[2009 trends] Nine mega branding opportunities

The daily cinema living

The hunger for moving pictures, like a global conspiracy or an underground movement, has almost killed the flat and still imagery. Every marketing or propaganda message has to move in dimensions or it will be considered boring or dead. This change has already made a very positive impact on screen-based mediums, form hand held devices, wall-size TVs to building size electronic billboards. The streets and shopping malls will eventually look like the insides of cinemas. As long as these new mediums can project and show things live and in colour the world will keep on moving. The entire interiors, shops, corridors and walls, hallways, buildings and ceilings would be nothing but screens and moving images. The dramatic reductions of the cost for projection, availability of dynamic animated contents will keep customers enticed and ring the cash registers. The more available surface the better, tackle the new shape and style of imagery, create new business models and watch the show.

The real-time-societies

Think, feel, produce and deliver in real time. The financial meltdown has once again proven that no one wants yesterday's numbers but all in real time. For the global audience, there is a constant need to monitor the news and see the portfolio swings in real time. The recession has become depression and depression has turned into compression of data into online streams of global news delivered via new medium. Some 100 major newspapers in the West are on sale now and majority may not make it. A quick jump from newspaper-to-web-portal is one of the last ways to survive. Keep away from old medium and embrace new cyber-opportunities, study the trends and create new services, use global standards and global branding quality even for the smallest venture, like a fire you could be on top, just ignite the ideas.

The new office-less offices

The traditional millions of offices around the world are slowly turning into invisible office less teams showing off their magic measured in clicks and instant revenue streaming for their relative projects. The beanbag offices of the hippy past are now empty. Office buildings slowly becoming flee markets, people prefer tom be on the move, the 9-5 has been dead for a while. Customers do not want pay extra for expensive offices and art-deco uncomfortable furniture. Discover hassle free mobile working models and fill the special HR needs based on these changes

The no-logo branding

Just ask 10 people on your floor if they can recall the logos of any thing major created in the last 10 years. 99% of the logos of today simply evaporate as now it is more to do will name-calling or name-typing and not logo-scanning or logo screaming. Can you recall the logo of YouTube or Facebook? The logo masters should channel their energies on much broader graphical services and forget about global logo identities, use logo as a playmate like Google changes it daily. The free logo contests via net are becoming very popular among businesses when a single online appeal on a portal or blog gets hundreds of submissions from all over the world and some even better than what Madison Avenue currently produces. Some contests are even asking the entire image and advertising campaign, with copy, theme and the works. Invent large-scale free contests for right customers, award new talents and all at no costs. Ride the new shifts of the industry.

The new agencies

Methodologies to create instant surplus cash for clients will be the real measurement and critical test for advertising and branding agencies. These agencies will be expected to deliver a finished building and not just a conceptual drawing. The old fashioned model of 1000 offices worldwide offering 1000 similar services to the same client will be forced to attempt a globally-dedicated-single-client-agency-model. Graphic and slogan based branding will defuse into same-day-quick-printing-services. Study the click society and rediscover real marketing power, become a leaders under new ROI models.

The new infantries

Websites will be totally re-invented; Brand mangers will be reshuffled and Brands will be dry-cleaned, the message re-distilled and finally end-users once again respected. India will become a hot spot, with a million plus technology experts, an infantry with English fluency and free spirited creative and entrepreneurial mind on hand it would acquire the centrality toward a global ad and design center. Discover Hinglish. The Eastern model is very dynamic and there are far too many new services yet to be created for the entire Asian market.

The new cyberspace

Focusing on global image and cyber-branding trends, the option to purchase exclusive global rights to a name of your choice, now available in May 2009 from ICANN for an $185,000 fee on a first-come-non-refundable basis is a mega revolution. The price per name is high, but nothing compared to all the other traditional costs that companies pay to create a global imagery or millions fighting trademark and domain battles to secure a global position. It is the best new way to build global brands and hold cyber domination. This revolution may also be the greatest salvation for the entire advertising, branding and PR industry worldwide. The new debates over popular name targets as listed by ABC Namebank are becoming hot marketing topics. So embrace the facts, approach it correctly and lead the charge.

The new image shift

The sudden worldwide disappearance of major brands and industrial icons will not only fuel the new creation of branding and imaging in Asia but dramatically increase the level of confidence necessary to take charge of the refined science of global image building strategies, once only reserved for the West. The global landscape of world-class brand name identity holders will change. Asia will lead and it is time to study the region and plant new ideas. Monumental sea changes on HR training and internal placement issues are pending. Capture the essence and expand.

The new innovative nations

Nations with enforced education on the pragmatic side of life will have a chance to shine, people with new skills will have the new jobs and employers with global vision will lead for the new world, while the rest will stay very dry in very harsh surrounding. Global recession will force innovative thinking all around and to the farthest corners while ecommerce will get even more popular, deeper and powerful. Image and a new advance level of brand image marketing will become increasingly more important. Despite all the problems, there will be resilience and human skills will sparkle, brighter new ideas will emerge while the world is somewhat more open and wisely offers a mirror to each nation to correct itself. Change fast but stay on course, adopt world-class rules but stay very frugal and only go for the best in everything. The world overall has turned into a massive junk and therefore the true quality will always shine. So know the difference and make the difference, transform and become an agent of change.

There are dozens of other mega trends and I would welcome your thoughts (email moc.cbajn@jn).