I know many of you have smiled at their antics. Whether they are roller skating or mimicking their older selves, those cute babies are a viral hit. Apparently, however, their appeal has not managed to boost Evian’s fortunes in the USA. AdAge reports that Evian is now the number three premium water brand behind FIJI and Glacéau smartwater.
Great brands have great stories. But a great story doesn’t automatically create a great brand. For years we’ve told ourselves a story about what story is and how it works: develop a product; build a story around that product to give it value; sell that product at a greater degree of profit. We’ve allowed ourselves to believe that stories are the lynchpin of competition and that the best storytellers will win.
A full decade into the 21st century and we have witnessed radical transformation and creative destruction of nearly every aspect of the marketing toolbox. Marketing – as we have practiced it over the past 50 years – is obsolete.
Like intention, authenticity and energy cannot be faked.
These days, we tell ourselves that we are living in an era of new media. True enough, although maybe not quite so true as we like to think. It all depends on what we mean by new.
