Traditionally, public relations have always been a tool used by brands and big companies to enhance their image, increasing consumer awareness and sales. PR is still a big part of marketing and promotion for big companies like Coca Cola, Microsoft and Apple. As big as those names are, you would think that they have all the brand recognition they would ever want, right? Wrong! Why would they keep spending millions of dollars in PR to enhance a brand name, which is already at the top?

We are being reminded multiple times a day of how tough times are and how much tougher they will get. Unemployment is expected to rise even into the double digits during 2009. The Auto Industry is in an unimaginable mess. Our banking and financial systems are dysfunctional, not even trusting each other to lend between themselves. The federal government seems to lack planning, direction or even the understanding of how to deal with and address these issues effectively. Talk of recession, the worst one since the Great Depression, and even talk of another Great Depression are all part of the daily discussion. For business owners, large and small, marketing executives and managers , sales executives and representatives, these are formidable forces to be reckoned with and are the everyday challenges being faced in conducting business, particularly in the areas of planning and execution with precious sales and marketing budgets.

Creating an online brand is no easy task. It requires a well-structured strategy and a good game plan. Since the competition is so great in the online marketplace, there’s a thin line between making and losing money. Therefore, any brand should carry certain characteristics.