How to strengthen your brand’s position in the second phase of the Internet era

In the early days of the internet, there were countless opportunities hidden in the gaps of the digital space—this was the era when brand marketing was driven by traffic-based thinking. However, in the later stages, as that "traffic pie" became fully divided, the only way forward was to rebuild the chain of user trust. This marked the beginning of a battle for users’ time, turning them into loyal fans and advocates for your brand.

In this broader environment, brands must first leverage differentiated content to generate marketing potential, gain consumer trust, and monetize as well as retain users through their engagement.

More importantly, through long-term communication strategies with consumers, brands need to continuously build their image and value propositions, win users' minds, spark word-of-mouth interaction, and consistently enhance brand awareness.

1. Differentiated Brand Positioning

Brand differentiation stems from deep insights into core consumer groups and identifying a brand’s position by uncovering unique characteristics.

For example, popular internet-famous milk tea brands like Koi Thé, The Alley, and Toco Toco have all become beloved drinks in the market due to their distinct brand positioning. They begin by identifying their core target group—young consumers—and then capture social demands to shape their differentiated positioning.

In another example from the automotive industry, Mercedes-Benz emphasizes a sense of “prestige,” whereas BMW highlights the “driving experience.”

Such differences in positioning accurately define the brand’s original strengths, forming the foundation for a clear differentiation strategy. These strengths are then communicated through creative marketing to trigger a subconscious recognition among consumers—helping them to identify with and trust the brand.

2. Building the Core of the Brand

As mobile internet continues to grow, brands find themselves in a content-rich marketing environment where excessive information overload makes it difficult to occupy a lasting place in users’ minds.

Now, the core of the internet economy is the user. Throughout the information dissemination process, users have replaced content as the central medium of influence.

Since users are the core, “user-centric thinking” has become fundamental to brand building.

Let users become the media for your brand and actively talk about it. This not only lowers marketing costs but also aligns with users’ lifestyles and values, making it easier to gain the trust of your target audience, ultimately driving traffic and improving conversion rates.

3. Commercial Marketing Evolves into Emotional Connection with Users

In the industrial age, people valued standardized production and distribution channels. In the mobile internet era, where users are the center of social networks, more and more brands are striving to build their own loyal fanbases.

Especially with the rising influence of new consumer groups like Gen Z, the core shift in consumer demand is no longer just product-level functionality. Consumers now seek emotional and spiritual resonance, much like fans idolize their favorite celebrities.

For instance, Coca-Cola has become a symbol of American happiness; IKEA represents a modern and elegant lifestyle, and so on. These brands have successfully turned consumers into loyal fans.

With the rise of internet-famous milk tea brands like Koi Thé, The Alley, and Toco Toco, we can also see that a new era of trusted and beloved brands is emerging.

These new brands utilize a wide range of social media marketing techniques, blending popular branding elements such as retro styles and local product identity to enhance brand awareness and goodwill among younger consumers—ultimately converting them into loyal fans.

And once consumers become true fans, the marketing, product development, and branding benefits are endless.