What we have here is a clear definition of a modern brand by Rilke: "Brand is finally only the sum total of all the misunderstandings that can gather around a (new) name." It is a definition that emphasizes the role of consumer co-creation in the brand development process (i.e. the sum total of all the misunderstandings). Rilke's name could have become big in the world of marketing if he had dropped the gloomy positioning and had been a bit more of a team-player.
Rilke's problem is not that of skills but of attitude. For instance, he also said something along these lines: "who would speak of victory, survival is all!". It is a very Eastern European thing to say. It is because of this defeatist attitude that we, Eastern Europeans, tend not to get to the top positions in marketing at multinational firms. Rilke might be right in a long run but I don't recommend to anybody to use this quote during a job interview for a brand managerial position. However, one can co-create with Rilke, change the sentence slightly and say with a winning smile "who would speak of survival, it is victory that is all!". Such statement will make a huge impression on the HR person present at the interview.
I've listened to the podcast as well. (You meant the one on Arts & Ideas with Philip Dodd, didn't you?) What struck ME most was the method Philip Roth was describing as being instrumental in writing at least his recent books. The method rests in a though experiment - as in Exit Ghost when Roth lets Zuckerman go through a trying experience of having prostate cancer and "seeing what it does to people". This is, in fact, how most fiction writers operate, I should think. The resulting personal narrative is (at least in case of Philip Roth and the alike) far more "insightful" and "revealing" than any piece of research. Which leads me to the conclusion: aren't gifted fiction writers (and, for that matter, poetry writers) better equipped to deliver "insights" in the form of a personal narrative than anyone else - especially trained social researchers?
Posted by: Tomas Hrivnak | October 29, 2008 at 02:38 PM
Tomas says: "aren't gifted fiction writers (and, for that matter, poetry writers) better equipped to deliver "insights" in the form of a personal narrative than anyone else - especially trained social researchers?"
Really nice thought. And yes, I think they are better equipped. But they haven't "sold out", i.e. they deliver their insights as a part of their artistic vision instead of "getting to the point" and trying to grow somebody's business with their ideas.
I think that the 2 worlds - marketing and literature - cannot really collide. We, on the marketing/advertising side, can borrow and steal from literature(and we do this all the time) and make copy-writers out of writers - that is as far as the worlds could come together (apart from manufacturers sponsoring literature).
Posted by: Jaroslav Cír | November 01, 2008 at 06:08 PM
Jaroslave, I really don't quite agree that marketing and literature cannot come together more closely than in that "stealing mode". At least, both talk about the universal human condition (albeit, in the case of marketing, from a slightly narrowed perspective). However, I just wanted to suggest that looking into great literary narratives and captivating metaphors could provide a great deal of inspiration for marketing.
Posted by: Tomas Hrivnak | January 05, 2009 at 02:50 PM
Tomasi, first of all, it is a real shame that I haven't replied earlier, sorry.
You make a bit of a circle in your comment - first you say that literature and marketing should come together more closely than in "stealing mode" and you end up saying that literature should be used for inspiration (of marketing) which is a nicer way of expressing "stealing mode". And I 100% agree with that. However, it seems that in that you'd also like marketing to play higher role - almost on the level of literature - and I think that this is asking too much. I think that it is interesting to ask first who is demanding this from marketing? Consumers? Not really. It is usually us - slightly frustrated marketeers/intellectuals who want to smuggle their private passions and aspirations into their work...Ideally, we should subject ourselves to the goal of our work during the day (helping to sell more stuff), try to do this well, get home early and then indulge in our hobbies:).
Posted by: Jaroslav Cír | February 05, 2009 at 01:53 PM
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Posted by: Linda Kamei | July 17, 2009 at 05:42 AM