Arriving to the ‘IAmMyBrand’ trend, I presume that we arrive to a point of real discussion.

As some of you may know, I have a clear opinion regarding personal branding. This is that I’m against that concept:

• Brands and branding was and is developed to objects: We can work on improving certain identity and build its image
• We are subjects: We are what we are and that’s something difficult to change. We can only work on personal image
• To work on subjects cannot follow a pre-defined process: If we all follow a process to improve our image, we will arrive to the same point that companies did when they applied reengineering… A new standard without a clear differentiation between one individual and the others
• Instead that we are gregarious and want to be part of certain tribes, as persons, we are unique and that is part of our identity

However, as everybody is defining the personal image as personal branding, I’ll use those words :(

Trend #6: ‘IAmMyBrand’ Trend

'IAmMyBrand’ trend is about building our own personal brands online.

As it was said on the Trendwatching 2010 report: ‘The online world has unlocked existing needs in entirely new ways. Humans’ deep need to be interesting to others, to be loved, admired, coveted, special, recognized, unique can now be satisfied by building attractive online profiles and presences, which, if successful, will attract friends, followers, if not a proper audience’

The relation with products and services that make us more interesting is based on what they do, say, who they connect to… and help us as a dress to improve our own image. This trend needs you to be:

• An empathetic person
• A person who knows and tell valuable things
• A person who is able to envisage the future (next minute or next century)
• A person who understand the new reciprocity business framework

Challenge #6: Brands are for objects, Image is for subjects

Due to our online presence, brands can pro-actively learn about people preferences. However, there is a huge challenge here and it hasn’t solved yet:

• As individuals we have our own preferences
• Those preferences are based on our own experiences
• Experiences are lived with different brands… Each of us has a unique sort of brand salad (e.g.: we expect that the retail experience that we had in Barnes & Noble, instead that we are in Carrefour… we want that our new car has the same kind of apps that we have in our iPhone…)
• Companies need to understand that the issue is not their competition, is the competitors that we have in our minds (and that would reflect in our online opinions about brand experiences)
• Brands are like prêt-à-porter dresses for our image

Brands and individuals are now managing their images across multiple platforms in this real ‘off and online’ world, with different messages, different images, to different tribes… with the same identity.

What do you think?

One of the deepest changes during this century has been that we have moved from a world split in real and virtual to one that could be described as offline and online... but always real. Now, there is little room for the virtual!

The effect of this new way of understanding our context has produced (also) a modification in our behaviors. In the online real world, the key is not longer to posses, but to allow that things flow. The new leader is not longer the one who has, it's the one who becomes a master managing the flows... (Uoooppsss... I hope you understand this).

Finally, it's relevant to recognize that after the homo-sapiens it came the homo-economicus... That's what we are!... The homo-economicus is a special kind of bipolar individuos who is willing to belong and participate in a community (off & online) and, at the same time, feel unique and different to the rest of the tribe... Like my friend Dr. Jekyll.

Trend #5: Be real, off & online

Right now, almost 2 billion people are 'on', and for sure, almost all the young people are and enjoy their online lifes. And, BTW, the social events are generating more traffic/activity than the porn-sites.

For all of them, being actors or spectators, there isn't a clear boundary between what it's on and what it's offline. For them, everything is real. Period.

In the online world (as well as in the offline) we can find:

• The Godfather: that person that is provoking and generating activities
• The Usual Suspects: those people who, independently of the contents, love to participate
• Guess Who's Coming to Dinner: those that sporadically participate and/or contact directly the authors of the activities and contents 
• The Lord of the Rings: Those who participate in certain events that are driven by people of his/her 'gang'
• Ghost: all that people who is paying attention to what's going on, however, they only gives some evidence of their presence

This trend will evolve. Actually, it's evolving. Each second, there are more people online, however, this situation doesn't imply that there are neither more nor better conversations. Also, it is important to split the ones who are participating as actors in hubs & spokes of ideas.

So, as people are living in a real world, the meaning of this trend is that we are looking for the same kind of 'functionalities' in both online as well as offline experiences.

Challenge #5: brand experiences out of range

Brand experiences have to evolve by observation and anticipation. We, as people, have short scope radars, so, if brands are not close to us offering a dialogue in our 'real' world, they would be out of range.

Experiences will need to understand a new way of living, making thinks simple and forgetting the old paradigms of virtual and real world... It's only real, off and online... but real!

Some brands already understood this shift and have begun to walk a new path:

• Lufthansa offering in-flight WiFi 
• Givenchy launching 'Play' perfume
• Nike offering online 'offline products' customization
• Christies' auction house (founded in 1759) has presence via RSS, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube...
• TruePower UCS understanding that other devises need energy...

Thoughts, comments... Want to talk?

During the last years, we have segmented and studied different tribes. Actually, we have arrived to "almost one member tribes"...

The real issue, behind the scene, is that thinking of this situation we have converted our gray matter in a sort of mashed potato. We have thought a lot... Gray puree!

And some results are as great as interesting... Probably the most important event is that our lifes are becoming disrupted... and so our innovation processes.

Disruptive innovation is not to invent the square wheel, because it would be useless... It's to come with new categories of products/services that are answering a real need (although that this could be a philosophical discussion, I'm assuming that needs exist adn are not created).

Hence, our disruptive lifes should be followed and anticipated (both at the same time) by disruptive innovation.

Trend #4: Disruptive innovation

Disruptive innovation is part of a conversation between people who belong to a tribe and companies that love to give something relevant to that people.

During the last years we have saw companies giving especific answers to:

• Old people (retired)
• Women
• Gays
• Kids
• ...

Also, we have seen that due to the conversation, products and services are becoming the result of a co-design between people of each system (company + providers + clients + customers + strategic partners + ...). As a result of this we envisage three main drivers for innovation disruption:

• Co-creation: People as part of the innovation event
• Convenience: Products come to the market faster than ever... and this is better and more convenient... Dont' you think?
• Customization: Instead that 'generosity' is a trend, we will continue wishing to be unique and that requires personalization of the products and services that we use

Challenge #4: Brand customization

We are disruptives, innovation is disruptive... so, your brand experience should be also disruptive... Don't be afraid, people will thank you!

A great number of brand experiences are changing and innovating. New categories are emerging and giving answers to especific tribes. Some examples:

• Tiffany & Co. is developing customized dinner ware
• Sephora has vending machines for cosmetics
• Barcelona has a bike system for citizens with their correspondant bike stations
• The Satndard Hotel has vending machine with socks and swimwear
• Underwear for left-handed people
• JVC's Youtube camcorder
• ...
• And we can add products fro tribes, from women to baby boomers ;)

In a continous timeline, we are jumping as kids ;)

There are several sites talking about 'phantasy'. Perhaps, the most valuable synthesis about this trend could be found in TrendWatching and The Cool Hunter.

Phantasy is based in two movements that are happening at the same time:

• People are taking distance from mass-media, mass production, mass-advertising, mass-whatever
• People are emphatically showing their opinions and thoughts in a more transparent and conversational mode

Trend #3: The 'Phantasy' of being demode

The observed result is that when people, companies, institution find themselves in a middle of a discussion, they use to answer in a traditional way that could be consider unreal... a 'phantasy'... I know that I'm only showing one of the effects!

The real issue of this unreal situation is that people, giving their opinions, feel comfortable and enjoy this new power that they have obtained. There are no filters and/or obstacles from old institutions and corporations.

Challenge #3: Inclusive brand experiences

Brands need to evolve and their experiences have to be part of the people live experience. To do this, it's simple (which doesn't mean easy). We are talking about:

• Honesty
• Inclusive
• Taboo adverse
• Conversational
• Fun
• Having a real soul

Brand extensions will not be as we saw before. They will be as people want them to be... as a brand that gives something to improve their day-to-day experience.

Also, and this could be considered as ideological, what is false, must be done well... Seriously now, what I'm trying to say is that the story, the product, the promise should be good...

Examples to make this point clear (to see them, click on the images):

• Comme des Garcons released their 'Series 6 Synthetics' line, which is a range of perfumes based on unconventional materials. This Japanese creation is sold in London's Dover St. Market. Actually, these are anti-perfurmes, however, as they have been honest telling people this story, they are a success
• Ticings: they offer decorative edible sheets of icing that quickly add modern design features to cakes, cookies, brownies and cupcakes. The taste of your cake it's your problem... but, for sure, it will look so well :)