Omnichannel Branding is in vogue. But this works best if the brand manager also incorporates another key branding concept, the Micro-Moments. Otherwise, in addition to huge resource loss, there is the risk of illogical over-exposure of the brand. What better way to understand this than to read it from a story. Stay till the end to understand the connection

Another Sunday. Another Story. Today let me take you deep inside a 4-year-old boy’s world.

All my school friends looked at the helicopter with awe. Sumeet proudly told us that it can fly as well. All of us gave a hearty laugh. He was quite snobbish. He gave us an ugly look and pressed some buttons on a small black remote. The helicopter’s blades moved, first slowly, then rotated like a real helicopter, and then the helicopter took off.

All of us ran with it flying over our heads. Sumeet was watching us from a distance just fiddling with the remote. He was doing something with the remote so that whenever we came close to the helicopter, it flew away from our reach. We ran and ran… Exhausted, all of us sat down. Sumeet walked towards us, again did something with the remote, and made the helicopter land just next to me. Gleefully, I reached out at the helicopter to at least hold it in my hand for a while.

Sumeet snatched it away from me, ‘That’s my chopper. My dad got it for me from Singapore’.

Nanny came to collect me from the school. I did not speak to her. Did not have my regular glass of Complan as well.

‘I also want a helicopter. My daddy shall get it for me.’ I had already made up my mind.

Mom arrived first.

‘Sumeet has insulted me. He did not let me play with his Helicopter’. Mom was too tired to notice my indignation. She scolded me since I did not drink Complan. Then she said a few random things like, ‘Next Diwali we shall get you a Helicopter’. ‘But you have to be a good boy till then.’ Then she disappeared in her room.

‘Diwali..?’ When is that? And what am I supposed to do till then? I shall have to face Sumeet every day. And that Preeti, she was now playing with Sumeet forgetting all the chocolates that I gave her from my share.

No way, I shall have to get it from Daddy!

Daddy arrived. I was waiting near the door. He looked at me, absent-mindedly gave me a high-five, and walked inside. ‘Sumeet has insulted me. He did not let me play with his Helicopter’, I repeated.

By then Daddy was already on a phone call. I walked into his room.

‘Guys, forgive me for getting you on a call at this hour, but the matter is complicated and we need to sort it out by noon tomorrow’, Daddy kept talking to his laptop screen till it was time for me to go to sleep.

I did not have much of a dinner. I gave most of it to Bruno, he does not mind Nanny’s stupid cooking.

Daddy walked inside my room to say goodnight. I did not even open my eyes. ‘Rohan is not well, he’s already asleep’, Daddy made a wise but wrong observation and mom agreed. Both walked away. I was planning in my mind.

Tomorrow.

Morning. Stomachache. Yes, that would be the cause for my not going to school today. Nanny supported me, and said that she observed that I had not eaten well since yesterday. Daddy and Mom left after giving me all the regular unnecessary advice like ‘rest properly’, and ‘eat only what nanny will cook’.

I went inside Daddy’s study room. I took out the pad of Post-its and ran to Nanny. I have been eyeing these, Daddy writes some things and pastes these all over his table, desktop PC, and shelves.

‘Please write, ‘I want Remote Helicopter’ on each slip of this Post-it’. Nanny gave me a puzzled look. But she had nothing much to do and doing this was easy. She could easily do it while watching Netflix on the TV.

I took the pad and looked around the house.

Daddy and Mom arrived together in the evening. As they removed their shoes, they saw the first Post-it with the message, ‘I want Remote Helicopter’. Both smiled at each other, took off the Post-it, tore it up and put it in the waste bin. There was another Post-it there as well.

Daddy sank inside his favorite beanbag, and there was another Post-it. He removed it and sat down again, reached for the TV remote. Another Post-it. He looked puzzled and amused. This time he read the note. He looked up at the TV. Right on the screen there was another Post-it. He had to get up to remove the Post-it but he did read it.

Nanny walked in with the tea tray in her hand. On the glass of water, another Post-it.

‘Who did this?’ Daddy asked Nanny. ‘I wrote. Rohan said that it is a new game that he learned in school.’

My Daddy is a serious kind of man, does not speak much. But I know he loves me a lot.

Daddy went back to his TV. After a while, he walked into his room. Reached for the switchboard. Another Post-it. Went inside the bathroom. Post-its on the mirror, towel rack, toiletry cupboard.

I had made sure that wherever Daddy went before he went to sleep, his bed lamp, on his pillow, the wall facing him, there was a Post-it. I had made good use of the 50 Post-its.

‘Looks like there’s something about the remote Helicopter. Why else would Rohan want it so much?’ Mom said something that I could not understand. They tucked me in my sheets, turned off the light, and left.

I returned with Nanny from the school the next Day. There was an Amazon Delivery at the gate for our flat.

Preeti was with me the next day during the school’s play hour flying my remote helicopter. Sumeet’s ‘chopper’ flew into some trees yesterday and nobody could bring it down.

Isn’t this a classic case that aligns with Micro-moments and Omni Channel Marketing?

Micro-moments: These are those brief instances throughout the day when consumers turn to their devices to learn, discover, do something, or buy something.

Omnichannel branding: This is the strategy of presenting a consistent brand image across all your channels, like social media, search engines, physical stores, and your website.

And The connection:

• Micro-moments are scattered and non-linear. Consumers aren’t necessarily following a set path to purchase. Omnichannel branding ensures your brand is present and recognizable at each of these touchpoints.
• By understanding micro-moments, you can tailor your messaging to each specific need. For example, someone in a “learn” moment might benefit from an informative blog post, while someone in a “buy” moment might need a clear call to action.
• With omnichannel branding, you can deliver that message seamlessly across different channels.

In short, micro-moments help you understand when to reach consumers, and omnichannel branding helps you ensure you’re reaching them with a consistent and relevant message.