So how did a city, known for tobacco production just 60-70 years ago, become known as the City of Medicine? Also, what’s this got to do with rebranding? Well, it wasn’t very long ago that Durham was a “thriving site of tobacco manufacturing facilities…for nearly a century…until medical findings about the health hazards connected to smoking played a part in the weakening of Durham's tobacco industry”. Now, Durham is often referred to as the City of Medicine and is known for the medical research that is done there and in the rest of the research triangle. Even buildings that were once factories for producing tobacco products are now being used as medical research facilities.

The connectivity that a brand or person can now have due to social platforms is unprecedented. The fact that a person can keep up with a friend who lives in a different state or that one of our green coffee clients can reach out directly to the folks cultivating and processing coffee - instantaneously, for free, internationally at any time through any of the apps that went down is wildly unprecedented. Just a few decades ago, the best mankind had was a car phone and now we carry around little computers that can get directions to dinner, find a life partner, or order pizza without leaving the chair you are sitting in is pretty amazing.

No one sets out to build a brand that just adds to the noise. In our experience, folks are excited about releasing their passion into their brand in an intentional way. You know, that thing inside of them that they’ve been wanting for so long. Perhaps they can't quite put their finger on what it looks or feels like but it's in their heart and they will know it when they see it.

What happens when you create something “bad” intentionally and then use that leverage to your advantage? This year, we saw Oatly (who full disclosure, I’m a huge fan of and so is my tummy) create a “bad” commercial and then begin pushing shirts out on the streets that say “I Totally Hated That Oatly Commercial.” Don’t believe me that it wasn’t bad? Check it out for yourself here. They also made it on to the list of worst super bowl commercials of 2021.

What is the difference between building a brand and building a business? A brand is built to help the end consumer while a business is simply a transactional process between two or more parties. Brands can transcend market ebbs and flows due to loyalty that has been built over the long haul while businesses will struggle to preserve without that loyalty. Building a business can be faked but building a brand can only be faked for so long until your audience realizes that you can’t deliver what is expected every time.