If you’ve ever been to a marketing meeting in the past decade, you’ve probably heard something like this: “We need to go viral on Twitter!” or “Let’s boost our Instagram engagement!” And sure, social media is exciting. It’s immediate. It’s measurable. But here’s the uncomfortable truth that marketing expert Tom Doctoroff wants us to hear: Twitter is not a strategy.
Before you close this tab in protest, let me explain. This isn’t about dismissing social media or pretending we live in a pre-digital world. Rather, it’s about understanding that the flashiest marketing tools mean absolutely nothing without a solid foundation underneath them.
The Foundation That Everyone Forgets
Think about building a house. You wouldn’t start by picking out curtains and deciding on paint colors, right? You’d begin with a strong foundation, solid walls, and a sturdy roof. Only then would you think about the decorative touches that make it feel like home.
Branding works exactly the same way. Yet somehow, businesses keep skipping straight to the curtains.
The concept of branding actually dates back to ancient Egypt, where cattle owners would burn distinctive marks into their animals’ skin to show ownership. Today’s corporate branding works differently, of course, but the core idea remains the same: creating something distinctive that people recognize and trust.
When Procter & Gamble invented a new soap in the late 1800s, they didn’t just call it “white soap bar” like everyone else. They named it Ivory, suggesting its mild, long-lasting qualities. That branding campaign led to over $3 million in annual sales, which was absolutely massive for that era. Why? Because they understood that a strong brand creates customer loyalty that goes far beyond a single transaction.
What Makes a Brand Actually Work
Here’s where it gets interesting. Building a brand that truly resonates requires three essential ingredients working together like a well-rehearsed orchestra.
First: Consumer Insight
You need to understand what your customers actually want. Not what you think they want. Not what you want them to want. What they genuinely need and desire.
This means asking “why” questions constantly. Why do certain people love rebellious campaigns while others find them off-putting? Why would someone choose to indulge in a treat even when they’re watching their weight?
Diet Coke brilliantly resolved this internal conflict for consumers who wanted to enjoy a soda without the calorie guilt. That insight, that understanding of human psychology, became the cornerstone of their entire brand.
Cultural differences matter enormously here too. Research by social psychologist Dr. Geert Hofstede shows that Americans score 91 out of 100 on individualism, while Chinese consumers score only 20. This means Nike’s “Just Do It” campaign, which celebrates individual achievement, had to be adapted for Asian markets. Instead of focusing purely on personal advancement, Nike shifted the message toward self-possession and achieving anything through sports. Same brand idea, different cultural expression.
Second: Unique Brand Offering
What makes your product or service genuinely different? This is your Unique Brand Offering, and it comes in two flavors.
There’s the product truth, which is the physical and functional characteristics that make your product special. For toothpaste, that might be a particular chemical formula. For a car, it might be a specific safety feature.
Then there’s the brand truth, which includes both tangible and intangible assets. Coca-Cola’s iconic contour bottle, unchanged since 1916, is a tangible asset everyone recognizes. Volvo’s association with safety is an intangible asset so strong that the company aims to ensure zero serious injuries or deaths in new Volvos by 2030.
You don’t necessarily need both, but you absolutely need a crystal-clear conception of at least one truth to build a strong brand idea.
Third: The Brand Idea
This is where consumer insight meets your unique offering to create something magical: a long-term relationship between your brand and your customer.
Your brand idea should be consistent, but it can evolve. Nike’s brand idea centers on unbounded freedom without limitation. Apple’s revolves around innovation and thinking differently. These aren’t just catchy taglines. They’re fundamental promises about what the brand stands for, and they guide every decision the company makes.
Two Ways to Talk to Your Customers (And Why You Need Both)
Now that you have your brand foundation sorted, how do you actually communicate it to people? There are two approaches, and the magic happens when you use both.
Top-Down Communication: The Classic Approach
This is the traditional model where the brand creates a message and broadcasts it to a mass audience through channels like television and newspapers. And before you roll your eyes thinking this is outdated, consider this: by 1965, 90% of American households owned a television. Today, global TV advertising revenues continue to grow, especially in emerging markets like Indonesia and Kenya.
Why does traditional media still work? Tangibility and trust. Research shows that the perceived credibility of advertisements in traditional media exceeds trust in digital advertising by 27%. When people see a billboard on their commute or an ad in a respected newspaper, it carries a legitimacy that digital ads sometimes lack. Traditional media presence can increase the perception of brand reliability by up to 32%.
Conversion rates for traditional marketing exceed 4.5% in certain demographic segments, particularly among consumers over 55 years old. These channels aren’t dead. They’re just different.
Bottom-Up Communication: The Engagement Revolution
This is where social media shines. Bottom-up communication encourages direct engagement with customers, inviting them to participate in the evolution of your brand.
Today’s consumers don’t want to passively receive information. They want advertising that’s as engaging as entertainment. They want to have a say in how brands develop. When you give them that opportunity, something remarkable happens: they become co-creators and advocates.
When a company advertises on YouTube, consumers might repost the video to Facebook, critique it, praise it, or remix it. There’s an element of risk, yes. You’re relinquishing some control. But when it works, you build customer loyalty that traditional advertising could never achieve.
Today, brand success is measured by retweets, shares, and likes. But here’s the crucial point: these metrics only matter if they’re built on a solid brand idea. Otherwise, you’re just chasing vanity metrics.
Making People Actually Care
Once you have your brand idea and communication channels figured out, you need an engagement strategy. This is how you motivate people to incorporate your brand into their lives.
The most effective approach speaks to three levels:
The “Me” connects with customers on an individual level. Axe created a personalized alarm app featuring their models waking up users and reminding them to use Axe deodorant. In Japan, this approach led to a 27% jump in repeat purchases.
The “We” relates to common interests and community. Canon launched “EOS photochains” that let users upload and merge their photos with other users’ photos. This campaign helped push Canon’s market share to a record 67%.
The “World” addresses broader impact. Adidas used nanotechnology to weave the names of 100,000 fans onto thread that was then used to stitch the national symbol of New Zealand on the captain’s jersey of the national rugby team. Talk about making fans feel connected to something bigger than themselves.
The Real Success Stories
Let’s look at brands that get this right.
Apple doesn’t just sell computers and phones. They sell the spirit of innovation and thinking differently. Their “Think Different” campaign in 1997 served as a rallying call to people who shared the brand’s values. That emotional connection is why people willingly pay premium prices for Apple products, even when competitors offer better value.
Nike transformed “Just Do It” from three simple words into a cultural movement about empowerment and pushing past limitations. Within a decade of launching that campaign, Nike’s sales exploded from $877 million to $9.2 billion. Why? Because they weren’t selling shoes. They were selling the belief that anyone can achieve greatness.
Coca-Cola’s “Share a Coke” campaign, which printed names on bottles, generated over 500,000 social media posts, added 25 million new Facebook followers, increased young adult consumption by 7% in Australia, and boosted US sales by 2%. But the campaign worked because it built on decades of brand building around happiness and togetherness. The social media success was the result of strong brand foundations, not the strategy itself.
When Social Media Alone Isn’t Enough
Here’s a sobering reality check: no amount of Twitter cleverness could have saved Kmart from bankruptcy. The company failed because it was squeezed between Walmart at the low end and Target at the high end. That’s a positioning problem, not a social media problem.
Coca-Cola failed three times to build a leading energy drink brand with KMX, Full Throttle, and Tab. It wasn’t because they forgot to use Facebook. It was because they waited too long after Red Bull established the category.
Social media can’t make a weak brand strong. Research across multiple studies confirms this uncomfortable truth. What social media can do is amplify a strong brand, create community around an authentic message, and provide valuable customer feedback. But the strategy must come first.
Building for the Long Term
So what does all this mean for your business?
Start with strategy, not tactics. Before you worry about Instagram algorithms or TikTok trends, answer these fundamental questions: What consumer need are you addressing? What makes you genuinely different? What long-term relationship do you want with your customers?
Use an omnichannel approach. Don’t choose between traditional and digital marketing. Use both. A professional website gives you creative control, ownership, and universal reach. Social media provides engagement and community building. Traditional media still offers credibility and reach, especially with certain demographics. Together, they create a comprehensive brand presence.
Focus on authenticity and transparency. Study after study shows that 86% of consumers consider authenticity a key factor when deciding which brands to support. Be honest about your products, your values, and even your shortcomings. Transparency builds trust, and trust creates loyalty.
Engage customers throughout their journey. From the moment someone realizes they have a need your product could fill, all the way through to post-purchase support, find ways to connect meaningfully at every stage. Make it personal. Make it memorable. Make it matter.
The Bottom Line
Tom Doctoroff, who spent 22 years leading one of the world’s largest advertising agencies across Asia, eventually left the industry in 2019. His reason? “The digital revolution changed the profession beyond recognition. Insight has been replaced by algorithms.”
That observation should worry all of us. Not because algorithms are bad, but because we risk losing sight of what actually builds brands: deep understanding of human psychology, clear differentiation, consistent messaging, and genuine relationship building.
Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and whatever comes next are powerful tools. But tools are only as effective as the strategy guiding them. A hammer can’t build a house by itself. It needs a blueprint, skilled hands, and a solid foundation to work from.
The brands that will still be thriving decades from now won’t be the ones with the most followers or the viral videos. They’ll be the ones that understood their customers deeply, offered something genuinely unique, built authentic relationships, and communicated consistently across every channel available.
So no, Twitter is not a strategy. But paired with consumer insight, a unique offering, and a clear brand idea? Then it becomes a valuable tool in a much larger, more meaningful plan.
And that’s how you build something that lasts.