Is this more than just semantics?

Thanks to my buddy Hash who helped me out with this.  I am giving a talk in March about the issues below.  Any other ideas would be more than welcome.

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In the business world today, we refer to the world our customers, brands and products live in, as a “market”.  Such clinical terms desensitise us to culture and products and services that really motivate people.

We replace “people” with “targets”, “culture” with “markets”, “communities” with “segmentations” and “desires” with “insights”.

The question I would like to investigate today is “Is this more than just semantics?”

If our goal is to understand what really matters, we should start by realising that as brands, we have to exist in peoples lives authentically and that means as a strategic marketing and brand building business, our own language and posture has to be of the world, not some foreign “speak” that only exists in business school classrooms, corporate cubicles and boardrooms today.

I would argue that our old language and definitions have changed, if not become redundant and we, as a business are slow to adapt, let alone lead and shape brands for our clients into the future.

On being authentic

There is something wonderfully authentic about these online clips from CNBC.  

The music creates a slightly sentimental emotional response, and even more so, the way they have all followed the same format but are given the freedom to design their own narrative about who they are and where they have come from is touching.  It even stirs up slightly warm feelings for Jim Cramer.  This then gives me, the viewer, permission to have a relationship with the reporters/journalists I identify with.

Whilst some people I have spoken with say they come across as a little self serving, I don't believe this to be the intention, though they might want to tone down the emotion a little. You will still get the same result. It's a fine line as we all know.

It's hard building an authentic brand, even more so today in a market that is becoming increasingly over crowded.  No big news I know, but the "authentic human touch" strategy behind these clips are a great idea for a company who's products are a little harder to sell - such as banking, financial services, insurance etc.  Give your greatest brand champions (your employees) a human face, and your company might not seem so impersonal after all.

You can take a look here.