Guard them vigilantly

A new study from GroupM reports consumers now expect a Web presence - and companies should comply, regardless of how business fares online, reports Adweek.

The study reports, "Consumers expect every brand or service to present itself in some kind of online environment, and expect this presence to be of use or interest and to furnish a substantial or involving experience."

This "involving experience" is foundational to consumer engagement, which is one of the four pillars proposed by the study in its framework for effective online marketing.

The report also mentioned customers consider it a "right" to purchase anything on their shopping list online, whether they actually do or not. This new "behavioral freedom" in consumers is attributed to the ever-available broadband environment, the gateway of choice for entertainment and information. "Marketers ignore it at their peril," Adweek says.

The study also admonished marketers to monitor Internet buzz for a living sense of their brand's reputation.

In a survey of 30 countries, half reflected an Internet-using population near 50 percent or more. The figure rests at 65 percent for US residents.