I was asked recently, “What Are the Common Attributes of a Good Campaign?” It’s not an unreasonable question, but as a digital and experiential marketer, my first inclination is to ask, “Why a campaign?”

Campaigns are, by definition, short-term in nature, but brands are not. Neither are the relationships brands wish to foster with consumers. The best brands foster the best relationships–ones based on lasting emotional and practical bonds that yield long-term value for both consumers and brands.

I’m not suggesting campaigns don’t have their place. They certainly do, even (or especially) online. A great current example is VW’s RoutanBabymaker3000. This interactive widget provides consumers the ability to upload photos of a man and a woman in order to see what their child may look like. It’s a terrific online interaction that supports VW’s Routan TV ad campaign quite well. It has all of the hallmarks of a great digital component–it’s fun, intuitive, involving, and invites sharing from person to person. And it is temporary–part of the Routan campaign which will soon disappear from television screens and, probably, VW.com.

But while campaigns have their place online, much too often marketers make the mistake of approaching the Internet and Social Media with short-term thinking. What if Wrigley’s Candystand.com, a site filled with entertaining casual games that support Wrigley’s brands, had been just a short-term campaign idea? The site is about to change–after 11 years, Wrigley’s recently sold Candystand to a third party who will operate it as an ad-supported game site. But prior to the sale, it was Candystand’s consistency that allowed it to become a destination that delivered nearly 10 million visits per month with an average time per visit of 13 minutes. That is the kind of long-term value that doesn’t get created with a series of three-month campaigns.

As we continue to see the growth and maturity of Social Media, it will be even more important for marketers to consider the long-term implications of short-term campaigns. Earlier this year, Disney closed the Virtual Magic Kingdom (VMK), it’s online social media and virtual world for Disney theme park fans. The company had intended the VMK to be a short-term site in support of Disneyland’s 50th anniversary, but users who engaged in the site came to have different ideas. As consumers created their online personas, developed relationships, and paid for virtual goodies, the VMK became an online representation of the consumers themselves. The end of the VMK was met with much the same reaction and emotion that would happen if tomorrow Facebook disappeared, along with all the content, connections, and value the site represents to consumers.

Before a brand considers whether a campaign has what it takes to succeed online, they may first wish to consider if it’s a campaign they really want. If so, then it’s important to plan not just for the launch of the campaign, but the end of it, as well. Doing so will help to prevent mistakes, identify the resources needed throughout the campaign, and allow the brand to consider ways to not merely promote the campaign but also set consumer expectations for the obsolescence of any valuable sites or tools upon which they may come to rely.