Why is it that some brands always seem to be one step ahead?  What creates the possibility for them to work in the future today?  

A good part of the answer…they have a strong sense for the emerging future.  

To better understand let me share a quick analogy…

Imagine you’re in the hills of your favorite park reveling in glorious sunny skies and spinning hard on your mountain bike.  You’re heading downhill on a single-track trail and you have two options.  You can focus your eyes and mind on the trail immediately in front of you OR you can look ahead.  If you choose the former then there is a good chance that you will be a little slower, more apt to stop and start, less courageous and pretty frustrated. Why?  Because you are blind to what lies ahead and as a result you are constantly reacting and less confident.  Now consider the latter where you look ahead.  Not only are you more efficient, but also you are more than likely having a lot more fun riding the bike.  And why is this?  Because you are simultaneously navigating the trail below as well looking ahead.  Those ruts and roots and twists and turns are subconsciously eliminated and you live in a proactive courageous mindset.

Great brands ride while seeing the trail ahead.  How?  By consistently having the discipline and courage to allow time for observation and reflection.  Simple thing really - taking the time to look up and sense what lies ahead.  Unfortunately, what normally tends to happen is that we get caught in the vortex of reacting to things.  Why?  Often it is function of lacking simple frameworks and fundamentals such as vision, guiding principles and positioning.  In addition, we tend to create from a point of desperation versus inspiration (something I see all too often in the world of sustainability) and as a result, we lose the ability and discipline to sense the emerging future.  Oh yeah, and god forbid you become transfixed on what others around you (i.e. competitors) are doing because then all hell breaks loose.  Trust me.  I lived both the good and bad and I can tell you with unabashed zeal that it is simple things like fundamentals, discipline and process that make the biggest difference.  

So look out on the horizon.  What do you see?  What insights and observations can you sense that give hint to the impending future?

Here’s my sense for the emerging future…

• Social media will redefine how we discover and hold brands.  Marketing as we knew it is officially deceased.  

• We are going to see an abundance of smaller bonfire brands dominate our landscape.  A strong entrepreneurial spirit is going to ignite a new generation of brands and companies that are driven less by their size than by their ability to be a catalyst for new possibility and positive systemic change.  That said I see a mosaic of  $25-200MM privately held companies that will reshape our landscape.

• Brands that consider HUMANITY and LIFE’s PRINCIPLES  in their every deliberation will thrive.  

• Creating a great product is no longer good enough. EVERYTHING matters - you will be defined by everything you do well and by everything you do not do well.  It is your fate.

• We will stop creating with a goal to be green, eco or sustainable and shift the thinking and design to be creating conditions conducive to life.

• The I will be overtaken by the WE.  As a culture we quickly recognize how we are all connected and that we truly do live in an eco-system or inter-dependent living system. 

• There will be a greater openness for collaboration and collective thought.  Great brands will actively seek symbiotic partnerships.

• Transparency and traceability will be a tenet of every great brand.   

• The journey will become greater than the reward.  Individuals will choose a place of work based on how vibrant, responsible and passionate the workplace environment is versus simply looking at pay.

• Human capital will be viewed as the best capital.  It will be positioned as an investment rather than an expense

• It will be okay to smile and laugh a lot at work. 

Without question, working in the future takes courage.  But look at the alternative.  Would you prefer to react to everything that comes your way or lead the way?

During my first all company meeting at Seventh Generation,  I stood up as the new Chief Marketing Officer and mentioned that I had no clue about marketing (yes - a lot of folks looked in disbelief at each other saying ‘who the heck hired this guy?’), but that I did believe in building resonance, relevance and bonfires.* 

What rings louder and more true?  Saying you are going to create a marketing plan, or saying that you are going to build a plan that optimizes the resonance and relevance  between your brand and those you serve?  Initiatives informed by the latter consider the whole - you, your culture, those you serve and the greater good.  It’s a simple framework for decision-making.  Does the initiative optimize resonance and relevance?  If yes, proceed.  If not, drop it.

Now consider the following.  What ignites a greater sense of possibility and emotion - building a brand, or building a bonfire brand?  A bonfire brand is something that galvanizes and mobilizes your evangelists.  So ask yourself the following:  Are folks gathering to talk about your brand?  Do they defend your brand? Does your brand have evangelists that tell your story for you?   Ardent critics that want to see you thrive?  If no, ask yourself and those you serve why not?  What can you do to ignite the fire?  What are the keys to unlocking the possibility?  If your brand is not a bonfire brand, then you need to be concerned, incredibly concerned.  You are in essence replaceable. Conversely, bonfire brands have an effortless loyalty from those they serve.  A few examples - Apple, TED, Seventh Generation, Nau, Whole Foods, Buckminster Fuller Institute, Kiva, New Belgium Brewery, Patagonia, Tesla, Burning Man (literally and figuratively), Parelli Horsemanship , Guy Kawasaki and the Boston Red Sox.  It is important to note that what matters most is not the quantity of voices at the bonfire, but the quality and depth.  

One last thought.  If you are as good as you say you are then people will be drawn to you.  They will in essence bring the wood for the bonfire and stoke the flames.  You will become a beacon and folks will engage in the bonfire.  So for Christ’s sake stop watering down your story to make it mainstream.  Let them come to you versus chasing them.  You’ll stay true to your core and chances are, you’ll be stronger because of it.

*  While I would love to have been the one with the creative capacity to conjure up the term ‘bonfire brand’, I first heard the term several years ago from John Olson @ OLSON & Company in MN.  It has resonated with me ever since.  FYI - he’s a fascinating, fun-loving and brilliant guy!