Digitalization is the new norm being embraced in the business and marketing world. More than ever, technological advancement has provided better ways to act as intermediaries between manufacturers’ supplies and consumers. The new marketing digital platforms have enabled consumers to access various items from a single source rather than buying from other distributors. However, this has negatively impacted the leading manufacturers or traditional brands since most customers tend to rely on digitalized retailers; hence their sales have diminished. Therefore, “The Platformization of Brands” by Wichman et al. (2022) examines quantitatively and qualitatively the issue of traditional product brands establishing their flagship programs to regain control of consumer loyalty. Also, the article gives the advantages and the necessary factors for establishing platforms. Besides, the report also presents vital information that could aid future researchers.
Wichman et al. (2022) explore essential aspects in the article. Firstly, the authors introduce the audience to the report by elaborating the importance of digitalization on how it has significantly changed the current market. Online channels changed by linking customers directly to wholesalers eradicating the lengthy procedures that entailed retailers (Van Alstyne & Parker, 2017). The authors give the differences between brand aggregation platforms and conventional retailers. Additionally, the article provides convincing reasons that support traditional brands’ opinions to embrace the modern age mode of marketing.
Consequently, the authors explore the rise of brand flagship platforms. Brand flagship platforms are a way that traditional companies have embraced to regain their control in the marketplace. This program involves companies selling their commodities and third-party commodities. For instance: Nike provides a platform that features events, music playlists, and personal training. Interestingly, the authors also highlight the challenges that undermine most companies from formulating competitive brand flagship programs. Platforms business has entered the market due to the expanding broadband connecting agents (Just, 2018). The customers also allow for a large amount of data that is simple to locate for future use in event monitoring and identifying patterns that affect the sales of products in the market.
Further, the article provides solutions or ways companies can embrace to formulate precise and effective marketing platforms. First, the authors provide critical insights for establishing brands. Secondly, they explore the importance of facilitating crowd sending and crowdsourcing by dissembling platforms building blocks (Wichman et al., 2022). Thirdly, the authors explore the intensity of crowd sending and crowdsourcing, and finally, they provide recommendations for establishing brand platforms.
Article Critique
According to Busse & August (2020), a good introduction of an article should consist of five major parts. The authors should appropriately identify a research problem a use an engaging word or narrative hook to capture the reader’s attention. Secondly, the authors have to address the issue of the study by summarizing the essential concepts to justify how the study would be different from the works of other researchers (Westermeier, 2020). Thirdly, a good introduction identifies methodological and theoretical flow by citing other authors’ work. Fourthly an outstanding introduction addresses the importance of the study, and finally, it must contain a thesis statement.
Julian et al. (2020) fascinatingly completed all the model requirements in the article introduction. The authors identify the research gap facing the marketing world. Their central question is on the issue of using brand platforms to market products and services. Similarly, the problem of the study is identified. The point of the research study addresses why traditional brands are losing their customers, leading to a decline in sales (Just, 2018). Also, the author builds up the introduction by citing the works of previous researchers.
Additionally, the introduction explores the significance of the study, and it has a thesis statement. Moreover, the authors did not give a good thesis stamen since they did not provide enough information on the relationship between the variables, the research site, or what statistical models will be used in the study (Wichman et al., 2022). The lack of a well-authored thesis statement would negatively impact readers because they will have to make assumptions about the variables. On the contrary, the introduction does not define some essential terms. For instance: platformization, impediments, consumer crowd sending, among other terms, were not defined; hence readers may find it challenging to understand some concepts in the article. 
Besides, I admire how Wichman et al. (2022) relies more on second data. The authors use credible sources to support their research. From a personal perspective, the authors embraced high codes of ethics since they acknowledged the owners of the pieces by citing each borrowed article. Consequently, the authors used relevant sources that addressed the problem of platform marketing (Wichman et al., 2022). However, the authors use multiple secondary sources, resulting in biasness in the journal. Most secondary sources give general data without exploring the main concepts; hence specific questions may not be precise on the audiences and the researchers.
Besides, the brand flagship platform on the article is crucial. This is because the authors, in a way, impact various business or company management systems by offering an effective route to expand. From a personal perspective, the platformization concept helps multiple businesses to develop a network for themselves. The networks grow and connect with consumers forming a business community (Wichman et al., 2022). Additionally, when companies embrace brand flagship programs, they can stay ahead of their competitors. Manufacturers are always worried d of competition. However, the use of digital platforms enables the creation of a vast customer base. This is a concrete step against competitors since it would undermine them from participating competitively. Further, platformazation builds a better rapport with consumers by covering all the needs. However, the authors should have given some limitations related to brand platformization.
Despite that, Wichman et al. (2022) provide a well-described account of the platforms and the building blocks for creating an appropriate brand. It is interesting how the authors take into their hands and address some of the significant challenges that face companies (Wichman et al., 2022). Besides, the authors use facts, figures, and tables to emphasize the right approach to establishing digital forms. The diagrams enhance understanding and create credibility. Consequently, the use of figures and charts elaborates that the author values formal language, which brings out meaningful arguments, sentences, and paragraphs.
According to Wichmann et al. (2022), companies implement platform business to encourage the business world to narrow down to the customers’ needs and eliminate the intermediaries that increase the cost of products. With the engaging customer base, expertise is shown by the company to the consumers to improve customer satisfaction. Adopting new technology increases the companies’ market strategies and is also used as a promotional method.
The use of technology is effective for companies since it helps increase output. Technology makes work easier for everyone, and therefore adapting technology gives a company an advantage. Technology has a vital role in business operations (Just, 2018). The benefits may be tangible or intangible, which helps a company make money and meet the customers’ demands. Technology affects the efficiency, relationships, security of confidential information, and business cultures. Through technology, companies market their products, create more accessible communications with the customers, and improve
Nike Inc. is a company that has been in operation since 1964. The company started when there was little or no technological information that would help market the goods and services of Nike Inc. to the community (Nieborg et al., 2019). Since the company is worldwide, technology is essential since it helps align its omission and vision to all company branches. Digitization improves product branding from the traditional value chain. In the past, intermediaries increased companies’ costs for market branding and product promotion (Nieborg et al., 2019). Therefore, the introduction of online technologies improved customer relationships with the companies. Nike has created job opportunities for employees worldwide, and, thus, essential to maintain the brand of the products. Nike Inc. produces shoes for all global outlets and serves a large market customer base. Wichmann et al. (2022) discuss “platformization” helps create space for specific brands by including third parties for the products to attract the customer’s attention and address their needs holistically.
Nike seeks to adopt platform business to manage the competitive nature in the product market and therefore has developed apps that relate to fitness and sports, which is a test approach in entering the platform business market. Nike is searching for newer ways of evolving into the technological world (Nieborg et al., 2019). Nike has used technology to market its products throughout the business. Nike is building a platform to input the information of users that will create better experiences for the customers and help the customers connect through the interactions in the venue (Nieborg et al., 2019). Therefore, Nike should incorporate the platform business to create a community using the new technologies in the market. For example, Apple uses the platform business where the company opened the App store that has cut 30% of platform sales and increased its products.
Before Nike starts the platform business, there are five goals, according to Wichmann et al. (2022), that the company needs to learn. These goals help increase understanding of the platform’s better benefits than retail and brand offerings. Nike, therefore can use brand flagship platforms to increase the market and coverage of its products to the consumers. Because Nike was formed during or before the advent of technology, the method is applicable (Nieborg et al., 2019). There are interactions in the platforms such as social interactions of customers, exchange of information about the products between customers, advertising of products, provision of service platforms, and software platforms such as app store. Brand aggregation was used as an intermediary between the transactions of the company and the customers and therefore matching customers to their products and services (Wichmann et al., 2022). However, this strictly limits the customer since the customer will require to start a new cycle in case of a new purchase which will not trigger any feedback conversation.
However, a company like Nike should not use brand aggregation since customers search for product classes instead of specific brands of products, reducing sales. Also, a customer cannot differentiate between products since brand aggregation standardizes all the products and limits the company from using branding elements, leading to customers acquiring products they do not enjoy according to the quality and cost (Westermeier, 2020). When Nike Inc. introduces platform business, it will increase customer crowdsourcing, sharing of content, and distribution of goods and services to the public. When a company stays informed of the latest technological activities, the organization will input the necessary equipment and finances to prepare for the transformation stage (Wichmann et al., 2022). However, if a company is not updated with the information, the company experiences losses through time-consuming research that affects the product’s market.
However, the brand flagship is compelling since people do not use traditional purchasing and selling methods. They use digital technology that reduces the time and cost of accessing goods and services no matter the customer’s location. The brand flagship ensures that the customers are aware of the product and service through the platform other than using the individual agents to increase knowledge on the products (Just, 2018). The brand flagships encourage crowd outsourcing since when searching, for example, Nike discusses its goals to the members of other companies hence creating awareness of the product. When customers get the platform, they start conversations and brand awareness that show loyalty, encouraging people to purchase a specific brand. Therefore, the consumer individuals receive gifts from the companies due to the engagement and recommendation of the products (Wichmann et al., 2022). Nike will consequently increase the market base when there are new producst6s in the market; when a customer advises other members to purchase, they give their reviews hence preventing false information on the products.
Nike as a company benefits from brand flagship since there will be many people getting access to the product information in minimal time and therefore reduces the cost on advertisement of the shoes. The company will also encourage brand loyalty by gifting loyal and active customers to encourage customer participation in improving the quality of the product. Consumers are also aware of when the company introduces a new product; therefore, they receive high sales when first in the market (Wichmann et al., 2022). The company increases the customer-supplier relationship since communication between the customers and the company. There has been an evolution in the communities people live in, and in the 21st century, technology is critical. Everyone is on social media platforms and wants to know the news first hand. Also, people who spread false information have increased in the product market and, therefore, affect the market of different products affecting a company’s sales (Wichmann et al., 2022). The platforms, thus, reduce the false information of products since there is direct communication between the company and its customers.
Since the platforms increase epistemic empowerment, Nike should adopt them to empower the consumers with information on the product and give the consumers a platform to share their experiences with others, such as through videos of playing with the shoes to show the quality of the product. Integrating the ability of the wearable trackers, Nike can form a platform where users enter their findings daily to encourage training that is a way of marketing the company’s products (Van Alstyne & Parker, 2017). Also, Nike will benefit since brand flagship will consider the higher-level consumer goals rather than the lower-level consumer goals where the higher-level goals are more relevant to the consumers, increasing crowdsourcing (Wichmann et al., 2022).
Through adopting flagship, Nike will increase the brand locus on creating value and creating virtual endless project varieties that provide solutions to consumers’ needs and can use consumer’s information to mix and match and integrate to pursue the company’s goal of providing quality goods (Just, 2018). Nike Inc., however, has to decide the market they want the cover on the customer base before entering the platform business (Nieborg et al., 2019). The research gives the company time to cover the finances and the competitor’s risks already in the platform business. Also, the company decides on the parts the company will offer third parties and those for consumers to influence managers integrating third parties into the platforms to stimulate supply from the customers.
In conclusion, just like Apple Company incorporated platforms such as the app store, Nike should adopt the platform business and allow for third parties that will help stimulate consumers into having a variety of products under one platform. The method is conducive since it will enable for customer community as the customers have a platform to discuss the products and encourage the purchasing of Nike goods. The forum will allow Nike’s goods and services to suit consumers’ needs. The venue closes the gap between consumers and producers by removing intermediaries. Also, other companies should adopt platform businesses to increase customer satisfaction.
References
Busse, C., & August, E. (2020). How to write and publish a research paper for a peer-reviewed journal. Journal of Cancer Education, 36(5), 909-913. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-020-01751-z
Just, N. (2018). Governing online platforms: Competition policy in times of platformization. Telecommunications Policy, 42(5), 386-394. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.telpol.2018.02.006
Nieborg, D., Poell, T., & Deuze, M. (2019). The Platformization of making media. Making Media, 85-96. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctvcj305r.8
Van Alstyne, M., & Parker, G. (2017). Platform business: From resources to relationships. NIM Marketing Intelligence Review, 9(1), 24-29. https://doi.org/10.1515/gfkmir-2017-0004
Westermeier, C. (2020). Money is data – the platformization of financial transactions. Information, Communication & Society, 23(14), 2047-2063. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118x.2020.1770833
Wichmann, J. R., Wiegand, N., & Reinartz, W. J. (2022). The Platformization of brands. Journal of Marketing, 86(1), 109-131. https://doi.org/10.1177/00222429211054073
