Hi Brant – thanks for the comment. For some reason it got stuck in moderation…

Firstly, I think the survey questions were fixed, not qualitative – as it was carried out by a company seeking business in the DM space. So take it with a big pinch of salt.

However, whilst I agree that sometimes executives focus too much on the bottom line and proven drivers (that they’re aware of), you see on the Datran site that there is an interesting point: over 46% see online audience measurement as key (another 40-odd percent as important) to brand building. That shows that brand is uppermost in mind. Driving brand requires tactics and these tactics are broken out and ranked in the preceeding survey results.

As a brand specialist I’m firmly against the idea of ”intangibles” – i.e. unmeasureable, unquantifiable, aspects of brand equity. Everything can be measured – it’s just that the timeline may not be immediate. That is after all what influence is all about. But influence does deliver measureable actions – if it doesn’t, then it’s not there.

And why is a year short-term? In consumer markets that is a very long period of consumption. For B2B markets it will be different. Yet to tar the whole focus on digital tactics as short term is too objective.