Monday, June 13, 2011

Branding for Digital vs. Non-Digital Companies

I recently had an interesting conversation with a friend and fellow entrepreneur who is starting a beverage company. I was telling him how hugely helpful our graphic designer (who also built our brand) has been at Sportaneous (www.sportaneous.com), and suggested that he find someone good in-house to take care of his branding and graphic design like we did. I said that given the number of ongoing graphic needs, it's worth finding someone good (if you can) and offering a small equity chunk in exchange for high-quality ongoing work. My friend responded that for a more non-digital, traditional company like his, he was inclined to just hire somebody contractually rather than give them equity, since he didn't see them having the same kinds of ongoing needs that a digital company like mine has.

This raises an interesting question: do non-digital, more traditional companies, like a beverage company, have less significant needs for their digital branding? I think this question actually hints at a larger question: do these traditional companies need to "go digital" at all or will there always be a place for such companies in tomorrow's world, regardless of their digital presence? I'm curious to hear everyone's thoughts...

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