How to Brand in Today’s White Water World

We are inspired by remarks made by John Seeley Brown, the pioneer of design thinking and co-chairman of Deloitte’s Edge Institute, who gave the keynote speech at Arizona State’s graduation last week. In Brown’s visionary speech about today’s white water world he spoke about how digital technologies are driving robust social networks and creating a new social landscape that we are just learning to understand.

According to Brown, we once navigated the world like a steam ship, steering a linear path in relatively smooth seas. Today’s world, however, is creating more of a white water kayaking environment full of unexpected twists and turns. Reading the rapidly changing currents of context and reacting strategically is the key to staying afloat. Brown describes this bilateral interaction with social and informational landscape as “having a conversation with the flow.” To thrive, brands need to stay closely tuned into the dynamic world of culture and people, and authentically engage.

This new landscape offers peril and promise for brands.Only with vision, imagination, and authenticity can we create the ideas and engagements that not only keep brands afloat, but allow them to navigate the rapids to leadership positions.

Authenticity is a central tenet of success in the new white water world and brands are what bring that authenticity to people. Brown states that authenticity serves as a center of balance and base of operations that allows navigation of the social rapids without tipping over. This authenticity consists of a strong alignment between what a company /product uniquely is, distinctly does, and how it contributes to what real people really want.

Brown also inspired us with his call out to imagination as a driver of social progress. It’s one thing to see the world around you and another to revolutionize it. Brown quotes Schopenhauer to remind us that the ultimate goal is not just to see clearly but to “think what nobody yet has thought about that which everybody sees.”

Karen Lively

image courtesy of dan at FreeDigitalPhotos.net