The document discusses how brands need to become more human to succeed. It provides examples of how some brands are winning by taking a more human approach. Specifically, it discusses how human brands are: 1) More conscious by having cultural and social missions rather than just commercial propositions. 2) More generous by providing people with ideas, emotions, actions and utility through stories of real people. 3) Better at storytelling by sharing ongoing stories with depth and complexity about people's experiences. The document argues that human brands will thrive by taking on more human traits like being conscious of social impact, generous with their content, and skillful storytellers.

1. Brands ARE HUMAN TOO
Well, atleast the really good ones are…

2. All brand names mentioned and logos/pictures included in
this presentation are registered trademarks of their
respective owners and are legally protected. Their inclusion
in this presentation is only for the purpose of illustration
and analysis.
The citations in this presentation are not all my personal
thoughts and have been curated from various thinkers on
the subject.

3. We are in the twilight of a society based on
data. As information and intelligence
become the domain of computers, society
will place more value on the one human
ability that cannot be automated: emotion.
Imagination, myth, ritual rich – the
language of emotion – will affect everything
from our purchasing decisions to how we
work with others. Companies will thrive on
the basis of stories and myths.
-Rolf Jense Copenhagen Institute for Future Studies

4. Human brands
Today, brands need to be becoming more and more like
humans. Be it Coca Cola’s efforts in various countries
around the globe or P&G’s consumer advocates who are
empowered to develop the skills to become subject matter
experts – human brands are winning
Humans are hard-wired to respond to
human traits. So, what does it take to WIN
as a human brand?

5. Humans : More conscious
‘Brands will be built on cultural and social missions,
not commercial propositions. What actually matters to
people is having a point of view on the world, a cultural
mission to rally around.’
‘What would a brand do if
diagnosed with just one year
to live?’

6. Whole Food’s YouTube channel Thrive features fascinating,
insightful stories from people who share their personal
accounts of sustainable urban farming, organic cooking and
family legacies built around good eating.
The utility in these content experiences is clear: what you see
inspires you to do things that can better your life, empowered
by people you can relate to – Whole Foods shoppers and the
food growers themselves.

7. Humans : More Generous
‘Until brands push past messaging and
start more consistently providing people
with ideas, emotions, actions [and
utility], they should expect the consumer
to avoid eye contact and walk right by’
Ajay is a generous human

8. Life Goes Strong, a joint venture of P&G and NBC Universal, is
a network of websites that provides lifestyle content for the
40-plus crowd. For example, couples who are seeking
guidance on relationships, parenting, or even matters of
divorce, can get firsthand advice from people who are actually
going through these experiences and detailing them as they
happen.

9. Humans : better stories
‘Whereas corporate communications typically come in sporadic,
repetitive campaigns, we tend to prefer ongoing stories with depth and
complexity. People’s stories are more coherent and compelling –
they’re made up of related smaller accounts that form an evolving
narrative.’
‘If you are going to invite yourself into someone’s living room you have
a duty not to shout at them or bore them or insult their intelligence. On
the other hand, if you are a charming guest and you entertain them or
amuse them or tell them something interesting, then they may like you
a bit better and then they may be more inclined to invite you over
again.’

10. Red Bull has been a frontrunner in the storymaking game since the
brand began placing large cans on the rooftops of cars in local
neighbourhoods. Using the metastory theme of adventurous
pursuit, the brand has done everything from creating its own sport
(Flugtag), to putting on breakdancing contests, to outfitting
adventurers with tools to blog about their exploits, to building an
innovation platform for inventors : Red Bull Creation
Red Bull also acquired its own TV network so it could broadcast
these stories and launched a magazine showcasing these
experiences as journalistic stories.

11. Humans : smaller
‘We used to rely on the security of big companies. That’s why we worked
for them. And hired them. And put our money in them. But with the
recent collapse all that’s changed. Now it’s a risk to do business with the
big ones. We simply don’t trust companies anymore. We trust
people. Small is the new big. Sustainable is the new growth. Trust is the
new competitive advantage.’

12. Small means the founder makes a far
greater percentage of the customer A small law firm or accounting firm or ad
interactions. agency is succeeding because they’re
good, not because they’re big. So smart
Small means the founder is close to the small companies are happy to hire them.
decisions that matter and can make them,
quickly. A small restaurant has an owner who
greets you by name.
Small is the new big because small gives
you the flexibility to change the business A small venture fund doesn’t have to fund
model when your competition changes big bad ideas in order to get capital doing
theirs. work. They can make small investments
in tiny companies with good (big) ideas.
Small means you can tell the truth on
your blog. A small church has a minister with the
time to visit you in the hospital when
Small means that you can answer email you’re sick.
from your customers.
Small means that you will outsource the
boring, low-impact stuff like
manufacturing and shipping and billing
and packing to others, while you keep the
power because you invent the remarkable
and tell stories to people who want to
hear them.

13. Humans : more accountable
Sincerity and “I know that many tears were shed today,
both by laid-off and non-laid-off
accountability employees alike. Given our family
are crucial culture, our layoffs are much tougher
emotionally than they would be at many
when facing other companies. I’ve been asked by some
tough times: employees whether it’s okay to twitter
about what’s going on. Our Twitter policy
remains the same as it’s always been: just
be real, and use your best judgment.”
– Tony Hsieh of Zappos

14. Humans : more foolish
‘Without a few scatterbrains on the payroll, innovation
would never happen. New ideas come from divergent
thinking, not convergent thinking.’
‘The new kinds of successful mass brand do what luxury
brands have done previously: give you little bits of magic
that nobody will probably ever see.’

16. Pariket Doshi
Email : pariketd@gmail.com
Connect at : linkedin.com/in/pariketdoshi