Whose Brand Is It Anyway?

So the economy is in the tank and we're clinging to principles of business that keep us above water. Cutting the fat, improving efficiencies, sugar coating press releases, reducing marketing spends, hiring freezes, you know - tried and true tactics. But is tried and true "old hat"? Speaking of "old hat" business tactics, take for instance the way we speak to our customers. Treating customers like brainless drones with no imagination or ingenuity and believing the best way to get through to the customer is disruptive marketing. Now, I'm a fan of a good disruptive campaign but that only works if the customer is sleepwalking. What if the customer is wide awake? Are you afraid of a conversation? Linear marketing might work for some businesses but others are discovering a new method. And in many ways, it involves handing your brand over to your customer. The following thesis shows how certain brands thrive on a collaborative consumer driven business model. Now, I'm not going to say social marketing or web2.0 (oh crap, too late) but brands have evolved simply because the customer's voice, ability and idea sharing have become interwoven into the new brand economy.

So whose brand is it anyway? Everyone's. (But at least you get the profits. Seems like a fair deal.)

Below is a video thesis from Dutch designer Twan Verdonck.