This is pretty gripping stuff from a strategic copy writing and values messaging perspective. It actually starts a conversation with the elephant that has been working its way towards the center of the room for some time. If patience was my virtue, I would be anxiously anticipating the arrival of said book but it's all just too exciting and, having read an overview of the book, I am going to extrapolate with my own perspective on this subject.
Branding is a collection of fairly established practices and methodologies that were born with the consumer age and then formalized into the ad, PR and marketing industries. The incorporation and departmentalization of the knowledge at the heart of these industries created, somewhat paradoxically, a structure that is too rigid to respond to the constantly shifting landscape of consumer behavior, values and preferences. Until recently, the decline in the relevance of branding has been gradual because the cultural change that precipitates it has also been gradual. Styles and trends have changed, as they do, but the basic tenants of consumer behavior have stayed very much the same for the last several decades.
So something is definitely up. From my spot in San Francisco I can actually see and feel things shifting and changing around me. It's very exciting and makes me think that I am at the center of something very important that will change our lives in ways we have only just started to imagine. That sounds rather lofty and inaccessible but, in a way, that is what business is dealing with in the shape of the new, conscious consumer. These people simply aren't responding to all the good old tricks, so what has really changed?
The Consumer - Ummmm....No. People don't change, unless you are talking about tracts of time that take us back to the reptilian state. We still do whatever we can to project strength and superiority to our peers. Now we do this through the way we consume. The ego is alive and well and the driver of all discretionary spending. Eckhart Tolle is definitely on the case but he as a ways to go.
The Economy - I would hate to rule it out. There is quite simply a lot less money around so people are putting more thought into how they spend. Either they REALLY need it, or they REALLY want it. The thing is, if you're not on the really needed list then you better be on the really wanted list or you're history.
Cultural Codes/Values - Gotcha! This is really where it's at. People still want to feel good and look good but, by today's standards, a Prius is better looking than a Mercedes Benz. Status markers point to how conscientious, global, sustainable and aware you are rather than to how wealthy and successful you are. Purchasing has become experiential and consumers want to be engaged emotionally and feel that they have a relationship with a brand that reflects their own personal values. That is a significant shift and the basis of the argument that branding has had its day.
So has it? Of course not. When you ditched your bell bottoms I doubt that you gave up completely on the idea of wearing trousers. Branding is like anything else. It will always be a component of business but it will have to change to remain relevant and contextual. Its not dead but it is having a life changing experience. Its being turned inside out and upside down. It can no longer be a message created in isolation of the entity that creates the product that it represents. You can't slap it over the top of a corporation like too much makeup on an ugly woman. Branding has to go inside and tap into an authentic component of the values that represent the company. If those values aren't there, or aren't consistent with the values of the consumers, then the work must be done to address that before effective branding can be achieved. Branding is going to be more about the character of the corporation and how compelling and engaging the voice of that character can be. It's going to have to be respectful and tell the truth because consumers are smart and have a lot of information at their fingertips. They will check and woe be the brand with the great curb appeal and the garbage piled high in the back yard.
Amazingly gifted strategic copy writers enter stage left. This goes back to an earlier post where I talked about the huge, upcoming demand for talented strategic thinkers who understand the macro business picture and can steer a company towards the articulation of an authentic and compelling voice. It's a somewhat unique, hybrid skill set that is going to be prized and, hopefully, richly rewarded moving forward.
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