2020 Prediction: The Year Brands Came Back

I was wondering when I was going to see this ad. And I REALLY wish I’d posted about it yesterday when the idea struck me on a run – would have seemed way more prescient. Meh. It doesn’t dampen my excitement in seeing it. Its content or who it’s from.

Nike is a near-impossible reference to use whenever you’re trying to convince a client to do something. They’re so big. They spend so much money. They sponsor the top athletes in the world. Their products are awesome. And even when they’re not, man, they look slick.

All true.

But Nike can run this ad right now for one reason and one reason only: they have a brand. A real one. A single-minded position and story that they’ve built out for decades: If you have a body, you’re an athlete. So just go out and do it.

There’s a lot that’s going to be lost over the coming weeks and months as a virus infects people and disease spreads across our global economy. But I believe something is going to come back: the importance of a story. The vital importance of a brand.

Many companies have stopped being able to move product. It may be very hard to move product for a long time. Which means it will do little good to advertise products. But your brand – your brand is a different matter.

I believe that after all of this is over there are very few facts that will have imprinted in our memories. What we will remember are stories. Narratives that were beautiful. Or heartbreaking. Or uplifting. Or hilarious. We will remember ideas. Big ones. We’ll remember principles, and the people and companies who lived up to them. A brand story has the power to imprint you in someone’s memory; and hold you there until products start moving again. In our changed reality, I believe brands will keep companies alive.

Every company has the ability to become a brand. But in today’s changed context, that means you have to stop trying to sell your stuff and start trying to figure out why you matter. The finite pool of attention is pretty near full-up for most people – why should we let you in? How does your product make us feel? How does your offering fill a void in our lives? How do your beliefs coincide with our beliefs?

If you’re a B2B company with a medical device or breakthrough drug or new software technology that’s going to advance your field, a question to ask yourself right now might be: do we take unnecessary pain away? Do we make a procedure or process less scary? Do we make a treatment or solution more accessible, more democratized? Do we make someone feel better? Do we make someone feel safer? Do we help people feel more connected, and less alone?

If you’re a consumer product, the same questions apply. As we look for ways to feel safer, more protected, more certain, more self-assured. As we grasp for any modicum of control we can still exercise. As we seek to stay connected to those we love but can’t be with, and work to stay sane around those we love but wish we weren’t around quite so much – where do you fit into this new reality of needs? What role do you play – tangible and intangible – in our changed reality? Can you make us laugh? Can you help us blow off some steam? Can you help us believe there’s something better just around the corner - can you invite us to be a part of it?

Connection. Belief. Hope. Blind faith. That’s what stories have always given us. That’s what great brands have always given us. And today, none of us can get by without them.