This month’s Harper’s has a very interesting article by Sr. Editor Bill Wasik. Wasik is also the inventor of the Flash Mob. While, I’m not sure I agree with all of the “science” Wasik seems to apply after the fact, it’s fascinating when it comes to:
1 .Deeper structures- humans’ need to fit in and at the same time experience deindividuation;
2. Co-option of a youth culture to appear hip by marketers;
3. The shelf life of a fad or trend (as it relates to “hipsters”); and
4. The way communication organizes.
The article chronicles hipsters participating in flash mobs. Wasik points out that the current hipster interested in scenesterism, has strong likes, employs rapid adoption of product or entertainer, and abandon the same product or service faster than they picked it up – never to be taken up again.
The article also highlights how Ford & Sony had a Flash concert series co-opted the trend and then wonder why/how they didn’t quite get their target market at the event.
I won’t repeat the entire article, but think it demonstrates the need for a strong brand identity that a person or organization can truly own. Why? Because media outlets continue to fragment and retribalize humanity AND to tell and frame your version of the story means that your brand must be authentic, unique and grounded in reality. PR and an authentic brand continue to be of the utmost importance. All of the awareness campaigns in the world can’t generate advocacy for your product or service. An authentic brand needs to embrace the deep structures of symbolic identity and human organizing while rejuvenating through new ephemeral channels. Ford is failing. No concert can change that. Ford seen as co-opting surface-level cues makes it worse. A brief aside, Ford, who has been touting the safety of its Volvo line and engineers, just failed the crash tests for its new Fusion.