Buck the trend of marginal futility and create something bigger and enduring
Apple is the most valuable enterprise on the planet but you could put Apple’s entire product portfolio together on your desk. It has built value through immense focus and brand identity. Each facet of the brand experience inspires people through both tangible and intangible means. Most Apple users feel a part of a community that is elevating for them. Image: Shutterstock
"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less travelled by,
And that has made all the difference.”
Robert Frost
Great brands often earn synonymy with their category, pricing power and wide acceptance and deep penetration. But, to my mind, there is another, higher order test. Great brands don’t chase trends. They often ignore them. But they do set trends for lesser, non-strategic brands to follow.
Mediocre marketers are avid trend-followers. It is a trap. Great brands are great if they have the stature to challenge trends. The truly great brands build and advance genuine cultural movements. This is not possible till there is true self knowledge and a depth of understanding within marketing ranks. Rarely will careerism weld with a calling. It is possible to buck the trend and take a counterintuitive approach only if you truly understand what your business definition is and explore that scope fully. It means rising above product myopia.