Companies Need Creativity

Smart companies commit resources to building their brands even in economically trying times. Why, because it distinguishes them, and their products and services. Establishing a brand today requires creativity to build real belief, trust and emotional preference. The 21st century marketplace is dynamic and unforgiving, an alien landscape where change is not an option but a requirement. A place where 20th century rules just don’t apply. Because of this businesses are challenged in becoming differentiated. Why distinguish your company? Because your survival depends on it. Blind customer faith and long-term loyalty no longer exist. And the only way to distinguish your company is to build a successful brand from the inside out as well as the outside in. This can only be accomplished with objective guidance and creativity. The CEO and their senior executive team must commit time and resources and be willing to discover and promote company authenticity. Wall Street shows that it values strong brands by increasing stock multipliers. Successful brands, therefore, are assets to be mined.

The 21st Century Market Place

There's a challenge inherent in understanding how the 21st century market and its Chaotic New Economy affect individual businesses. There's too much market complexity to manage, too much change, and seemingly too little clear information and direction for CEOs to successfully implement their agendas. What variables deserve the most attention and how the company sees and reacts to them, is clearly up to CEO leadership.

The major subgroups comprising the Chaotic New Economy, the market, the customer, and the organization, are equally subjected to the forces exuded by the velocity of change. By focusing the organization through the lens of change, the others are put into a new and dramatic context. The Chaotic New Economy affords smart organizations willing to embrace change with speed unparalleled opportunity for growth and prosperity.

 
Creating a Living Brand

Most organizations have a graphic identity that it uses to describe itself. Unfortunately, embracing these emblems as their only representation means ignoring the emotional behaviors necessary to build real belief, trust and preference with customers. These same organizations are more influenced by its direct competition than its potential and existing customer bases. Simply put, this 20th century behavior is killing their business. The Chaotic New Economy offers a unique space where the market, customer, and organization meet, a space in which the organization can drive change and become differentiated. To take advantage of this space, the organization must create a Living Brand.

Developing a Living Brand requires the discovery of the organization’s authenticity, building supporting behaviors and practices and driving meaningful expression of the brand from the inside out, as well as the outside in. The Living Brand supersedes identity, marketing, services and products; it ultimately rises beyond time and place as well. In reality, becoming truly distinct in the 21st century market is at best a constant struggle; without a solid authentic living brand in place, it is simply impossible.

To learn more, contact Mark at mark@marksmonaco or call 773.908.5021.