Great brands are genuine. To be perceived as a genuine brand, it takes more than a smart, differentiating market position, a well-conceived brand strategy, a world-class identity system, sharp advertising, and quality products. Beyond those foundational elements, it’s the employees that have the capability of elevating the brand to a higher level.

Culture. It is what unites and divides groups of people. From the beginning of human history, cultural groups have formed, adapting various behavioral traits and beliefs. Historically, when two different cultures have crossed paths, it has often resulted in a clash between the two groups. The end result demonstrating the worst characteristics of humanity. However, history has also shown cultures to engage with each other in trade and commerce, benefiting from the resources each group has to offer. Of course a much more civil and desirable behavior. There are many factors contributing to the causes of one result over another but in my opinion, communication and understanding are critical elements to the cultural exchange between two groups. In our field of communication design, it is growing increasingly important to understand audiences from a cultural perspective. In order to conduct business and communicate effectively, you really need to understand the culture of your target audience.

If there is one common thread in the ever-changing world of digital marketing it’s been endless the pursuit of creating ‘it’. Perhaps you’ve heard or even muttered the phrase, “we need to create an ah-ha moment, generate a game changer or get something to go viral.”

It’s the oldest pursuit applied to the latest medium. Create the next big thing. For those who like to think and converse at a higher level, this is the quest for a meme.

When marketers attempt to cultivate cultural movements through their marketing efforts more often than not, they miss the mark. Meeting the masses and creating a consumer cultural shift is considered a marketing triumph. Of course sometimes being at the right place, at the right time, with a relevant product can seem like that’s all you need to succeed. However, without the support of an immersive brand experience, the success won’t last long.