The ad agency landscape is attempting a similar transformation, with various agencies merging the human art of brand storytelling with the power and speed of big data. Digital agencies are building up their skills in consumer insights and craft; these haven’t always been their strength. Meanwhile, traditional agencies are building up their analytics, development, wireframing and digital production abilities; these haven’t always been their strength. The robots are trying to become more human, and the humans are trying to become more bionic.

Iron Man. The Six Million Dollar man. We’ve always idealized the power of man and machine coming together.

In reality, some things can be automated, and some things can’t. We can automate a Facebook publishing schedule; we can’t automate the gorgeous Instagram photo that gets 1,000 likes (or a TV script, for that matter). We can automate affinity metrics to see what else our brand fans like; we can’t automate a good focus group that reveals surprising insights. Those kinds of conversations and breakthroughs are entirely human. We can automate ongoing KPI reports; we can’t automate the takeaways and implications we see in those numbers.

But each side can learn from the other.

The human side is slow, and can learn to be faster. One way to do this is to apply code logic to our workflow: IFTTT. “If this, then that.” Simple and instantaneous, IFTTT logic can accelerate our human processes, like when we decide to increase paid media to support a piece of content. It can eliminate case-by-case approvals that would normally take a day or two. The world moves faster than that. So our slow human decisions (and meetings) need to become more automated. IFTTT policies can help a brand keep pace consumer activity: real-time marketing.

On the flip side, the science of it all can get more human. If the “quantified self” movement has taught us anything, it’s that not every number matters. (How many yogurts did you eat this year? Who cares?) Determining which numbers matter and what they mean is pure judgment and prioritization, provincially human tasks. As my friend Brandon Murphy likes to say, “A brand planner will see something very different in the data than a media planner will,” or a social media expert, or a CFO … exact same data, very different insights. Big data’s only value is in how we humans use it.

Striking this balance is the future of the integrated agency. The emotional campaigns we create can be told faster and better. So the mass of data we have at our fingertips – from social media data, to custom segmentations, to Simmons (or MRI) runs – can reveal not just facts, but human truths.

Story plus science. Message plus mechanics. “If this, then … make your customers smile.”

If you’re a data person, show your reports to the storytellers; they’ll see something you don’t. If you’re a storyteller, ask for more info; the facts may surprise you, even inspire you. This combination will make your projects better and faster, and your campaigns more talk-worthy.

Sure, everybody marveled at Robocop’s abilities. But if you remember the ending, his greatest victory came when he made a decision based on emotion.

(PS – If you’d like to automate your own social media behaviors, check out this simple site, appropriately titled “IFTTT.” https://ifttt.com)

You think you’re busy? Meet Elon Musk.

For the uninitiated, he was a co-founder of PayPal to make his first billion. Now, he is the co-founder and CEO of three – THREE – companies that are tackling enormous breakthroughs. Tesla, which is manufacturing the sexiest electric cars on the planet (IMHO). SolarCity, which is one of the largest manufacturers of solar panels in the country. And SpaceX, which is building private rockets to service NASA space stations, with the goal of eventually colonizing Mars. Sound crazy? Only a little.

I saw Elon’s keynote interview at SXSWi earlier this month in Austin. He spent most of his time talking about SpaceX; obviously the project he’s most passionate about. He has the mind of an engineer, combined with a restrained, measured, deliberate, yet disarmingly frank manner of storytelling. He’s obviously very in touch with the day-to-day details of his businesses, and has a knack for making audacious dreams seem realistic. Especially SpaceX.

He has an almost comically lofty goal. Most CEOs have a 30,000 foot view; he has a 30 million foot view. He’s concerned that 500 million years from now, humans won’t be able to live on earth any more. He thinks we need to become an inter-planetary species. This is non-fiction. And oddly, not a joke. At all.

At SXSW, Elon Musk was a rock star. The 1,000 person capacity room was jammed, and his talk was simulcast in two other rooms, each seating 1,000 plus.

Here are three takeaways from Mr. Musk that might apply to our own terrestrial lives, jobs, and brands.

1) Think big. No, bigger. An audacious goal like colonizing Mars inspires people to dream. When you think “what’s the vision” for your company, think as big as you possibly can. It inspires your own people, and gets legions of fans dreaming, talking, believing, and working. You may say to your team, “On this project, we’re shooting for the moon!” – but that’s not good enough anymore. You need to shoot for Mars.

2) In the Q&A part of the interview, someone tweeted in a question that stumped him. “What has been your biggest mistake?” Elon Musk, and thousands of viewers, sat in awkward silence as he considered his answer. (Would he talk about his first three rocket launches that each crashed into the rocky shores of the Pacific? Or something more personal, like his three ex-wives? No …) His final answer had to do with hiring people. He said his biggest mistake was over-valuing brilliance of the mind, hiring for brains and not accounting for the heart enough. In other words, in the past he had underestimated how much it matters to hire good-hearted, passionate people. He has learned how critical that is to success. A company is its people. A brand is its people. Fans will talk about great organizations, filled with passionate, true-hearted people. Great people build great teams, capable of great things.

3) Oh, and he ended with this: have kids. They’re ok with having a busy, multitasking parent. They see the world anew, and strike joy into the heart. It seems that inspiring people need to find their own inspiration. Even someone as busy as Elon Musk.

In ad agencies around the world, there are strategists tracking trends. Every December, several big companies try to be “thought-leaders” by publishing their take on trends for the coming year. If you haven’t seen these, well, we’re 1/12th of the way through the year. You’re already behind.

These trend reports all have different methodologies: some use quantitative research, and some just read the tealeaves. Which are the good reports? And how do you know if a so-called trend really is one? Read on.

The Curve Report, from NBC Universal’s Interactive Group. When this beautifully bound book came across my desk, it was a fantastic surprise. It’s full of rich insights and specific examples in consumer trends, behaviors, attitudes, and technology that define our shifting American landscape. Incredibly well done. (And a big printed piece, no less – ironically titled, The Digital Edition.) Recommended, and free.

Big Ideas for 2013, from Iconoculture. This is a subscription service that rounds out a lean Planning department with a full staff of industry experts, researchers, analysts, and yes – thought-leaders. Luckily, we have access, and so we get valuable knowledge bombs like their “Big Ideas for 2013” report. Their approach is unique in that they identify micro-trends that ladder up to macro-trends, with specific examples and experts who can link a trend to your category. From health and wellness attitudes, to emerging uses of Big Data, to global countries on the rise (or fall), this report has something really eye-opening for any business to put to use.

WARC Trends Toolkit for 2013: How To Respond to Marketing’s Biggest Challenges (in association with Deloitte). This might be my favorite trend report for the new year. It’s robust, thorough, useful, and clear. It doesn’t oversimplify an issue, nor does it overcomplicate. It’s an 80-page PDF that’s free to clients of the WARC research consultancy (which we are). I consider it weekend reading that will inspire your Monday with tons of fresh ideas for existing projects. It also gives you an understanding of the big pictures shaping markets, which makes you feel like the smartest guy in the room.

I like these reports because they discuss actual trends. Too many websites claim to identify trends, when in fact they identify small things, like one app, or one Facebook promotion. One great idea does not make a trend, especially when we don’t know yet if it even works.

Every brand is digital now, so you should give this a look: Key Digital Trends for 2013, from eMarketer. eMarketer pumps out a steady stream of solid and enlightening data, usually daily snapshots of where the world is now in tech usage and brand spend. In this year-end report, they elevate their factoids into trends, which gives their usual nuggets more context. (Free Slideshare and recorded Webinar.)

When I read trends, I read them like they’re predictions. And I hold them to that scrutiny; will this be more true next year than it was of last year? If not, then that trend-spotter has failed. I also ask, is this trend useful? Has the trend-spotter turned the corner from mere observation to actually advising brands on how they can take advantage?

Trendwatching.com is more of an observational source. Their trends are good conversation-starters (if a bit dramatic), lighter on implications and applications. It’s a fun resource, with global scope. But the oddest of the bunch is TrendHunter.com. They feature lots of shiny objects, but few deep insights. And ironically, very few bona fide trends. It’s free, a good laugh, with hundreds of surprising finds.

As much as I hate doing it, I gotta give props to JWT and their annual trend report. It’s good. Substantive. I agree with most of their predictions (not all), and they package their report well – as an ad agency should.

At 22squared, we took a different approach to trends this year. We did primary interviews for a more qualitative, finger-on-the-pulse spin on things. We interviewed over a dozen of our internal thought-leaders here in December, and found a lot of common themes. We’ll be posting excerpts of these interviews as distilled trend videos in the coming weeks. And we’ll explore how those trends can lead to more talk-worthy brands. So stay tuned. We will try to keep the bar as high as the best trend spotters out there.

Of course, since we’re a tech-savvy ad agency, we spend our days creating things. And as someone famous once said, “The best way to predict the future is to create it.”

“Yeah, I saw that yesterday.”

“This will be the best thing you see all day.”
“First.” (to comment)
Refresh. Refresh. Refresh your news feed. Show me what’s going on right now that will beat the last thing I just saw.

As a social media culture, we are suffering from acute Recency Bias.

Recency bias:  a cognitive bias that results from disproportionate salience attributed to recent stimuli or observations; the tendency to weigh recent events more than earlier events (see also peak-end rule, recency effect).

We are enamored with the current moment, addicted to that dose of dopamine that hits when something mildly interesting appears, as long as it’s new. We compulsively scan our Instagram feeds way more than necessary. It’s beyond boredom: it’s addiction. Show me what’s happening now. How about now? Now? Now? Now? It’s a perspective that unwittingly governs our values and interests. Seeing and sharing the most recent posts, no matter how trivial, now creates our worth among friends. At least, that’s how we act.

Perhaps there’s a critical question we haven’t asked in a while: instead of how new is it, let’s ask honestly, how good is it. Sure that picture of a pulled pork sandwich just hit me this second, and has delighted me a bit, but does that make it better? How does it stack up in the hundreds of neat things that have come through this week/month/year? Is it good? Is it important? Does it have any value beyond being here now? How good is that cat meme, really?

Speaking of cats, take a look at the yearly recap of the big memes of 2012. Every single one of them had us smiling, but do any have lasting value, importance, or depth? Maybe it’s not fair to judge memes, because their purpose is not to last or do anything more than entertain. However, a grumpy cat picture has more people buzzing than content of much greater value. Recency bias. (With a little humor bias thrown in, I admit.)

We’re chasing shiny objects. Obsessed with the past sixty seconds, and the next sixty. Beating each other to click and grin. We laugh and laugh, and share with friends. Meanwhile, what are we missing? Perhaps a little distance from our news feeds to step back and say, “Sure those things made me smile, but this one thing was truly remarkable.” Even tidbits in Wired magazine (under the burden of a slower print cycle) feature products and ideas that are merely blips, and will likely not stand the test of time or change things too fundamentally.

There are antidotes (thank God). Big idea curators like The Creators Project, and  Brain Pickings. People and programs that have their radar tuned to more fundamental ideas that last – and still blow our minds.

Let’s never stop laughing at stuff. But let’s not assume that new content is meaningful content. Let’s not assume what’s new is what’s right. Let’s understand the ideas that last, because that understanding will add layers to the joy of the new and now. A child laughs at Bugs Bunny’s pratfalls in the moment, but an adult laughs at Bugs for other reasons – better reasons. If you understand foundational ideas, stories and constructs that last, you’ll enjoy the other crap so much more. And if you’re a creator of content, your jokes will be funnier, your stories much better.

The latest thing in our news feed is not always the best. Get over the bias. Be more like McKayla – not easily impressed.

(For related topics, see “Chronological Snobbery.” And “Recency Illusion,” for those FB addicts who always find themselves two days behind.)

Football is so big, no one can own it. Games are shown on NBC, FOX Sports, CBS, and ESPN.

And football isn’t the only gigantic cultural event we’ve been seeing, one after another after another. Let’s list ‘em off. The Olympics? HUGE. Political season? The biggest ever. Social media channels? It’s one hockey stick growth graph after another. The richest people in the world are richer than they’ve ever been. We live in an age of GIGANTICISM. It makes me miss Carl Sagan and his classic commentary, “billions and billions” … But things have gotten bigger than that. Dollars. Eyeballs. Clicks. Votes. World records are being broken on a regular basis, so much that we come to expect it. We’re exhausting ourselves with amazing.

This is the cultural context now. So let’s think about your brand. Is your brand merely competitive? Or is it GIGANTIC? Are you talking about your points of difference? Or are you talking about mattering in a big way? Are you meting out your marketing budget? Or are you making a big impact? … Can your brand be (drumroll please) BIGGER?

Here are three thoughts that may inspire you and your brand to BE GIGANTIC:

1. Hyperbole. As a former copywriter, I hate hyperbole. I find it lazy, and often inaccurate. However, look at the people becoming rockstars in social media, and it’s their stock in trade. It’s ALL they do. (OK, maybe not ALL they do. I may be exaggerating a little there.) Point is, it pays to talk big. A favorite example is Dollar Shave Club’s viral video (“Are our blades any good? No. They’re f***ing great.”) Fun phrases: “It’s not about ___, it’s about ____.” … “It’s the end of ______.” … “Everything you thought you knew about ____ is wrong.” These phrases are not technically true at all, but they are dramatic. They are hyperbolic. They are gigantic.

2. Small pond. If your brand can’t afford to be the NFL (or even run an ad on a regular season game broadcast), here’s a tip. Find a smaller pond. Where CAN you be gigantic? Are you opening a store in a small town? Be the biggest thing there for those customers. If you can’t afford to make a dent on Black Friday, then pick a day you can win on. Can’t sponsor American Idol? Then sponsor weekend farmers market, and totally dominate that event. Reframe the context your brand is in. It’s the old movie trick from Godzilla – find a 1/6th scale city and put on your lizard costume.

3. Focus. The classic marketing trap is, “we’ve got to be always on.” But do you really? Really? Maybe some low level of traffic-driving support, sure. But if you have the discipline to make fewer brand splashes, then you can make them a lot bigger. Red Bull does not have flugtag events every day. But the conversation around those events lasts for weeks before and after. Upstart fashion brands sometimes get big by simply being in the movie star’s goodie basket back-stage at the Oscars. Focus. Put more chips on one number, and let the wheel go round. Don’t throw ten baseballs (footballs?) at your customer and expect him to catch any. Throw one. Focus. You’ll be able to afford a bigger brand gesture, and if you’re smart about it, you can milk it for all it’s worth. Staging a stunt? Film it and put it online. If it’s good, it could get big. If it’s great, it could become GIGANTIC.

In this campaign from Droga5, Help Remedies proves that when you combine a mass CPG product with a cause, everybody wins. But let’s step back.

Imagine this is your client. Imagine the problem solving sessions that birthed this idea. Perhaps someone raised a hand and said, “I wonder, could a Band-Aid solve a global health issue?” Or maybe someone asked, “How can we catch all the little drops of blood out there and sign ‘em up to help?” However it happened, they took two heretofore unrelated organizations and found an ingenious way to link them.

If you’re a marketer, maybe the biggest solution isn’t in getting the biggest director to shoot a Super Bowl spot. Maybe it’s in redefining the problem itself to be as big as possible. What if the goal is bigger than awareness, consideration, preference, sales – bigger than getting people to “Like” your brand?

At 22squared, we think a lot about how to get people to talk about your brand. Maybe the better question is, “How big a problem can we solve here?” And then watch as people start talking.

Take on something bigger than creating an ad campaign. Your ideas will grow big enough to solve it.

“You got your physical world in my digital!” “You got your digital stuff in my real world!”

Like the old Reese’s peanut butter cup ads, today’s digital and physical worlds are two great tastes that taste great together. In fact, if you’re not planning them together, then you’re not thinking like a consumer.

The first screen we turn to (mobile) plusses many of our activities these days. We click to watch movie trailers and buy tickets on the way to the theater. Dinner reservations? Made with our thumbs of course. But that’s all happening now; it’s going to expand. So what’s next for Phygital? Three things: NFC, AR, and a digital layer in physical product design.

NFC (near field communication) is magic tech just waiting for savvy brands to plug in. Imagine, you walk through a conference and business card info leaps into your phone, untouched. You pay your bus fare by waving your phone over a sensor, again, touchless. They’re already doing it in China. Imagine keyless entry into your office, not with a separate access card, but with your phone. Imagine capturing a hi-res, authorized, digital work of art as a souvenir, while you stand in front of the real thing. The big buzz these days is with Google wallet. But we’ll see other innovative brands using NFC in crazy ways in the future. Like logging and rewarding customer behaviors in gamified campaigns, passively – automatically. Look out Shopkick, with your proprietary in-store scanners (a big investment for retailers); NFC has the potential to eat your lunch. Best of all – NFC means automated Social spread for mass promotion of a simple action. Whenever your customer gets close to your brand (in-store, at an event), it could trigger a check-in that lets the world know, with content and sentiment attached. Touchless. For example, our client Baskin Robbins could let fans “like” a flavor in store by waving their phone by the ice cream case, and that branded action gets spread to their friends. The ideas we see in 2012 will be much better, of course.

Have we seen the end of augmented reality? Not likely. Because it’s Phygital; adding digital awesomeness to your walk through the mall or car lot. One example that shows us AR’s potential was the walk through Central Park. A crude QR code triggered awesome content from park events over the years. Early examples of AR tools will gain adoption as they get easier to use, and more rewarding. It’s easy to imagine an alternate reality game with views into a secret layer of existence, finding clues through your phone in a ghost world, for example. Too weird? How about simple x-ray simulators, virtual try-ons for clothes, or virtual test drives with pop-up car specs? Today, we check prices with RedLaser – but tomorrow we’ll trigger entire experiences, entertainment, heck, even a personal message from world leaders (see Esquire’s 2/12 cover). Or Cobie Smulders. Again, all of this will automatically trigger social spread, turning the physical world into a digital action-cast. Big brother is watching you, and the customer service is impeccable. (For more great AR inspiration, check out T-Immersion’s reel – , or watch AR beat flash-mobs here, or turn your browser into a drone soldier.)

On the flip side, our physical stuff will keep getting more digital. Look at Nike. Their new FuelBand and SportWatch turn your runs into branded social media impressions. As Fortune reports (2/14/12), Nike “can follow them (users), build an online community for them, and forge a tighter relationship with them than ever before.” These are products of Nike’s “Digital Sport” division. A mad laboratory of Phygital ideas. Maybe one day your spatula will speak recipes and post to Facebook how your souffle’ turned out. In all physical products there’s an opportunity to add digital content, utility, and sharing. If you’re a supply-chain innovator, there’s a massive gap here for a standardized “digital add-on.” (It could be the next billion-dollar idea that digitizes the world – not just your house, but your dog’s collar, your car tires, your deodorant, your tennis racket. Here’s an example of adding digital audio to anything … now, imagine the gadget that could add content and social spread to anything.) Yes, things are going to get weird. Done right, consumers will be captivated. These ideas will come from client product labs, vendors, agencies, and start-ups. If you’re in the idea business, add this to your scope. The digitization of the physical world will try to assist us, befriend us, and tell the world what we’re up to … i.e. automate “word of mouth.” These ideas are exponential not only because they are things we’ve never seen before, but each one is bespoke, micro-targeted, and infinitely shareable.

If you need more convincing of the power of “Phygital,” I have two words for you: Xbox Kinect.

I leave you with this, a branded experience for T-Mobile. (Not totally new, but the second viewing is just as fun.)

(Thanks to our Social team, @ChrisTuff and @hellojustinoh for their thoughts on this post. Word.)

You’ve probably seen this TV spot. Nearly 3 million have watched the US version on YouTube alone.

Best Job / P&G London 2012

This two minute TV soap commercial isn’t an anachronism. It’s a strategic trifecta. Here’s how: 1) the Olympics are coming, so P&G has tapped into the cultural conversation (again). 2) Launched before Mother’s Day, the timing has become the greeting card we all wish we could give our own Mom. And 3) most importantly, they’ve managed to elevate the conversation to mean much more than soap. (I admit, I got a little teary at about 1:40.)

What you may not have seen, is the Facebook app. It lets anyone write a heartfelt message to their own mom and share it with their social media circle. Over 7,000 posts so far.

So, now. Think of the project you’re working on. Will it launch near any cultural event, or holiday? Can you connect with that conversation? More importantly, is your brand speaking on an elevated level, touching people emotionally? And finally, if your shoppers become fans, how can they participate?

Mad props to Wieden+Kennedy for this flawless campaign.

The preamble:
I recommend all strategic/brand marketers read these three books*:
“It’s not what you sell, it’s what you stand for.” – Roy Spence
“Start with why.” – Simon Sinek
“ZAG” – Marty Neumeier

The amble:

If I had to choose only two Planning paradigms to use forever on a desert island, one of them would be Purpose.

A lot of marketers talk about Purpose. And with good reason. It’s a brand’s reason for being.

Somet clients say the reason they are in business is to make money. To increase shareholder value. Okay. But does that story sell anything? Will customers jump on board simply to help a brand make money? No. Will people talk about that brand? Doubtful.

Purpose-driven brands get talked about.

What is a brand Purpose? Let me regurgitate a little wisdom from Roy Spence. I like his definition: It’s a brand’s reason for being, beyond making money.

Put another way, what is the change this brand aims to affect in the world?

Brand Purpose is distinct from brand values, or beliefs. Values and beliefs are passive. Descriptive. A brand’s Purpose is active. Purpose sets a brand on a mission to DO something. And therein lies its power.

Here’s one example. We recently evolved one of our brands; we had been saying they stand for “spontaneity.” Now they stand for “Thrill.” These two words are related, but “spontaneity” wasn’t a mission. It merely described the shopping mindset they hoped to deliver on. Calling it Thrill makes it more active. This brand is out to Thrill you, in every channel, even in little ways. (Lucky for us, the brand delivers on this operationally; its own bit of difference in a crowded parity category.) To Thrill was a bigger ambition.

Other (better) examples of Purpose-driven brands are all around us. Look at the most inspiring startups; many are born out of Purpose. Take Kickstarter. It’s purpose is to fuel creative projects. Is it making money? Nobody cares; we’re all talking about how the ARTISTS are making money – that’s Kickstarter delivering on its Purpose. Even Facebook never set out to make billions. Instead, it set out to change the world. In his IPO filing letter, Zuck wrote, “We don’t build services so we can make money. We make money so we can build services.” Dear CMOs, CEOs, and CFOs, think about that.

These Purpose-driven brands get our attention, our conversations, and our fandom.

Let’s take a step back. When planning your brand, there are many ways in. Such as, cultural context, targeting influencers, earned media, creating killer content, choice architecture, challenger brand marketing, blue oceans, changing habits, participation marketing … the list of constructs goes on and on. But before a brand gets to any of that, it must first know itself, and what mission it’s on. It must start with a Purpose. Why does this company/brand exist? To change what in the world?

A clearly articulated answer makes everything else much easier. Since marketing budgets are never big enough to do all want, we have to make choices. A brand Purpose makes these choices easy. When we cooperate with vendors and channel partners, or even other brands, a clear brand Purpose makes it easy to brief them; your partners understand exactly what you’re trying to do, and they can run with it. Internally, a clear brand Purpose will inspire lateral thinking, and loosen your process from incremental year-over-year comp planning. It will breed original strategies, and tactics your competition wouldn’t think of. These become “exponential ideas.” They lead to exponential results.

Purpose gives a company a reason to act, and it gives its customers a reason to talk. Put another way, people don’t get very excited about features, benefits, and copy points. They’ll get excited about a brand on a mission.

So, how do you decide on a brand Purpose? There are a few useful tools. In the book ZAG, the Different/Better matrix, and “The only …” mad lib exercise. Or, follow the many great examples in Mr. Spence’s book, from brands like Southwest Airlines, BMW, WalMart, and the PGA.

My advice is to go ahead and be lofty. Yes, anchor it in your category/core competency, but your Purpose HAS to be emotional. It has to fulfill a fundamental human need. (For a short list of 5, check Jim Stengel’s book, Grow.) For example, instead of your purpose being “To consistently deliver the widest assortment of widgets to Moms,” try something more elevated, like “To turn a woman’s closet into the place dreams come true.” Or more realistically, “To eradicate disappointment from every woman’s closet.” (Given a few days of C-level thinking, these start to get better.)

Another tip: when you write a brand Purpose, don’t phrase it as a goal. “To become the #1 top of mind widget-maker in America” is not a Purpose. Your Purpose is different than a measurable objective. Think of Purpose as a rallying cry. Something that will inspire your customers and employees alike. The brand’s raison d’etre. If your objectives are the finish line, the Purpose is why you’re running toward it.

Why do we root for the athlete who’s family member is sick or dying? Because they aren’t merely playing to win. They are playing with Purpose, and we are riveted. That story becomes THE story. Same goes for brands. If you’re playing with a Purpose, people will watch, and talk. It leads to the kind of support that moves the bottom line exponentially.

Dear CMO, if you haven’t articulated your Purpose, please go back. Do yourself a favor. Take the first step first. Dear marketing strategists/planners, do the same. If you do it well and refer to it often, it will give your brand not only direction, but momentum as well.

For more thoughts on how to frame a brand’s Purpose, click HERE. (“The 3 Sizes of Purpose.”)

* There are many other good books about brand Purpose, but I like these ones.

**  The other would be Disruption/ZAG. Together with Purpose, a brand has a one-two punch that puts it leaps and bounds ahead.

Limited edition. Offer ends soon. The club you can’t get in to. “The iPad is on back order.”

The concept of Scarcity has been around forever. It seems the rarest of things not only becomes more coveted, but more talked about. Used correctly, the Scarcity dynamic can be used deliberately to create conversation around a brand.

It’s simple supply and demand. Be less available, and be awesome. Focus your energy on making something better; something people really want, rather than making enough mediocre stuff for everybody. In sales, that will let you charge more. In marketing, that same concept can give your message greater value. The first person to discover something great can delight their friends; that’s called Social Currency.

A great time to use Scarcity is for a pre-launch. Movies, video games, and rule-changing tech launches all use Scarcity pretty regularly. They seed the story with key influencers, giving them artifacts from the game, movie, or the product before anyone else can get it.

But you can use Scarcity in many other ways. Pop-up shops are a form of Scarcity; only open in a unique location for a limited time. It becomes an event. Instead of an advertising idea, it becomes an idea that can be advertised. Luxury brands are using Scarcity well, especially in Social Media. If the hoi polloi can all “like” a brand they can’t afford, luxury brands can maintain the allure by limiting access. (It’s a real Zag to what most brands assume is the zillion-fan win in this channel. The strategy itself is almost newsworthy.)

To get the most out of a Scarcity strategy, it helps to have a strong influencer base. You can treat them, delight them, use them to incite conversation. The best part is, the brand impressions are organic. The customers become your media. They have a tangible reason to talk. The buzz is real. Even if nobody can get their hands on it, everyone will be talking about it. Brand win.

Check out 7 more strategies to get people talking about your brand, HERE.