5 Musts for Future Brands

1. Have A Point

1.1. One word equity

1.1.1. but not necessarily a word

1.1.2. (a smell, sound, sight)

1.2. Is your positioning statement robust?

1.2.1. word-of-mouth / Google / Twitter proof?

1.3. Does your frontline recognize it

1.3.1. or is it just boardroom wordplay?

2. Be Open

2.1. Transparency is now conditional for trust

2.2. Customers want to be co-workers

2.3. And they hate it to be ignored

2.4. Inconvenient interfaces = opacity = "f*** off"

3. Make Me Happy (nothing less)

3.1. Everything less is a commodity, not a brand

3.2. Literally, somatically

3.2.1. anything less is just self-deception

3.3. You can do it

3.3.1. Even toilet cleaners and life insurances can

3.3.2. if you can't imagine it someone else will

3.4. If you have no idea, try BEAUTY

4. Be Beautiful

4.1. I mean BEAUTY!

4.1.1. design, usability, simplicity, bla: not enough

4.2. "Gooorgeous" comes straight from the guts

4.2.1. and means "I want it"

4.3. Aesthetics is the opposite of anaesthesis

5. Like a Cloud

5.1. The center is the brand's idea

5.1.1. if it has the gravitational force

5.2. Consumers, talent, shareholders

5.2.1. all gravitate around BIG ideas

5.3. Your frontline is the brand for the customer

5.3.1. not you

5.4. Brands are managed bottom-up

5.4.1. that's the reality, anyway

5.5. In all likelihood, your CEO is no Steve Jobs