Creating Loyal Brands : Themes Of The Week...

So much content, so little time...

A weekly round-up of the themes and posts I found particularly interesting or useful.

This past week was a good reminder that the fast changing environment for brands and business today requires more than a bit of fine-tuning, to ensure survival.

R.I.P traditional strategy...
With the pace of change in today's world, several posts offered advice on what businesses should do.

Traditional Strategy Is Dead. Welcome To The #Social Era argued that companies need to recognise that we have moved into a new Social era, an era of communities, collaboration, and co-creation, which demands that organizations are fast, fluid, and flexible by design, to survive.
Experimentation Is The New Planning recommended building organizations that continually develop options and explore possibilities, that practice a bottom-up strategy of discovery, rather than the traditional top down model.
While How To Find Your Core Purpose... advised anchoring a company around a core purpose, that unites customers, employees and communities, and enthuses everything it does... and showed how to go about establishing it.

Marketing that's worth sharing...
Technology may be connecting us in new ways, but it can't save a boring idea. There's never been a greater need for compelling stories and ideas.

Marketing Worth Sharing argued that marketers need to focus on customers rather than their brands to create anything worth sharing, (and made me laugh along the way..!). 
Innocent Drinks Storymaker On Finding Truth From Within featured an interview with the creative director of the brand that was built by creating stories for sharing.
While Engaging Around Your Story showed how a compelling story should flow through everything a brand does.

Bricks and clicks... again.
Finally, in the face of the ever increasing impact of digital on shopping behavior, there were several posts again on the mixing of online and physical retailing.

The Future of Brick & Mortar Retail in the Digital Era showed how retailers can harness social across stages of the Consumer Decision Journey.
The snappily titled Customize The Catwalk: Topshop and Facebook Partner On A Social Runway For London Fashion Week explored an interesting social experiment by the High Street Fashion Retailer.
While 6 Hot Digital Trends Transforming the Fashion Industry re-appeared, which provided a useful overview across the fashion industry.

On which note, let me know if you found this overview useful...