Here’s a truth: many in the marketing industry today don’t really understand brands. They may think that “brand” and “customer experience” are different. But that kind of brand is a layer of communications. That is the stuff of blowhard manifestos — too high-minded to sell anything, and too lofty to be useful. Today, when there’s more of everything — more channels, more choice, more speed, more confusion — more noise and less signal, it’s fair to ask: What is a brand?
In order to answer this question, we have to think about what has changed over the last decade. The emergence of the iPhone and smart technology completely altered the way consumers interact with media and brands. “Digital” and “social” have become inseparable from everyday life. People are consuming media and content as well as curating and creating it. Consumers quickly became accustomed to the opportunity to interact and dictate media culture.
