Brand Utopia in Chicago
I was lucky enough to attend a lecture recently at Columbia College here in Chicago by brand consultants / evangelists Josh Spear and Aaron Dignan. I frequent JoshSpear.com and it was there I learned of the Brand Utopia lecture.
The presentation itself cut right to the point. That the design and branding of a company not only defines the brand, but the culture of that company. Today companies need to become transparent to their audience. After-all, a transparent company has nothing to hide. By doing so, their brand becomes more than a product or service, rather, it takes on a life of its own, becoming an avatar of that company… representing a guiding concept, or spiritual experience the consumer chooses to become a part of. With many consumers now taking their buying power well beyond the actual product itself, that becomes an important key to success.
Today’s generation of brand-consumer identifies with certain values a company chooses to champion, as well as the style and outward appearance of the product. They allow the products they buy and services they choose to help define them as individuals and they choose carefully how they spend their hard earned money. Combined with emerging technology, media and social networking; their combined will and buying power is transforming the brand landscape in ways we’ve only begun to see.
