The Problem

As is often noted, branding is about developing long-lasting relationships between a business and its customers. The ability to build trust and appeal to consumers is both helped and hindered by the trend of digital marketing.

On one hand, Internet marketing is more affordable than traditional routes to advertising, freeing up resources while providing brands with a global marketing platform.  On the other hand, however, it also crowds the playing field, making it difficult for brands to get noticed among the multitudes of online marketers.

Of particular concern for media marketing in recent years are both the sheer number of media outlets and the number of fake postings, which in turn lead to fake metrics. Fake postings can make it really difficult for potential customers to know what’s real and what’s not. 

How Bad Is It?

Just how big is the illegitimacy problem on the Internet? As Max Read puts it in a New York Magazine article, less than 60% of web traffic is human. In an NPR interview, he further explains that we have passed “the inversion,” a point at which there is now so much fake content on the Internet that even our algorithms’ ability to tell the difference between real and fake gets turned around.

Not only does this inhibit brands from building trust with customers but it also ensures that ROI takes a hit due to marketing rates that are based on inflated metrics.  So, what can be done to get around this problem and stand out from the crowd?

The Solution

One often overlooked strategy for effective content marketing is creating marketing partnerships, an approach where one brand allies itself with another established, legitimate brand, which gives consumers greater confidence in the content offered. Moreover, people take notice when companies work together on behalf of their customers, and partnerships make brands more attractive, increasing their impact and reach.

A Regatta BrandAgent, akin to a talent agent, finds and secures the best, most strategically sound partnerships for brands in order to circumvent the proliferation of fake Internet postings. The resulting partnership marketing arrangement cultivates trusting relationships with real people, increasing overall value and legitimacy.

Want to learn more about how partnership marketing can help your brand? Contact us today.