Most interesting session at South by Southwest 2010, confirmed my instinct

Twitter: #SXSW #brandsdontthink

“Brands Don’t Think Like You Think They Think with Barbarian Group’s Benjamin Palmer
South by Southwest Interactive 2010 catalog description:
“One of the hopeful revenue sources for many internet startups is “ad dollars.” How come they don’t usually show up? Turns out that what you think brands want from the internet is not what they want. We will share some tips and insights learned from working with nearly 100 brands in the last decade.”

Brands are built on scale and safety, not novelty

There’s a misunderstanding that brands want what’s next on the internet, but brand managers are not waiting around for what’s hot.

How brand managers see online advertising

• Good brands trust other good brands: safety in numbers
• There’s safety in numbers, allow brands to congregate
• Well-designed sites, apps, etc. are associated with trustworthiness
• Don’t want more ad space
• Don’t like banner ads
• Are interested in reach and scale
• Want their own brand differentiation
  

  Brands need to connect with online audiences and traditional agencies don’t solve those problems