STOP Branding and START Activating (Part II of "A Manifesto for Thinking Small")

"Part 1 of this series explored the inefficacy of 'Big Idea' campaign marketing and noted the success of brands practicing the contrary, described as a process of nurturing the character of an organization. Part 2 is presented as a manifesto to marketers and brand strategists to STOP Branding, to stop trying to create demand, to adopt a different frame of mind, to think in terms of relationship activation by being true to a set of principles that will connect them to existing, latent demand. Marketers don't generate demand. Great companies spend their time understanding what and where latent demand exists and build the products, services, and user experiences that connect to that demand. They delve into their founding principles and develop, invent, or innovate goods and services specifically driven and defined by those principles. Don't misinterpret this effort. It's not a matter of chasing market opportunity. It's as much an inward journey as it is recognition of the current state of any given market. This is where the mental shift is happening among great companies that are attracting incredibly loyal customer bases. They are thinking about markets and the competitive environment they reside in terms of user experience design."