I’m reading the latest Dan Brown book now, The Lost Symbol (not an affiliate link, just think you should check it out). I’m only about 150 pages in, but one of the themes that has struck me is something out of what are called the Noetic Sciences. Now, I’m not here to suggest that Dan Brown is one of America’s geniuses, or that whatever he writes about is the whole truth and nothing but, but the guy can really write some engaging stories, and I often find myself learning something new every time I open one of his books.
And this idea of Noetics has really intrigued me. Basically (and I’m generalizing here), if enough people think about a certain thing, and focus all of their energy on that one thing, physical matter can be transformed. It’s supposedly the power of Intention- according to Noetics, human thought has mass, and therefore gravity. The gravity of a human thought then has the power to shift… well.. anything.
This is all pretty new-age-y and I’m as skeptical as the next person. But what if your consumers had the power to affect your brand in a real way? Doesn’t that sound a lot like the types of movements being made in social media campaigns around specific brands? From the Skittles homepage to Zappos customer service (post on that later) to really, any brand out there on el Internet, we see it firsthand that consumers are indeed shaping the way that brands act, through individual tweets, blog posts, and conversations.
What does this mean for the future of brand management? Not to beat a dead horse, but the brand itself is now in the hands of the consumers. It’s up to brand managers and marketers to respond quickly to the shifting moods of the customer and adjust their strategies accordingly- or else your brand’s image is out of your control. Perceptions are evolving faster than ever now that everyone is able to get information, reviews, and opinions immediately on the connected web.
Would love to hear your thoughts on this.
photo credit: amanky
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