The Future of Your Brand Is Invisible

As the power of invisibility becomes dominant how will brands effectively navigate an unknown and unseen reality Research and development emotional intelligence and data are verticals where harnessing the power of invisibility can unlock brand value ConsiderRampampD ampgt Marketing Branding has always straddled the fence as a known measurable quality and being more ethereal ie invisible We know that brand matters but to what extent and how do you effectively measure its impact If one assumes that an organization39s brand is derived from its values then how it actively manifests those values and communicates them is essentialSo quotbrandquot lives simultaneously in two spaces the lived work and communication of the brand and how others interpret that work and communication How an organization is perceived and how it aligns with people39s values are part of any brand story In that sense branding always has qualities of invisibility Those invisible qualities can be a source of uneasiness as conventional thinking says quotWhat you can39t see you can39t measurequotBranding is most often sequestered in the domain of marketing Crafting a brand message that is coherent and has consistency is therefore in the hands of marketers and agencies The quality of brand messaging varies wildly based on budget and corporate will In fact over the past decade marketing as measured by the percentage of advertising spend of the total budget is on the declineSpending on RampampD by comparison amp8212 defined as expenditures in technology innovation and engineering amp8212 is rising RampampD with its speculative nature explores what is possible but unseen Organizations investing in RampampD are seeking the unknown and committing resources toward discovery The significant expenditures committed to RampampD could lead to new products and brand extensionsBrand identity will likely become more connected to the values of invisibility The unknown is by nature invisible because it has not yet taken form Budget commitment will ensure that RampampD39s role in brand building will continue to growEmotional Attachment Is Front and CenterWe live in a period of abundant choices and a scarcity of time We pay for access to products and services with more than money as our attention is also currency Getting our attention and our money is among the primary challenges that brands face The emotional attachment needed to build a reliable connection between a brand and a human being is highly coveted but rarely actualized Attention is often only granted once there is an emotional attachment at work to make the time investment a worthwhile exchangeMillennials and Gen Z frequently cite that brands sharing their values is an essential way they build a connection At the same time trust in traditional institutions eg business government media and religion is declining Reconciling these two realities can only happen when a meaningful emotional attachment is nurtured Emotional connection is elusive but valuable to brands Steakumm a USbased frozen sandwich brand uses its Twitter feed to post irreverent but valuebased messaging designed to resonate emotionallySteakumm is speaking authentically to the values of its audience It is an unlikely example of how emotional attachment can make significant inroads toward forging a real brand connectionThe World of Data Is FlatBig data is the latest supposed panacea heralded by organizations as the tool that will unlock invaluable insights into their business There is no doubt that gathering vast troves of data can be useful but that reality is not allencompassing The reliance on data often supports already existing biases toward tangibility and measurable outcomes What is most important however can39t always be measuredAs I have argued before if you believe quotdata is the new oilquot you need to rethink that position Brands promote storytelling but resist the emotional resonance that exists within the models of the world that humans have created that defy neat classification Brands that rely on data to drive their stories miss the connective tissue between those data pointsMoreover it39s in that connected yet often unseen tissue that real value is unlocked Brand work is human work and buried within all that data there is a social context that is irreducible in its complexityData is also not immune to the sticky human challenges of bias inequality and access Turns out the data we don39t collect and measure amp8212 invisible gaps in our knowledge amp8212 are just as critical as what we do measure Relying solely on what is visible is no different from the belief that the world is flat The information that is shaping our reality is increasingly manipulated and fake If we can39t quottrust our eyesquot then perhaps we need to trust our hearts and guts The invisible dots within data can provide a buffer against bias or outright deceptionWhat We Don39t SeeThe ability to measure and quantify phenomena suggests having a certain level of control over the future The reality is that the future is mostly uncertain and unknown to us We shouldn39t reject this notion but rather should embrace it because that uncertainty is an opportunity Organizations that achieve a higher level of comfort with invisibility will offer themselves the best chance to connect deeply with human beings Successful branding requires leaps into the unknown and the unseen now more than everDon39t stop now Stay in the know on the impact of DampampI influence and influencers and marketing in culture with more from Phil McKenzieClick the social buttons to share this story with colleagues and friendsThe opinions expressed here are the author39s views and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet

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The Future of Your Brand Is Invisible

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Philip McKenzie

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