A Quantum View of Brand

It evolves. It changes, morphing, at times, beyond all our hopes, bending in a direction we had not anticipated. You can influence a brand but you can’t control it. That has been true since day one and we have grown used to that fact…kinda.

Is it possible that the concept of brand is changing, too?

Pardon me while I get a little woo-woo.

Brand before the industrial revolution was a label. It was pretty much putting a recognized descriptor on a product or service. Usually it was just a sign like: Blacksmith, Inn or Weaver. Then folks started getting known for the quality of their goods and their names got attached. Now it was Biggaman Blacksmith, Van Winkle’s Inn and Loomin the Weaver.

Some products became unique. Place names got added to things that had stellar properties you couldn’t find elsewhere like Damascus Steel and Wyvern Cross Wool, and Venetian Glass.

It was then that brand started to take on the meaning we assign to it today. Damascus Steel became known for its ability to hold an edge. The Doges decreed death by assassin if you stole the technology to make glass.

Competitive edge had a story attached.

The difference that separated one product or service from another was wrapped up in a story. Initially the story was passed by word of mouth. There was one story for each “brand.” Thus Damascus steel was known to hold an edge so sharp it could cut scarves tossed in the air into shreds and then penetrate a knights armor. Tough stuff.

The story didn’t change

The thing is, the maker’s story didn’t change. Whether you were first to market, available in only a small area or sought after across a continent the same story was what made your product or service unique.

The problem with a singular story is that it can be confusing going forward. If you are reared in one culture but actually live in another the story will not make sense in both. The language you learned to speak at your mother’s breast may be different than the one you learn to speak as an adult. Your story, even as true to the original as possible will vary.

Perception shifts

Each of us see things differently. We add to and subtract from that story. And over time, no matter how much the originator wanted us to believe the original story, variations come to be.

From Analog to Digital to Quantum

Up until the internet crackled into being across the globe we lived in an Analog world. Measurements were on a scale. Our knowledge of any product or service could be observed as if it were on a rheostat going from none to all. Our awareness, preference and views were all a moving target. So Makers and Originators told one story until a sub group emerged that found their product or service interesting. That led to an adaption or a secondary story and seeking out additional markets.

Then suddenly the world drifted into the digital age. There was more information immediately available. Individuals could quickly and easily review and redirect the singular stories the makers were trying to maintain. Individuals were quick to take this new capability to heart. Organizations, not so much so. Very quickly things became black or white, right or wrong, good or not so good, okay but not completely.

The control so desired by makers and originators, the need to have a singular story was no longer possible.

Quantum computing gives Marketers some hope of more control. They believe that because of security possibilities of quantum computing that a quantum internet will allow them control the brand story again. The difficulty is similar to problem of Schroedinger’s cat. The human computer keeps on working all the time whether it is gleaning data from a digital computer or simply reacting to the world. The story of your brand does not depend on what story you inject into the quantum computer but on what exists in the mind of the customer. You r brand will either live or die based on the customers, not on your faint hope of control.

And so it goes

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His consulting practice, founded in 1990, is known for Trust-based Brand development, Positioning and business development for independent professionals on and off-line.

Consulting: www.JerryFletcher.com
Speaking: www.NetworkingNinja.com
DIY Training: www.ingomu.com