A simple test for starters.
What was the first to gain the ground: radio or telephone? Fax or internet?
People born before the internet era won't have any problems with the second question. But what about the teenagers who have lived with the web since the day they were born? For them, it's just another communication medium, which has always been there, so they wouldn't even call it 'new media'.

It goes without saying that the technology revolution is a thing of the past. Nowadays, new technologies have become a ubiquitous, transparent part of our lives. They have ceased to be just a fancy gadget and have become a standard tool used on a daily basis. You may describe it as social transition or even communication revolution.

These changes influence the way brands are formed and the way they function. Visual identification works in sync with an equally important brand experience. Strategy and positioning must take into consideration brand’s presence and user’s actions in new media. All these elements are indispensable to build a credible brand. That’s when digital meets branding to form a perfect tandem.

The following short list is an absolutely subjective selection of cases when digital and branding share the same path for better and for worse.

1.    Brand owners both have and don’t have influence over their branding

Let's assume that the brand is the sum of associations in consumers’ minds when they think about it, while branding is all the actions aimed at creating those associations.

It means that logo, packaging, advertisement, website, Facebook profile, post on a blog and a YouTube movie may all be branding activities since they all can evoke some brand associations. It doesn't matter if a professional agency or an amateur is responsible for that and whether the brand owner likes it or not.

It's always been this way. The internet didn't create branding anew. However, it gave ordinary people access to a range of easy-to-use tools which enable them to reach even further than just the neighbor’s range.

Of course, it isn’t true that brands have no control over their presence in the web. On the contrary, if they know their purpose and which tools to use, they will elicit positive associations and neutralize the negative ones at the same time. Actually, this self-propagating branding may become a compelling brand power, not a brand burden.

2.    Brand experience is what consumers care about

It's a good thing to have a strong positioning, beautiful logo, clear visual world of the brand or distinctive packaging. You won't be able to build a powerful brand without those elements. However, in the consumer's perspective, brand experience - that is, dialogue, interaction, opinion exchange and tangible contact - are equally relevant. That's where the Internet comes into play.

However, branding and communication in their traditional understanding are independent fields. What is worse, they are often created separately, in different places, at different times, according to different principles. Results can be far from great.
What do you think of the brand when it says it's reliable while its online contact form doesn't work; when it claims to be modern and high tech while it doesn't use new communication tools; when it’s allegedly open for discussion while it deletes all negative posts or is even unaware of their presence.

Recently, the following quote has come to be my favorite one: "In a digital world you are who you are, not who you say you are" (Allen Adamson). It shows well how new media can influence the perception of what brands claim to be.

When you create the brand and outline key values, you have to take some time to consider where and how you'll support the brand promise with a direct interaction, which elements you’ll reinforce with the brand experience, and what you shouldn't say nor promise.

Since we're on the subject of promises...

3.    In the internet era, it's far better to choose the promises you can fulfill

Realizable promises are always a leverage and they should be kept, or otherwise, given rapid pace of communication today, brand condition may sustain serious injuries.
A dissatisfied consumer is just a dissatisfied consumer; a dissatisfied internet user means an outraged and extremely infectious Facebook group or other dangerous and potentially viral content.

There's also a brighter side of the coin. A happy consumer is an ideal branding medium, usually one that you get for free. Most marketers know this obvious rule but only some are keen to apply it. Some brands like Disney or Dell have created special communication platforms where satisfied consumers can advise others consumers. You could call it 24 hour customer service with low operational costs.

Even if you don't plan to develop advanced communication platforms, you should still consider some points while creating the brand promise. You should check for any problems that may arise during the promise fulfillment on different levels as well as check how communication tools - for example social media - can help or do harm.

4.    Brand experience management is no longer linear

Some time ago, it was done this way. First, the brand was created, then branding was formed and finally it was communicated by means of a wide-range TV campaign. Although other channels apart from TV were used too, a marketer could rest assured that the first brand touchpoint would be the advertising campaign, its main channel of communication. Communicating a brand idea was relatively easy then.

However, today branding appears in many different points of contact and consumers get familiar with it not necessarily in the order we expect them to. Consumers can "tune into" the message whenever and wherever they please, using any communication channel. You can't be sure about the first thing they see – be it a comment posted somewhere on Facebook or an actual ad.
That means we can't be certain that consumers will understand what the brand wants to communicate or that they'll even get to hear the whole message at all.

In the world of new media, it's far more difficult to build and communicate a coherent brand and to remain distinguishable and comprehensible. That's why simple and concise ideas created while working on branding, not during the communication campaign stage, are becoming more desirable. These are easily communicable ideas which keep the brand's buoyance whether it reaches a consumer through TV commercial, text message, website or activity on a social networking service.

5.    Avoid losing face

There are loads of reasons why you should consider the digital while creating the brand. But there's one thought you should hold on to. Nowadays, most consumers use new media. Before long, almost everybody will be using it, more or less consciously. That's a fact.
Unless the brand is positioned as being "resistant to signs of the times". Then you may forget about digital marketing.
By the way, that would be an interesting idea for a brand. :)

*This text is inspired and based on ideas from two following books, that I strongly recommend to anyone interested in the subject:
"Here comes everybody" by Clay Shirky
"Brand Digital" by Allen Adamson