Iʼve
been thinking a lot recently about what I can only describe as increasing signs
of ʻobesityʼ in brands. This tweet from Marc the other night prompted me to try
and write something down.
What I
mean by ʻbrand obesityʼ is the result of innovation and marketing approaches
which appear to have been junking out on the equivalent of NPD ready meals,
BOGOF brand ideas, and super size portions of dubious insight.
Business
got fat and lazy and now it’s getting ill. The symptoms are there in the
mediocre products and lowest common denominator marketing that we see all
around us.
As we
rebuild from recession, businesses everywhere are clearly under huge pressure
in what is a period of massive transformation. Surely now there is even more reason to use this opportunity to rebuild
in a more restorative way - reshaping brands more positively not just piling
more junk into an already creaking system.
We
should be starting by building more resilience
into businesses through the people who create and manage their products and
services. After all, it’s people and teams who really create brands, not
faceless corporations.
These
people and teams need to re-discover their spirit
and soul (read ‘purpose’) the more they can do this, the more it will
encourages others to start moving in the same direction.
To do
this we all need to stop accepting shallow,
short term ideas which do little more than exploit people’s desire for
quick hits of novelty. Our intelligent, connected and increasingly cash-poor
society needs something more and it is
up to all of us to work towards delivering it.
I
became diabetic a decade ago (not diet driven) , and one result of that was I started practising
yoga. It has helped me reconnect whatʼs outside to whatʼs inside, it’s taught
me the importance of internal awareness and balance, the need to nourish the
soul, and importantly consciousness of the world around me.
I
sense many organisations are losing touch with who they are, with where they
are heading and critically how they are going to get there.
So hereʼs an idea: a more yogic approach to building
brands and creating new products and services. One
which creates a true sense of flow within an organization. Which establishes
deep and real connections with both customers and the world in which it exists.
An approach which wonʼt accept average, novelty for novelty sake or
wastefulness.
Iʼm
not talking about stripping off, burning nag champa and posture development
(though I think it might add something quite interesting to a workshop….).
People
talk about a holistic approach to marketing, but I think thatʼs generally more
bluff. What we need imho, is a holistic approach to business which will see a
re-awakening of strong, healthy, resilient, balanced brands with soul,
developing meaningful products and services.
How
amazing could that be?
Namaste.
(Hereʼs what Marc was referring to btw
originally posted on pipeline ideas