We Are The Story

What can brands learn from social experiments?

1. A passionate community is the lifeblood of your brand.  Without it—a brand is hollow.
2. People want to interact with your brand—to be a part of it somehow, to make it their own.
3. Your community can make your brand better, stronger and smarter.
4. Inviting your community to become an active part of your brand stimulates ideas, creativity and potentially innovation.

In my last post I asked "What is the story" behind this simple visual.  What happened?  You told the story—each in your own unique ways.  You became the story.  You took the idea and poked, prodded and narrated.  Some of you translated it in a very logical fashion.  Others created tall tales around what it meant to you.  Some of you created your own visuals like the three-eyed-monster (which I absolutely love)  And I'll be honest with you—these are some of the best comments I've ever had here.

So what can brands learn from social experiments?

Well, for starters—brands can learn to experiment.  I usually narrate my own visuals—and of course feedback is always welcome.  But this time I felt you could tell the story even better than I could.  And you didn't let me down.  Sometimes we mistake these invitations as not having a strong sense of self-identity.  If brands let their communities define them—are they strong brands in the first place?  The answer is yes.  My voice is my voice.  It will not change—I am who I am.  But my thoughts and actions can be influenced by what you say and do.  Are brands willing to do the same?  Does this make them weak or strong?

My original intent was to call out some of the comments which "nailed" the visual.  But the truth is that you've all nailed it in your own ways—so now I'll have to re-think what to do with these thoughts.  I'll probably pull them together in some type format for easy distribution—maybe a PDF.  It's more work for me, but in the end I know it will be worth it because it's worth sharing and proves a point.  The point is that a healthy brand does not live in isolation—just like healthy people.

Comments

[mblair]

LOL,now that drawing made me smile :-) Thanks for brightening up my day!

[Mitch Owen]

Very nice exercise. A good definition of what happens in Web 2.0..

[DA]

Mitch,

Actually I think this is broader than Web 2.0. When someone goes out and gets a Harley, customizes it—then gets involved in riding groups etc. it's doing a lof of the same things we're discussing.

Communities forming around brands etc. have always existed, but there does seem to be a "renaissance" fueled partially by the Web which intensifies the effectiveness and connectedness.

Mblair—the photo made my day too!

[mindblob]

David,

WOW! - "If brands let their communities define them—are they strong brands in the first place? The answer is yes." - Absolutely agree on this one.

You're right, brands shouldn't live in isolation and "opening their doors" will bring the heartbeat of their consumers inside the box. How could they live without it? It seems so obvious that it is difficult to imagine the future of marketing without this pulse.

We used to say "Think out of the Box"... should we now consider "Come think in our Box"?

[Raimo van der Klein]

It is hard to let go..but so worth it..

As a brand you just need to know what your wish is..and let this wish free.. Give it away and see what happens. For me these are parts of holistic a more holistic approach to doing business.

So what are YOU willing to give away? Your strategy, marketing, design, mission, purpose?

[Rick]

I look forward to what you are pulling together. Thanks for your perspective on experimentation and the solidity of a brand.

[Tony D. Clark]

It's funny -- I'd see a lot of this in the "fringe" markets I did some work for more than 15 years ago. In South FL I'd do design work for local bands, surf shops, and clubs like the Dollhouse whose customers had a big say in how their brands were formed. Much of the promotional stuff and gear was directly influenced, if not designed in some degree, by the "fan community."

I agree the Web makes it much more pervasive because it allows like-minded niche groups to gather more easily. It can also polarize anti-fans against brands they dislike.

Watching the conversation closely is important to hear what's being said. Joining is important because it's going to happen whether you participate or not.

[Adrian Lai]

Glad u guys like the 3-eyed monster:) The eyes are actually from a rad project in NYC: http://flickr.com/search/?q=googly+eye+cru&m=text

[Sean ODriscoll]

so, what are your thoughts on online brand management efforts via companies like Visible Tech?

see my post here:http://communitygrouptherapy.com/2007/04/17/online-brand-management-good-bad-or-it-depends/

Sean
www.communitygrouptherapy.com