The One Thing You Must Get Right When Building a Brand.

It's wrong to think we're entering a world in which traditional marketing activities will become irrelevant. Yet the scale and speed of social media make it urgent to get the branding basics right: Think of the internet-fueled backlash against Dell's flammable laptops and Kryptonite's expensive but easily picked lock. The obvious danger is failing to keep pace with social media developments. An equal if less obvious danger is getting distracted by them and losing sight of the fundamentals. Brands should exploit new media's possibilities to deliver on four basics: off ering and communicating a clear customer promise, building trust by delivering on that promise, continuously improving on it, and innovating beyond the familiar. Virgin Atlantic does this by, for example, including travel tips from crew members on its Facebook page; communicating with customers on Twitter in rapidly changing situations; offering a taxi-sharing system to enhance its brand; and maintaining Vtravelled.com, a site where customers exchange information, stories, and advice. As customers experiment with social media, companies should gain customer insights rather than simply try to increase sales, capitalize on the media's speed and reach while protecting the brand's reputation, and carefully follow the unwritten rules of customer engagement online. INSET: Idea In Brief. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]