by Antonis Kocheilas
Since the dawn of advertising, brands have tried to attach themselves to cultural trends. When brands see something catch the attention of their target audience, they figure it makes sense to latch on. And that’s because for the longest time, effective marketing was about conjuring an image.
Let’s not misconstrue it—brands still need to have an image, and image-making is still a part of marketing. But image is a means to a great end, not the sole objective. Brands should no longer go to extremes when it comes to image.
Effective marketing today needs to go much deeper. It must move from creating an image and manically mirroring cultural trends to helping the brand make an impact on people, on the planet, and on performance.
What does it mean to make an impact, and how can brands do it?
That’s what this piece will examine. The following Red Paper will explore the shift from image to impact that people expect of brands.
It will discuss how brands now show empathy for people rather than mirror mass culture; why brands should shift from being aspirational to inspirational; why they should eschew consistency for coherence and assertion for authenticity; why brands should embrace the end of conspicuous consumption and the arrival of conscious consumption; and why brands need to ditch exclusivity for inclusivity.
Click here to download and read "The Shift from Image to Impact: How Brands are Creating an Antidote to Apathy".
Antonis Kocheilas is Ogilvy's Global Chief Executive Officer, Advertising.
