Survival of The Fittest: The Evolution of Brands

Joe Crump, VP Strategy & Planning at Avenue A | Razorfish delivered an interesting presentation Monday at the Cannes International Advertising Festival in France. The topic was attributes good brands need to survive in the digital era. Below I’ve embedded the same presentation that he also gave to a group about a month ago:

Also, here is a link to the slide deck.

Joe highlights seven genetic traits good brands must have to survive and thrive:

1) Authentic
2) Adaptive
3) Relevant
4) Transformative
5) Fresh
6) Immersive
7) Social

Joe suggests the very fabric of how marketers think about brands has changed in this hyper digital world. I whole-heartedly agree. Trying to use a traditional construct to understand the current brand environment is difficult and too constrictive for the rapid evolution of branding that is now happening beyond all but peripheral guidance by internal and hired brand stewards. Joe’s presentation does a good job of presenting the exciting, but challenging, changes ahead.