Note to CMO: Brands and Movements

Dear CMO:

If you've had a chance to check out the recent post over at The Daily Fix, tell me what you think of it.

Like many ideas that don't apply to all situations, this is a bit of a niche idea -- that a brand can be designed to spark a movement. This isn't something that most widget companies can do, for obvious reasons, few of which hinge upon desire or intellectual capacity. Indeed, creating a movement suggests that there is something beyond a "cool" factor at work. There needs to be an impetus that drives us to lengths that we might otherwise not choose to go.

The very astute Spike Jones over at Brains on Fire suggested that the creation of brand ambassadors begins to take those steps; while I'm on board with Spike's assertion, I think we need to go further from "brand-y-ness" to qualify, and frankly there are few examples from which to choose.

For example, given the definitions laid out, Apple is a brand rather than a movement. Yes, many belong to a "think different" mentality but few see a vision beyond this that they would make their own. The same goes for most other marquee brands. Show me a brand that spontaneously spawns off-shoots -- not knock-offs or licensing deals -- that say, "I'm with him -- I believe in what he stands for and am going to do the same for my own people in my own way," and I'll believe it.

My friend Tom at TaxLifeboat.com could do this - and he's far from a non-profit. By choosing to assist those at the bottom of the pyramid to get back on their financial feet -- for profit but priced at a price that anyone can afford -- Tom sets an example that others could easily follow. What's missing in this example is the outwards trappings -- a common language, markings, forum, and acknowledgement that there is agreement and determination to succeed in solving the problem addressed by all.

Have you found a brand that can be a movement? Can your brand be a movement?


Regards.