Yesterday our blog post was titled, ” Dell and its Twitter Sales.” As a follow-up, it’s interesting to look at Apple. They have virtually no corporate-imposed social media presence. They don’t Tweet, they have a minimal presence on Facebook, they don’t make great efforts to engage with their customers online. On the other hand, they spend a lot of money on traditional advertising. They buy up significant television commercial time (Mac vs. PC ads, iTunes ads, iPod ads), they buy billboard space, they buy glossy magazine ads, etc.

Yet, can anyone doubt that Apple is a successful company? Can anyone doubt that they are in touch with what the consumer wants in this digital age?

Does this mean that new media does not work? Absolutely not. It’s a reaffirmation, though, that what matters most isn’t as much the media as the brand itself. Media is the vehicle for spreading a message, but if a company does not truly have an impactful message emanating out of an inspiring brand position, the distribution of that message does not have much impact.

And an inspiring brand position can’t just be some slogan made up by a group of people in a room. It has to be part of the heart and soul of the company – starting with the person at the top and including everyone below. It has to be evident in the product, in the culture, in the service. Everyone knows that Steve Jobs created and continues to inspire creation of innovative, high quality products that enhance consumers’ computing and multimedia experiences.

With an inspiring brand position solidly in place, a company can distribute their message effectively in many ways, including new media. But without one, a company might be best off by first figuring out how they can truly stand for something meaningful to their potential customers.

Domus is a marketing communications agency based in Philadelphia. We help companies build inspiring brand platforms and then develop and execute effective communications programs, including advertising, public relations, internet presence management, social media marketing, and others. For more information, please visit our web site at http://www.domusinc.com.