How Purposeful Branding Is Driving Millennials And Social Entrepreneurship
The world has changed dramatically in the past 10 years, or since the 2008 recession. Economic and job growth is coming less from traditional industry or big corporations, but more from entrepreneurial startups. Historically this involved business entrepreneurs, but today it is the social entrepreneur that has taken center stage. And a key driver for this trend is the emerging values of Millennials and purposeful branding. More and more, consumers are buying brands not just for what it does, but also what a brand or the parent company...
read moreShould Brands Take A Public Stand On Social Or Political Issues?
The year 2017 is just half over, and it is already proving to be amazingly transformative with the number and nature of emotional changes in our culture and political world. Traditionally brands rarely get involved in social or political issues. Bu today consumers want to know what brands stand for on such issues. Companies are beginning to realize that an authentic, relevant and compelling point of view will help differentiate a brand from competition and define it in a way that can significantly enhance customer loyalty. These recent...
read moreMillennials Are Finally Taking Action In Brand Support
Marketers and political leaders have been frustrated for years with the reluctance of Millennials to actually follow up on their desires/complaints and take real action on brand issues. As the first digital generation, their values and perceptions are quite different from previous generations. While they voice strong opinions on social and political issues, their actual initiatives to date at the voting booths and consumer brand choices have been both mystifying and disappointing. Younger consumers are very skeptical of their future, for...
read moreHow Trump’s Unpopular Decisions Can Strengthen Brand Engagement
We are living in a new world today, where contentious decisions by Trump are creating unexpected ripple effects throughout society, government and the business community. Controversy becomes the norm, and reactions by all sides are more intense than ever, even stimulating passions among heretofore quiet consumers. These hyper partisan consumers are now demanding to know where their favorite brands stand or how they are reacting to these major decisions. But now many big brands see these emotional reactions as an opportunity to more...
read moreHow Customer Values Are Transforming Brands Today
Brands are under attack today from many sources, most often triggered by activists on social media. They are demanding brands take a stand on controversial socioeconomic and political issues that are getting more attention with our divisive politics today. Most brands can no longer ignore these trends and remain apolitical. There are always risks of offending some customers and employees so the challenge is to determine what issues to address, and how. The answer should depend on the core values that define the brand equity and image,...
read moreHow Customer Values Are Transforming Brands Today
Brands are under attack today from many sources, most often triggered by activists on social media. They are demanding brands take a stand on controversial socioeconomic and political issues that are getting more attention with our divisive politics today. Most brands can no longer ignore these trends and remain apolitical. There are always risks of offending some customers and employees so the challenge is to determine what issues to address, and how. The answer should depend on the core values that define the brand equity and image,...
read moreThe Rise of “Morality-via-Branding” to Add Empathy and Connect Emotionally
If you are like me, you are probably sick of all the acrimony, blatant lies, nasty accusations, partisan rancor and exaggerated rhetoric in politics today. Have we all lost our moral compass? Can we trust and believe anyone anymore? Can’t individual politicians simply do what’s right, and not just what their party demands? Well, in response to this increase in anger and negativity, there is a refreshing “morality-via-branding” trend emerging, where brand advertising is becoming more empathetic, providing a new port in this storm. In his...
read moreHow Social Media Is Changing What Brands Stand For
Our world has never been so divided by politics, with social media as a major catalyst for extreme opinions and reactions. Brands are being pulled into battles on what they stand for, willingly and unwillingly, on both social and traditional media. The driving force behind this disconcerting trend of brand politicization is the increasing vocalization of customer values, which have become so intensely defined and polarized recently, even demanding a particular stance by some corporate brands. When social media arose 15 years ago, marketers...
read moreThe Crisis of Message Credibility and Impact on Brands
Our world is more passionately polarized than ever. Current politics have over sensitized even the most rational, knowledgeable people, creating a new level of acrimony and distrust among family and friends. A major contributor to this divisiveness is the growth of “falsehoods” communicated in politics and the news, especially on social media. The incidence of these “untruths” has reached epidemic proportions, and is seriously undermining the most important values for strong brands: credibility, authenticity and trust. The entire...
read moreHow a Brand Audit Could Revitalize the Democratic Party
Since the Presidential election, Trump has dominated the news with his twitter comments, controversial cabinet appointments and extraordinary views on major issues for 2017. What we don’t hear much about is the Democratic Party, and whether their current values still resonate with enough voters to be successful in the future. Maybe it should re-brand itself? This situation is similar to the challenges many brands face during their lifecycle when their appeal becomes stale or irrelevant. Because consumers, competition and new trends are...
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