[The American Brands Council]
John Condon
Chief Creative Officer Leo Burnett, USA
With countless thousands of messages swirling
around them every day, people today are caught
in an increasingly dizzying cocktail party of
communications.
It’s loud. And it’s crowded.
Every brand is there; each represented by its
own collective set of choices that determine how
it walks and talks. How it dresses, carries itself,
and behaves. Every brand has its own body language
and mannerisms. Some talk too much, or
only about themselves. Some are pointless or
irrelevant and boring. Some behavior seems in
questionable taste.
But then there are those who somehow
seem just a little bit smarter. Some that seem
genuine or funny, with a natural, easy rapport.
They’re attractive. And somehow instinctively
we trust them a little bit more.
The truly great brands are always interesting.
They’re charming. And helpful. They
actually engage people in conversation, which
means the truly great brands spend at least half
the time listening and paying attention to people
in a way that’s meaningful.
