If a brand wants to build social communities, capital and influence, it must become the chief celebrant of its community, not its celebrity. This simple shift in approach unlocks enormous transformative potential for brands.
Interpretation
Brands should focus on engaging with their communities rather than promoting themselves as celebrities.
This quote emphasizes that for brands to effectively build strong social connections, they must prioritize being a part of their community and celebrating it, rather than positioning themselves as the centers of attention. By embracing this community-centric approach, brands can unlock greater potential for growth and influence, transforming how they relate to their audience and fostering deeper connections. It advocates for a shift from a self-serving to a service-oriented mindset in branding.
In practice
In a presentation on modern marketing strategies, you could say this quote to emphasize community engagement.
If a brand genuinely wants to make a social contribution, it should start with who they are, not what they do. For only when a brand has defined itself and its core values can it identify causes or social responsibility initiatives that are in alignment with its authentic brand story.
Today's consumers are eager to become loyal fans of companies that respect purposeful capitalism. They are not opposed to companies making a profit; indeed, they may even be investors in these companies - but at the core, they want more empathic, enlightened corporations that seek a balance between profit and purpose.
Transforming a brand into a socially responsible leader doesn't happen overnight by simply writing new marketing and advertising strategies. It takes effort to identify a vision that your customers will find credible and aligned with their values.
If you're a marketer who doesn't know how to invent, design, influence, adapt, and ultimately discard products, then you're no longer a marketer. You're deadwood.
A good ad which is not run never produces sales.
You cannot sell a man who isn't listening; word of mouth is the best medium of all; and dullness won't sell your product, but neither will irrelevant brilliance.
I do not regard advertising as entertainment or an art form, but as a medium of information.
Experience has taught me that advertisers get the best results when they pay their agency a flat fee. It is unrealistic to expect your agency to be impartial when its vested interest lies wholly in the direction of increasing your commissionable advertising.
In advertising, not to be different is virtually suicidal.
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