Not so fast, says Paul Bailey of 1977 Design and Brand Consultancy. He says, “ …we should consider brands through the principles of wabi-sabi — a Japanese aesthetic ideology centered around the acceptance of persistent transience.”
Well, that’s a mouthful, but what does it mean? To Mr. Bailey, it means that branding is all about values, purpose, behaviors, and experiences — not about your logo or any of the other spacial elements like letterhead or packaging. If you define a brand according to less tangible elements, essentially, you’re considering it in a temporal context.
If you do that, your brand is in a perpetual state of change. It’s the product of the interaction of your company, your staff, users, influencers, etc. Mr. Bailey notes that brands are economic entities but also social and cultural, which opens them up to myriad influences. As he puts it, “Societal, cultural and economic environments are also constantly changing and developing, and therefore, so too should brands.”
One brand I’m thinking of is Dove. (Nope, not the chocolate.) When Andrew Ogilvy was involved with Dove many years ago, the message was “Dove creams your skin while you bathe.” Dove featured a high percentage of “cleansing cream” in its formula and was, therefore, good for you and also luxurious—a luxury ordinary women could afford. Consider Dove now. The brand successfully launched the Real Beauty Campaign, which, when you think about it, celebrated the primacy and desirability of the ordinary woman. Dove was the good guy, a supporter of women, incidentally producing good-for-you products. (Lately, its campaign around bottles of body wash shaped like women has been less successful, even termed “ridiculous” by one pundit.)
Dove, and other brands, are clearly listening—or perhaps think they are listening—to the voices of their constituencies. Many are reacting by changing logos, taglines, packaging, and the like. The best and most adaptable, I think, are continuously listening to the voice of the market, yet at the same time remaining true to their underlying values.
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