You could boil all of this down to empathy. Which, I think, will be the difference between success and failure, as AI obliterates huge chunks of the industry and suddenly millions of people become irrelevant.
Humans are ultimately driven by emotion and feeling. AI can't understand that - neither can a lot of people. What the CMO unravelled there is exactly that. What Apple built their brand on was exactly that - they didn't sell a product, they sold a feeling. They made the iPod emotionally relevant. Competitors like Zune were vaporised and left in the dust as they failed to differentiate on features, even though their products were technically better.
It never ceases to amaze me how many businesses and brands can't understand this, and how many of them go wrong.
Check out The Four Stages of Competence. That was a concept I learned about in Kung Fu. Similar to what you're talking about with the Meijin, but I think it's more plain speaking and easier to relate to.
If strategists thinks their job is solely “analyzing existing data more efficiently” they’re cooked. I’m glad you mentioned cross-pollination as key to this kind of transcendence. It’s a special differentiator against AI, which hasn’t cracked that yet.
Hi! I have launched a newsletter on creative and innovative campaigns. The French version has 14,000 subscribers (CMOs and creatives) and I have just launched the English edition if you want to have a look: https://hellokomando.substack.com
Really appreciate the insights. I do diverge from your conclusion though. I believe that a thoughtfully structured agent - after doing 90% of the heavy research and synthesis lifting - can ask provocative questions about 'what if', designed to inspired divergent thinking. I also believe it can hypothesize future potentials; it's unprecedented time saving that frees us humans up to connect with each other at deeper levels. Thanks for the thinking!
Thanks for reading and commenting. I've been continuing to think on this emerging topic and will have more to say about this in the coming weeks. Let's circle back once my new stuff has dropped and compare notes then.
Perfectly said. Love the sentiment of "creating awe" and "helping people feel small in the presence of something magnificent" - a great reminder to zoom in on what your brand will help people *feel*.
This was so good! Amazing and timely insights. I was reading an article on the brand strategy of Best Buy a little while ago (in preparation for my most recent article about rebranding towards authenticity and experience: https://valueengine.substack.com/p/the-brand-of-the-future), and it touched on this point-- that Best Buy, in trying to compete with Walmart and Target by advertising sales, fundamentally misunderstood its customer. Their customer wants what could make Best Buy relevant today-- experience. Discovery and emotion. What you said was spot on. (That article was also amazing-- here it is for anyone curious: https://medium.com/@omarjtrejo/why-best-buy-is-failing-under-ceo-corie-barry-analyst-breakdown-94e53ed7f701)
You could boil all of this down to empathy. Which, I think, will be the difference between success and failure, as AI obliterates huge chunks of the industry and suddenly millions of people become irrelevant.
Humans are ultimately driven by emotion and feeling. AI can't understand that - neither can a lot of people. What the CMO unravelled there is exactly that. What Apple built their brand on was exactly that - they didn't sell a product, they sold a feeling. They made the iPod emotionally relevant. Competitors like Zune were vaporised and left in the dust as they failed to differentiate on features, even though their products were technically better.
It never ceases to amaze me how many businesses and brands can't understand this, and how many of them go wrong.
Check out The Four Stages of Competence. That was a concept I learned about in Kung Fu. Similar to what you're talking about with the Meijin, but I think it's more plain speaking and easier to relate to.
Adrian - you are dissecting this hinge period beautifully and in both inspiring and instructional ways. Keep publishing and thank you for sharing.
'hinge period' - I like that
This is incredibly insightful. Written like a true Meijin. Thank you!
Extremely well said, Adrian. Thanks for publishing.
If strategists thinks their job is solely “analyzing existing data more efficiently” they’re cooked. I’m glad you mentioned cross-pollination as key to this kind of transcendence. It’s a special differentiator against AI, which hasn’t cracked that yet.
Hi! I have launched a newsletter on creative and innovative campaigns. The French version has 14,000 subscribers (CMOs and creatives) and I have just launched the English edition if you want to have a look: https://hellokomando.substack.com
Really appreciate the insights. I do diverge from your conclusion though. I believe that a thoughtfully structured agent - after doing 90% of the heavy research and synthesis lifting - can ask provocative questions about 'what if', designed to inspired divergent thinking. I also believe it can hypothesize future potentials; it's unprecedented time saving that frees us humans up to connect with each other at deeper levels. Thanks for the thinking!
Thanks for reading and commenting. I've been continuing to think on this emerging topic and will have more to say about this in the coming weeks. Let's circle back once my new stuff has dropped and compare notes then.
Great piece. Thoughtful articulation of an idea that a lot of people feel but have difficulty putting into words.
You’ve beautifully captured what I’ve felt but unable to fully process. I have always done my best work when there was ambiguity. Well done.
Just amazing.
Great article. Thanks
Your insights are mind blowing. Thanks for them.
Love this @adrian
Such a great read, thanks for sharing!
Perfectly said. Love the sentiment of "creating awe" and "helping people feel small in the presence of something magnificent" - a great reminder to zoom in on what your brand will help people *feel*.
This was so good! Amazing and timely insights. I was reading an article on the brand strategy of Best Buy a little while ago (in preparation for my most recent article about rebranding towards authenticity and experience: https://valueengine.substack.com/p/the-brand-of-the-future), and it touched on this point-- that Best Buy, in trying to compete with Walmart and Target by advertising sales, fundamentally misunderstood its customer. Their customer wants what could make Best Buy relevant today-- experience. Discovery and emotion. What you said was spot on. (That article was also amazing-- here it is for anyone curious: https://medium.com/@omarjtrejo/why-best-buy-is-failing-under-ceo-corie-barry-analyst-breakdown-94e53ed7f701)