Looking ahead.
I have been thinking a lot about this moment in time that we are in, and wanted to share my thoughts with you.
While I enjoy a good trend report, or a lengthy discussion with a futurist, I tend to find a lot more inspiration in nature, or by observing the people around me, and my own desires. And I am lucky enough to often be surrounded by some very inspiring people who do meaningful work in their own little corner of the world.
So maybe this is more of an observation than a forecast, a feelings check of what I believe brands can do to be of service in the daunting times we live in.
When so much misery and darkness are vying for our attention, it tends to be very easy to succumb to the doom and gloom thinking that comes with it. Our climate, our political situation, the immense amount of hate and violence, war – really, when you allow yourself to focus on it all, it’s impressive we even manage to get out of bed in the morning.
But when we force ourselves to look away from the dark, and instead focus on the light in the world, the small but mighty organizations, the communities showing up, the friends, the artists and rebels, the poets, the environmentalists, the mothers, we realize there is a whole system beyond the system, a system based around care, a system of love and hope, that exists and weaves through the world like mushrooms, with their underground networks. We realize that indeed, we are not alone in all this, and we too can hope, we too can make a difference.
In my opinion, this sentiment can translate into brand and marketing as well.
When you see marketers come back to stunts in the real world, rather than online (who saw the Severance office at Grand Central last week?) and vulnerable CEO’s social channels outperform all sleek brand campaign efforts, it becomes clear that we want real people, real stories, and honesty, rather than AI generated fireworks.
People crave connecting and authenticity. They want to be a part of the conversation, and not just talked at.
And while I personally prefer to dance in the real world too (sans camera) and would be happy to say good riddance TikTok, I also clearly see how many people and businesses alike, found their way to connect with their audience in a more authentic way on this channel that might now be taken from them, or weaponized as yet another political tool.
Which brings me back to connection in the real world. What are touchpoints you can find, even as an online business, to connect with your audience? Where can we find the light that exists within our communities and be a mirror that reflects this light, rather than creating more noise?
I sure as hell, will remember the brands that showed up during the LA fires to support, no questions asked, halting their regularly scheduled posts, when contemplating my next purchases, rather than the ones that tried to find a marketing opportunity in someone else’s tragedy, or simply went about business as usual.
When we put people first, we might be surprised how quickly profit follows along. But most of all, how good it will feel to know, we did something meaningful, right here in our little corner of the world, whether that’s online or offline.
