express to prospective members the value of forging a relationship with the association; and for current members, our goal is to reinforce the intrinsic worth of continuing that partnership. This process would not have been possible without the support, approval and, most importantly, active involvement of our Board of Directors. ERA’s key brand components – attributes, personality and core value – reflect the guiding principles of the Board, membership and the industry. The attributes of a brand are the methods by which the core value is delivered and symbolize the tangible benefits. ERA embodies key attributes such as advocacy, self-regulation and industry standards, access and wisdom. And we believe the best way to illustrate these attributes is through the success stories of our members. Over the next several months, you’ll hear their stories and learn how ERA has helped them to achieve their marketing objectives and enhance their overall business. What does personality mean to a brand? It impacts the tone of the brand’s voice along with its entire communications. The Board of Directors, working with data from ERA members, identified five personality traits that describe the association: global, friendly and inclusive, electric, leader and trustworthy. For us, this provides a prime opportunity to make an impression and create brand awareness in the industry. Lastly, as approved by the ERA Board of Directors, is ERA’s core value: “to protect and grow marketing’s best sellers.” The primary thing to remember about ERA is it’s the place where the most highly regarded thought leaders in the industry converge for the purpose of ensuring the direct-to-consumer marketing industry continues to thrive. It’s also the organization founded for the purpose of providing an arena for the world’s retailers who sell directly to their customers via electronic channels to support and learn from one another. ERA is the community of innovative marketers and retailers who are adapting the industry’s newest communication and distribution channels to serve their customers globally. The core value is really an exciting statement because it resonates with all of us how this industry is truly distinctive. It shows how direct-toconsumer commerce maintains a competitive edge over other marketing methodologies and highlights the unique contributions that this industry brings to the marketing ecosystem. Simply stated, it’s all about sales and measurable ROI. What’s more, it’s about marketing professionals choosing a brand that enables them to continue to do what they do best by providing them with valuable resources and networking opportunities. And that’s a story we are more than happy to tell.

Electronic Retailer - June 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Electronic Retailer - June 2011