A New Brand Conversation

Many of the predictive brand performance
indicators are erroneous / irrelevant

1. In a world of over-choice, “awareness” does
not really matter.

2. Brand Loyalty is a flawed measure of
future behavior.

Loyalty ≠ Purchase Intention

I bought IT yesterday
≠
I ♥ IT

In today’s world, the goal of brands should not be
to increase awareness, but
Reduce Choice.

Less Choice = Less Anxiety
(which, in turn, leads to more happiness)

Assumption
Reality

Reduce choice by creating a
“singular relationship”

Everyone talks about
creating a relationship,
but no one seems to tell us
HOW.

Let’s start with the basics:
What is a relationship?

RELATIONSHIP: the way in which two or more concepts,
objects, or people are connected, or the state of being connected; an
emotional association between two people.

RELATIONSHIP
=
connection / bond / kinship / association

We engage in a multitude of relationships that
extend beyond those with people >

We engage in relationships with people & things
that are significantly meaningful to us.

Relationships
are emotional.
(and complex)

Relationships require that we don’t just talk about
ourselves…

(or be narcissistic)

or, talk the way our advertising does:

“If you talked to people the way
advertising talks to people,
they’d punch you in the face”
- Hugh McLeod

Being social is the lifeblood of relationships
(both new and old)

Get noticed: Fall outside the generic pattern.

(Our minds are hardwired to notice what’s different)

Being social does not mean just embedding
yourself in social situations…

It entails starting a conversation about what
THEY (your target) are interested in…

No one’s interested in what YOU have to say,
unless what you have to say interests THEM.

Getting curious about what others are interested
in is the starting point of any relationship.

Get curious about THEM (your target)

Stand on the shoulder of consumers:
See what THEY see

Get curious about the CULTURE they live in,
and start a conversation about it.

Because CULTURE is an endless source of
inspiration + insight.

“The Culture Code is the
unconscious meaning we apply to
any given thing—a car, a type of
food, a relationship, even a
country—via the culture in which
we are raised. If we could
somehow “decode” elements of
culture to discover the emotions
and meanings attached to them, we
would learn a great deal about
human behavior.”

CULTURE is the complex whole which encompasses: knowledge,
beliefs, customs, arts, morals, laws, and other habits acquired by man
as a member of a society / group / collective.

CULTURE is learned
CULTURE is shared
CULTURE is based on symbols
CULTURE is patterned or integrated
CULTURE is adaptive
CULTURE is complex & nuanced
CULTURE surrounds us, and we live in it.

“Man discovered “Man invented
things by things by imposing
revealing the a shape on
pattern of nature” nature”
(Interpreting) (Interrupting)
(Observing) (Creating)

Create a cultural force: Be kinetic, NOT static

We are Bona Fide: a collective of thinkers,
creators, & designers.

We design brand relationships;
working under one simple belief:

“Strong brands develop
lasting relationships with
their consumers”

Our Process:

Outside in vs. Inside out

Product/
< People Cues < Culture Cues < Market Cues
Brand
Service

Unlike the age-old Inside-Out model,
which looks like this:

Product/
> Consumers
Brand
Service

In our Outside-In approach,
people and culture help create the brand.

Ergo, designing a meaningful and purposeful
relationship with consumers.

Here’s our comprehensive approach:

Expert Insights
Relationship Assessment Category Dynamics
Public Realm Market Influences
Listening Communication Patterns
Product/
< People Cues < Culture Cues < Market Cues
Brand
Service
Anthropological Brand History
Business Goals
Ethnographies
Mining Culture
Insight from Parallel
Worlds

Inspiration
Cultural Relevance
Product/
< People Cues < Culture Cues < Market Cues
Brand
Service
Meaning Curate the Brand
Relevance Business Strategy
Resonance
Involvement
Relationship

So, how is your brand seen?

Dynamic
? ?
Sociable
Narcissistic
? ?
Static

Interesting
? ?
Listener
Talker
? ?
Importunate

Our Manifesto

We believe in the power of singular brand relationships.
We believe true relationships begin when one shows curiosity about another.
We think people and culture, not companies, define brands.
We believe that the real power of brands lies in their ability to become a cultural force.
We believe that brands should be felt, not just seen or heard.
We believe ‘consumer’ is an antiquated notion. It’s not about ‘audience’ and
‘penetration’ and ‘market share’; it’s about the depth of the relationship.
We believe we delight people when we have something interesting to say.
We think the old methods of seeking consumer insights are flawed and artificial.
We believe culture is an endless source of inspiration and insight.

We invite you to get curious.

Bona Fide
beth.kaiser@gmail.com /
mukund.gopalakrishna@gmail.com