Cultural branding

CULTURAL BRANDING
ICONIC BRAND CONSTRUCTION

A COMMENT ON DOUGLAS HOLT’S ARTICLE

Branding as cultural activism from How brands Become Icons: The Principle of Cultural Branding published byHarvard Business School Press, September 2004 Article taken out from http://www.zibs.com/holt.shtml

April 21, 2009

Lia Viguria, MACC April 2009

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ICONS CONSTRUCTION / CREATION
SUMMARY REVIEWCULTURAL & POLITICAL AUTHORITY
Brand’s historic equities & assets

ICON STRATEGY
MANAGERS AS COMPOSSERS Not based on mind-share strategy

FOCUSSED POPULATION
Not consumers

MARKETRESEARCH
Not based on product-benefits model

IDENTITY CONSTRUCTION UNDERSTANDING CULTURE AS HISTORICAL ACTOR IN SOCIETY UNDERSTANDING EMERGING CULTURAL DISRUPTIONS & CONTRADICTIONS DEEP UNDERSTANDING OFSOCIETY EXISTENTIAL CONCERNS WHAT GIVES PEOPLE’S LIVES MEANING PEOPLE’S MOST ACUTE DESIRES & FEARS GENEALOGIC, HOLISTIC & EMPATHIC APPROACH UNDERSTANDING TENSIONS THAT INFLICT PEOPLE’S PROJECTSDIRECTING THE BRAND TO SHAPE ADVANTAGEOUS FUTURE POSITION ICON INSIDERS & FOLLOWERS ICONIC BRANDS ALSO BORROW FROM EXISTING MYTH MARKETS MYTHS ATTRACT PERIPHERAL CONSUMERS MAJOR SOCIAL CATEGORIES: GENDER,ETHNICITY, CLASS, URBAN / RURAL, ... PEOPLE’S ICON EXPERIENCE

DIRECTLY INVOLVED IN THE COMPOSITION OF THE MYTH NOT TO GIVE AWAY THEIR BRAND IDENTITY ARE TO LOOK FAR BEYOND TODAY’S CONSUMERSPEOPLE FEEL THESE MYTHS ANSWER THEIR DESIRES AND SOLVE THEIR FEARS PEOPLE CAN IDENTIFY THEMSELVES IN THESE ICONS

ONLY VISIONARIES AND ICONOCLASTS ARE ABLE TO ENCOUNTER THE SOCIAL TENSIONS, DISRUPTIONSAND EVALUATE THEIR IMPACT IN SOCIETY

CULTURAL ACTIVISM – POPULIST WORLD INCLUDING NOT-FOR-PROFIT VENTURES

OVER BRIDGING THE CREATIVE LEAP FROM IDENTITY DESIRES TO IDENTITY MYTH REINVENT ONCEPOTENT BRAND’S INTANGIBLES

THE BRAND BECOMES A VOICE INSIDE THE AIMED POPULIST WORLD CHARISMATIC AESTHETIC & ORIGINAL COMMUNICATION CODE THE BRAND EXPRESS FIDELITY TO THIS WORLD VALUES

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