4 minute read
Global perspective: brand evolution during social revolution
Moderator REFILWE MALULEKE MD, Yellowwood
PATRICK HANLON CEO and founder at primalbranding.co, and considered the ‘Charles Darwin’ of branding
DAOUDA LEONARD CEO and founder of CREATESAFE, and music producer for Lady Gaga, Grimes, amongst others
MICHAEL PERMAN former senior director of marketing at Levi Strauss & Company and Innovation Futurist and CEO of C’est What?
JOSEPH PERELLO CEO and founder, PROPS
BRAND EVOLUTION DURING SOCIAL REVOLUTION
BY TANJA DU PLESSIS
AFFuture of Media ddigitised event, hosted by Yellowwood MD Refilwe Maluleke, discussed how globally, brands evolve during social revolutions.
One of the first touchpoints of the discussion was social media and social movements. Michael Perman, former senior director of marketing at Levi Strauss & Co, innovation futurist and CEO of C’est What? explained the difference. “People are seeking meaning right now. It’s hard to understand what truth means. Sensemaking is an important path, leading to a narrative,” he said. “The movements that we have seen have core parts of the narrative. A movement has an ongoing story that is told. It provides the content to respond to the context,” he explained. Patrick Hanlon, founder and CEO at Primalbranding.co, said: “Primal code is the root code for building seriously authentic brands. It uncovers the building blocks that attract people and bring them together. It’s used to deconstruct brands and bring them back together.” He said primal branding has always been important. “It’s the reason we believe in people, places and things, for example #BlackLivesMatter and Covid. Some believe and some don’t. In the case of Covid, among other things, people need to have the message confirmed at least a few times before they believe it and for it to make sense to them. A message needs to be clear, and resonate. Remember, when marketing a product, the confused do not buy.”
Perello, founder and CEO of content company Props, spoke about a drive towards authenticity that marketers seek to embrace while still implementing their own strategy and tactics through the lenses of advertising. “All the creative systems are still trained to make ads, and those are not really authentic – they are created to be manipulating.” Perello said that today the very reason for advertising is being questioned. “Exceptional brands are embracing cultural motions and others are just riding the wave on political matters. Then there are brands that are embracing content – not branded content, I mean the way brands are telling real stories. They are being authentic because they are not selling something; they are appealing to the masses for a greater cause,” he said. When asked how one navigates all the latest cultural shifts, Daouda Leonard, founder and CEO of CreateSafe and music producer for Lady Gaga, Grimes and others answered: “It comes from a place of mindfulness. To swap out the things you need to swap out, you need
The big take-out:
It’s not about “do goodery”; brands need to be unapologetically authentic.
to have practice to do this. Create a moment where people catch up to what you’re doing, where iconic moments are created and real stories are told.” Hanlon agreed that, just like an artist, a purpose-driven brand has meaning and a destiny it is moving towards; it is not just producing a product. It is working towards a larger mission. From purpose to premium: Perman gave insights of what’s happening to premium brands during the latest pandemic. “All around the world there are cultural and economic divides. There is definitely an economic impact that will affect the premium brands, but there is now a redefinition of what premium means; it doesn’t necessarily mean luxury. Premium is about substance, providing value, showing authenticity and whether that brand is doing something good for the world. Once redefined, a customer and brand will value that sense of premium,” he said. Perman added that two of the major trends he’s seen are novel forms of empathy and sense-making. “On the sense-making point, brands could be deploying artificial intelligence and blockchain to understand accuracy and truth. On the novel forms of empathy, we have a global deficit of oxytocin – lack of touch and communication. Now we need new forms of human connection. Media companies and brands have a role to play in this regard because they have to tell the right stories, exhibit the right rituals, and say the right words to transcend the limitations of current virtual situations.” In closing, Hanlon put it simply: “People are looking for change; if you are thinking of changing, now is the time to do so.”
