Samantha Massaglia

A number of consumer reports were released this week that said some interesting things about the current state of the consumer psyche. They generally trend positive, but there are a few clouds on the horizon (even in India, which is thought to be more optimistic than other major countries). Basically, people are feeling some relief from their recent economic woes, but they are worried it might not last.

Here’s what interested me: Because the future is so murky, and answers to many of society’s greatest challenges are not immediately apparent, many people are looking backward and trying to revive old belief systems and processes in the hope that they can re-establish economic and social equilibrium. And while this has been happening in the political realm for a while, it’s now also manifesting itself in other areas of society in odd and un-nerving ways.

Case in point:  An Australian billionaire just announced a new collaboration with China. Are they creating an economic engine? Are they exploring the furthest reaches of space?

No.

They're rebuilding the Titanic. And once it’s rebuilt, it’s going to sail the same journey it did originally. 

Hello, metaphor for society.

Another ‘Titanic’ trend: The growing movement to ‘withdraw from the world’. It's been happening in the US for a while, and now it’s happening in Europe. (Editorial comment:  Doesn't isolation usually result in an echo chamber??)

More positively: People are continuing to question the validity of long-standing institutions. This week, various financial cornerstones came under scrutiny. For example, some are starting to believe that 401k’s are not reliable retirement planning vehicles, and ‘middle America’ has lost faith in stock market investing in general.  

One comment about the Greek elections really summed up the current mood: 

“People don’t know they want, but they know they don’t like what they’re getting.”

My conclusion:  People know things aren’t working. Some are responding with extremism. Others are in a ‘waiting to exhale’ moment, because they just don't know what's going to happen next. But they're asking questions and becoming less willing to take things at face value. That's good news, because it means people are growing impatient with the status quo, and that means big changes could be on the way!

I’m adding a new feature to my blog. I will devote one post each week to trends I’m noticing in the media and draw some conclusions about them. 

Monday, April 30 - Friday, May 4:

• There’s a small, slow-moving economic recovery in the US, resulting in consumers feeling slightly more confident and willing to spend, but not to splurge. They still desire quality and personalization, but now, more than anything, they want value. Price matters the most, especially among Gen Y, which is a huge shift from what businesses had predicted (but Gen Y can’t find jobs, so they don’t have any money).

• There is a rising middle class emerging around the world, especially in developing nations, and it's leading global brands, like fast food and makeup, to quickly seek penetration in those markets. (The US is thought to be ‘saturated’.) Consequently, companies like Dominos now have more stores in emerging markets than in the United States.

• People everywhere are continuing to re-negotiate long-standing social contracts, including gender-specific rights and roles, social support systems and self-sufficiency (although there isn’t one universally-accepted definition of what those terms mean). There’s lots of related talk about polarization and extremes, and people seem driven to identify themselves with specific, concrete labels (especially evident in politics). 

• Marketers are starting to focus on instances of Boomer and Millennial “convergence of needs” and to then market products to both groups simultaneously. For example, Ford is promoting mini-utility vehicles to both groups, because Boomers don’t need large vehicles anymore (they are done raising children), whereas Millennials are starting to have children, but want to be green and save money on gas. The answer in both cases?  Smaller utility vehicles marketed to both groups.

My conclusion:  We're still in the middle of a universal identity crisis. Where it's heading is not yet evident, so people are uber-cautious about decision-making. Many of them are attempting to create a (possibly false) sense of stability by taking on specific labels (such as political affiliation). 

Oh, and GenX seems to have completely fallen off the marketing radar.

Recently, I was struck by the realization that as new things come along (experiences, objects, inventions, whatever), they may take the spotlight away from ‘old’ things, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the old things end or become less influential. 

Case in point:  Community Access Television (CAT).

Yep, it’s still here, and I came across some information this week that kind of blew me away. More on that in a minute. First, a little context:

I love to surf through community access channels late at night. My current favorite show is called “Mikenastics.”  The star (Mike) has installed gymnastics equipment throughout his home, on which he performs fairly complex routines. For example, in one routine, he runs through the entryway, past the kitchen, and leaps over a pommel horse in the living room. Mike also dances. And walks on stilts. Sometimes all at once! 

So, I was watching Mikenastics (Episode 11, Part 6) and trying to determine what it is that makes CAT shows so charming and appealing. The answer was very simple: 

CAT enables anyone – anyone - to act out their internal reality. And seeing others act out their internal reality gives us insight into who they really are - or, more accurately – who they aspire to be. 

Where else does this opportunity exist? Nowhere! Some might argue that the Internet provides the same opportunities for self-exploration and promotion as CAT. YouTube probably comes to mind. But there are some very distinct differences between YouTube and CAT that set CAT apart as a communication tool.

First, community access television is just that – accessible to a community. Each CAT channel (and there are thousands across the country) serves a specific, physical locality. The CAT programming you see on your TV is produced in your community, by people from your community. That’s a requirement. 

CAT also reaches a huge audience that doesn’t have a presence on the Internet, since 30% of US homes do not have internet access, 40% do not have high speed Internet (which limits what they can view), and 50% cite TV as their primary source for news and information. The people behind those numbers – the CAT audience - are overwhelmingly seniors, minorities, less educated, low-income and unemployed. 

So CAT is definitely a mass communication tool.

The original vision behind CAT is also unique. The intent was to create a kind of public square that brought together people living in the same community to discuss shared issues. For example, CAT channels broadcast local government meetings. That is the essence of transparency and democracy!

Also, part of the core CAT mission is to provide the facility, equipment and training to citizens so they can create their own shows. If you want to create content for the Internet, you need to find access to the equipment and learn how to operate it on your own. (Also, YouTube is a commercial site. It will host your videos, but it isn’t going to teach you how to advocate for an issue.)

So while it’s easy to discount CAT as old school, it’s actually one of the most widespread, powerful communication tools in our entire nation! In fact, experts estimate that it could be another 20 years before online video reaches the same-sized audience as community access television!  

Of course, my intent is not to minimize or criticize the Internet. In fact, many CAT channels are finding ways to incorporate the Internet into their offerings. It’s exciting to think about what could be accomplished if a CAT community was able to problem-solve issues specific to their community, broadcast them locally and then share the results of their thinking with the entire world via the Internet. 

It’s starting to happen!

So, I mentioned at the start of this post that I’d read something that blew my mind. Here it is:  In Manhattan, there are four CAT channels. Every year, they present over twenty thousand hours of locally-produced programs in more than 30 languages. That makes them not just the United States’ most diverse and prolific broadcaster, but also the WORLD’S!  There is no other single broadcaster anywhere on the planet, commercial or non-commercial, that airs a similar amount and diversity of material!

In other words, this ‘old school’ technology is enabling modern community building on a scale that can’t be rivaled anywhere else in the United States, or on the planet.

Wow!

I just got (old) schooled!

There's been a lot of insightful analysis about the Kony 2012 video, but something confuses me. Most of the analysis treats the accompanying social movement as if it originated with this video. As if the widespread support for capturing rebel leader Joseph Kony sprang up unexpectedly, and the international community of interest suddenly and organically coalesced into a social movement.

That’s just not accurate, and the distinction is important, because there is very little about the Kony movement that is ‘organic’ (and I don’t mean that negatively). In reality, it is an impressive example of a calculated blueprint for action, community building and awareness. The essence of Kony is, in a word, “strategic.” 

Let me walk through the Kony timeline a bit to illustrate my point:

2003: Three film-makers - Jason Russell, Bobby Bailey and Laren Poole - traveled to Africa to document the crisis in Darfur. Once there, they shifted their focus to the conflict in northern Uganda, which led them to Joseph Kony and the Lord's Resistance Army. They produced a film about what they encountered in Africa called Invisible Children: Rough Cut, which was screened at more than 10,000 locations around the country, including colleges, churches and concerts. Supporters of the movement were trained to lead public discussions about the film.

2007: While the screenings of Invisible Children: Rough Cut continued taking place, another event was launched called "Displace Me." 67,000 activists across the United States slept outside in cardboard 'villages' to raise awareness about those who had been displaced by the Ugandan government.

That led the band Fall Out Boy to film a "groundbreaking" music video in Uganda later that year.

2009: As a result of the screenings, more than 5 million people saw the film and took part in the conversations.

2010: After he received “reporting…websites…blogs…and video postcards,” about the Kony movment, President Obama signed the Lord's Resistance Army Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act.  

2012: In March, the Kony 2012 internet campaign was launched. The film quickly became the most viral video ever (40 million views after 3 days) and was embraced by celebrities, who were alerted to it by their fans who were members of the Kony movement. The movement really blew up when Oprah retweeted a lone Tweet by a fan to all her own Twitter followers.

While this internet campaign was underway, the in-person film screenings, discussions and additional community building continued

On April 20, 2012: Kony supporters will take to the streets during the night and hang posters to bring further awareness to the movement.

So why all the success? Simple:

This campaign took its time and grew incrementally. It had total clarity around its mission and messaging and never wavered. It connected with its first followers where they already were – on campuses around the United States, in churches and at concerts (and has continued doing so). It enlisted them not just as supporters, but as ‘practitioners’ who were trained to confidently deliver the message and help grow the movement from within. 

As the movement has grown, it has continued developing content – another film – that it released into its ‘ecosystem’, inspiring renewed interest among its followers and expanding its community of interest. 

The efforts have also included other ‘real-world’ tactics (67,000 activists in a park) while taking advantage of emerging digital tools (websites, blogs, video postcards, Facebook, Twitter). The organizers clearly understand that in order for a social movement to survive, it must enable self-perpetuating grass-roots growth while encouraging supporters to also use their consumer influence with celebrities, whose support can provide sudden, additional bursts of growth (which the movement is prepared to absorb due to its grassroots infrastructure). 

Speaking as a strategist, I think the Kony movement is well reasoned and its execution has been virtually flawless thus far. Should be a good case study for future social movements, the practice of brand creation and management of multi-model tactical ecosystems.

FULL DISCLOSURE:  This is a total fangirl post. Let's just get through this.

I received some amazing news last week. Come to think of it, so did you. Aaron Sorkin is writing a new television show!

I know, right?!

Aaron Sorkin is very important to me. In fact, he’s on a list of topics that I think about frequently. The list includes human rights, mini-horses, nougat and submarines. (And of that group, submarines often top the list. Here’s why:

Isn’t that cool??)

You know what, though? To me, Aaron Sorkin is even cooler than a photo of a nuclear submarine floating gently past a Russian resort. The reason why is simple: His characters are always engaged in passionate pursuit of goals  - growth, love, justice, self-expression. Whatever. The people who inhabit Sorkin’s world are deeply invested in their own lives. They believe that their journey matters, and they are singularly focused on achieving their dreams. They are filled with exhilaration, optimism, pride, confidence, and perhaps most importantly, love of their craft. The result is stirring. Ennobling. It connects with the basic human desire to create.  

Sorkin understands how to create a team of inspiring heroes. At the heart of all his stories is a cadre of people who are loyal to each other and very clear on the greater cause they serve. They willingly rally around a central leader and work to maintain the ideals and integrity of themselves as well as their shared mission. 

I’m always moved by the way these characters interact with each other, even in seemingly innocuous moments. They empathize over struggles. They defend one another - publicly and in private. They put themselves on the line. They are narcissistic, yes, but still manage to pay attention to the nuances of each other’s behavior and to make overtures when they sense suffering or struggle. They validate and reassure. They mentor.

Also, they never forget that their journey is in service to other people - usually millions of them. For example, Sports Night was about a nationally broadcast TV show. West Wing and The American President were about the most powerful office in the United States, one that serves the interests of all Americans.The Social Network was about Facebook, a product that connects millions of people around the world. 

Maybe “lofty” is a better way of saying it. Sorkin’s characters have unashamedly lofty ambitions and goals. 

I had a moment of insight about Aaron Sorkin recently while reading an article about his development as a writer. Like most aspiring artists, in the early days of his career he worked menial jobs, like bartending, in order to make ends meet. Every night, while sitting behind the bar, he wrote story ideas on cocktail napkins. One weekend, while hanging out at a friend’s house, he encountered an IBM Selectric Typewriter. He started typing on it and felt “a phenomenal confidence and kind of joy” that he had never before experienced. He continued practicing his craft, using a manual about screenplay writing to learn. (In fact, he wrote the script for A Few Good Men as ‘practice’ while reading it.)

What that article told me is that just like the characters he creates, Aaron Sorkin understands that identifying your purpose and pursuing your craft will result in you becoming engaged in your own life. It is perhaps the moment when you actually begin living.

And identifying purpose can also help fulfill the basic human need to belong to something bigger than ourselves. Once you identify your purpose or mission, you can then look for others with the same calling.

Hopefully, all of these elements will be present in Sorkin’s new HBO series. I really believe that people are feeling an inspiration deficit right now and are discouraged about how anesthetizing life can be. They want inspiration. They want a passion goal.

And even if they don’t, who doesn’t enjoy a patented Sorkin ‘walk & talk’.

Or a good walk & talk parody.

One Saturday morning, he inexplicably fainted at home, was taken to the hospital by ambulance and underwent four days of tests and observation. The resulting diagnosis was pneumonia and slightly elevated blood pressure, but the circuitous journey it took to get there was nerve-wracking and taught us both a lot.

Since he had what was initially an odd set of symptoms (unconscious, no obvious signs of pneumonia like coughing or congestion), the doctors relied heavily on our narrative – what Vic said he experienced and what I observed when I found him after he fainted. In fact, because it was so hard to find a correlation between Vic’s symptoms and what had occurred the morning he passed out, our short story became the foundation for virtually every treatment decision made during Vic’s time in the hospital.  

In an effort to piece together the mystery, Vic was seen by many different physicians in the hospital (cardiologists, neurologists, internists) and was cared for round the clock by a team of nurses and aids. Almost every conversation began with us retelling our story. It was as if our narrative was a kind of rhetorical campfire around which everyone gathered to discuss Vic’s case. I was surprised by how closely each doctor listened every time we told our story. They watched our body language and documented what we said. They asked questions and repeated back what they thought they heard. Then, they used what we told them to decide which diagnostic tests to run.

Truthfully, it was unnerving how much the doctors relied on our story to help them choose diagnostic methods. What if we were telling it incorrectly, or forgetting some crucial detail? Consequently, the weight of accurately conveying the information (and doing so without dramatic embellishment) weighed heavily on us (but was obviously necessary).

Once the pneumonia diagnosis was made and Vic was released from the hospital, I started exploring the topic of patient narratives in medical diagnosis. Coincidentally, I found that it’s receiving a lot of attention right now and is the subject of new research. Turns out, medicine is undergoing the same transition as other industries, such as advertising and marketing, in regard to acknowledging the importance of storytelling. 

In medicine’s case, this is a bit of a pendulum shift. In ‘olden times’, because medical knowledge and technology were in their infancy, doctors relied heavily – often exclusively – on patient narratives and intuition. Over time, as advances were made and new technology became available, doctors relied more on what ‘science’ told them. Patient narratives were considered unreliable because they were thought to be purely emotion-based.

In recent years, a shift has begun that places renewed emphasis on patient stories. The realization was that humans are not passive and, therefore, neither are their medical records. In fact, a patient’s medical record is now thought to be a living document that tracks multiple, intertwined representations of the individual. It helps physicians understand the little universe that is each person’s unique, individual body, and the stories and anecdotes it contains are what keep the document ‘alive’. 

That makes sense to me, because after all, stories enable the same things in a medical context that they enable everywhere else:

1. Empathy 

2. Analysis of information and acceptance of new ideas

3. ‘Sensemaking’ (that thing that keeps us from going insane)

4. Creation of unexpected innovations and breakthroughs 

5. A sense of ‘control’ for someone who has suffered a traumatic event

The bottom line:  Stories result in better medicine.

The medical community is starting to agree. As one researcher put it:  “Anecdotes and imagination have led to some of our greatest scientific discoveries,” and “good doctors exist at the intersection of science & language.”

We definitely witnessed this among Vic’s caregivers. Over the course of the week, as more tests were run, and more physicians became involved, and we re-told our story, the shared narrative became progressively richer and fuller and more detailed.

And now, research has revealed something even more profound:

Stories don’t just enable better medical diagnosis and treatment. The act of telling and/or listening to a story can actually cause healing.

That’s right - a story itself can literally help heal the body of a listener, as it did in the case of patients being treated for high blood pressure. 

Wow.

Here’s my follow-up question:

Is the reverse true?  Can a story make a listener ill? 

It would make (unfortunate) sense. Either way, storytellers clearly have a responsibility toward their audience, because their healing ability makes them more than mere storytellers.

It makes them physicians. 

And since we all tell stories, and we all have the corresponding ability to contribute to the healing (or, potentially, the illness) of others, we are all physicians.

I will be thinking about that the next time I tell a story.

Something big is going on. A HUGE shift in human behavior. According to the stats, many of us are already part of it. In less than a decade, the majority will be.

I’m talking about System D, which is rapidly becoming the most widespread economic system humans have ever known. It functions outside traditional government-regulated markets, operates independently of geography, culture, and belief systems, and its members range from individual street kiosks to manufacturing facilities.

The impact of System D should not be underestimated.

• It accounts for trillions of dollars in commerce
• It employs HALF of the world’s workers (two-thirds by 2020).
• It’s primarily driven by individuals who have families to protect but lack social safety nets.
• It’s also driven by entrepreneurs who have marketable ideas but are unable to establish a foothold in the traditional business world due to over-complicated regulations and red tape. 

In other words, System D is the result of disadvantaged (but aspirational) people using their wits and creativity to survive, and it’s fundamentally transforming business into something totally new. 

There’s more.

A 2^nd shift is underway called the Knowosphere. It’s a web of like-minded people who wouldn’t normally have access to one another (due to things like geography). However, with the aid of technology, they find each other and collaborate on ways to enhance the human journey. They also tend to approach problem solving in radically new ways (which is what happens when you bring together people from radically different disciplines and let them pollinate each other, right?). 

So, in summary - the majority of humans are coalescing into a new kind of universal economic order that transcends the arbitrary boundaries that have traditionally caused human conflict. And soon, the majority of these people will also have unfettered access to information and resources.

This is a wonderful, atom-splitting moment in human history.

But it’s also a complicated moment for any ‘traditional’ industries that want to do business with System D entrepreneurs.

The reason for the complication lies in System D’s origins. Simply stated, System D was created out of need – the basic need to survive. You know what happens if a System D business fails?

A family starves.

A child isn’t educated.

An ill grand-parent dies.

As a result, System D businesses are:

Nimble

Responsive

Shrewd

Autonomous

Enrepreneurial

Practical

Economical

Genuine

Direct

Anyone who wants to be a provider to a System D business better be sure their own methods and practices mirror those characteristics, because System D cannot allow waste. Lives are at stake.

So, practically speaking, I think the answer is simple:  If you want to sell anything to a System D enterprise, you will need to do business on the level ofculture.  That is, find a way – build the relationships – foster the understanding – develop the insight – whatever it takes to join the community and become those you serve.

Become those you serve.  It’s a good idea for business.  A great idea for humans.

1. I am not downplaying or criticizing the need for government.

2. I am not talking about black market businesses like drug or human trafficking.

During the holiday break, I hoped that I would encounter something that would make me feel inspired about the possibilities of 2012. I also hoped it would rise above the angry, divisive rhetoric that is filling the airwaves right now.

I got lucky.

1.  I read Richard Branson’s new book Screw Business as Usual.

 2.  I watched a documentary by Hollywood director Tom Shadyac called “I Am.”

Oddly, even though Branson’s book is about capitalism, and Shadyac’s documentary is about spiritual enlightenment, the two works make a similar point:

Everything in existence is connected and inter-dependent, and the path to happiness and prosperity (and, frankly, survival) is through recognition of this reality.

This isn’t a new thought. What makes it new, however, is that Shadyac and Branson have managed to prove that it’s true, that it’s necessary for survival, and that recognition of it can produce fantastic wealth (emotional, spiritual and monetary).

Shadyac first.

He spent a year traveling around the world meeting with scientists and other intellectuals and asking them two questions:

1.  What’s wrong with our world?

2.  What can we do to make it better?

The answers he received – most of which were grounded in scientific fact – are stunning, one of them in particular:

One of the scientists that Shadyac spoke with has discovered that what drives human behavior is not, as previously thought, our brain. Rather, it is the heart, because the human heart constantly communicates with other hearts around it – literally!

For example, say one person is in a room. If an EKG of their heart is done at that moment, the results will reveal the person’s emotional state. Now, if more people enter the room, an EKG of them will indicate that as they encounter each other, their hearts begin to beat in perfect synchronicity.

Each of the hearts takes on the emotional state of the others!

That’s called empathy.

Guess what?  This phenomenon isn’t limited to humans and animals. One experiment tested the molecular change in yogurt that was placed near an upset human. The molecules of the yogurt became ‘agitated’ – they showed signs of change.

That’s right. Human trauma upsets the physical world around it.

We inherently empathize with each other and our environment, and it empathizes right back.

Whether we want to or not - even if we dislike each other - we are constantly communing.

Wow. Yeah?

So, Richard Branson.

His Virgin corporate empire consists of 300 companies in 30 countries, 50,000 employees and $18 billion dollars in annual revenue.

In Branson’s new book, he re-concepts capitalism into a methodology called Capitalism 24,902 that can solve virtually every challenge facing the world today while simultaneously generating billions of dollars of profit. (By the way, it can also cure disease and end poverty.)

His original question was:  Can we bring more meaning to our lives and help change the world at the same time?

His answer:  Yes.

Thus, the underpinning philosophy of Capitalism 24,902 is simple:  “Every single business person has the responsibility for taking care of the people and planet that make up our global village, all 24,902 circumferential miles of it.”

Why? 

Because Branson believes that everything and everyone is connected.

His companies already operate according to Capitalism 24,902, and they have made incredible advances in creating products, medicines, jobs, entrepreneurs, and profit.

In other words, it is possible to do well by doing good.

Happy New Year!

New research indicates that young people are having difficulty communicating, especially when it comes to forming complex ideas and explaining them to others.

A new study by Christian Smith, a sociologist at Notre Dame, provides the start of an explanation. The broad focus of his research was the “state of America’s youth.” The more specific focus was how young people think about and demonstrate morality.

What Smith found was revealing and disturbing: It was almost impossible to determine what young people think about morality, because the young people they interviewed (230 of them across the country) could not form coherent answers about their most basic beliefs, including the meaning of life.

Smith’s research also revealed something else: The subjects - ideologically speaking - tended to float along in individualistic bubbles that were unattached to other people or any firm beliefs. In other words, they lacked both conviction and a sense of community.

What’s going on?

Here’s what I think:  During the last 15 years, childhood become automated and risk-averse. In an effort to ensure their children’s success, parents over-programmed their offspring (soccer, piano lessons, karate, Boy Scouts – sometimes all on the same day), which didn’t leave any room for reflecting on ideas. Consequently, Gen Y led a childhood of very safe doing rather than adventurous thinking, which means they weren’t given opportunities to think about their world creatively. (Further evidence.)

Creativity has been coming up a lot in the last year. For example, this research explains that the human brain is hardwired to fear creativity, because it makes us think about the unknown, and the unknown presents risks. The irony, of course, is that we 'protect' ourselves by ignoring creativity (especially in government and business), when creativity is the thing that solves crises.

Fortunately, a possible solution is emerging. A group of scientists recently announced that they are developing a method to bridge the gap between those who develop creative solutions and those who can implement them, but are afraid to. 

The finer points of the method are being developed, but I suggest this:

1.  Identify a problem or a need.

2.  Develop a creative solution. 

3.  Become skilled at sincerely helping others see how your creative solution will solve their problems. (This requires empathy and the willingness to invest in a relationship.) 

THEN (and research shows this is where things usually break down):

4.  Make others feel comfortable with your creative solutions by engaging them in consultation rather than debate about the ideas. This will give them a sense of ownership over the solution, and that’s key, because ownership eliminates the ‘unknown’ factor, which is what prevents implementation. 

And why consultation rather than debate? Because consultation is collaborative. Everybody wins. Debate is competitive. One side wins.

Simple, yeah? Think about the implications:

1.  What if children were taught to engage in this process from an early age, so that thinking creatively about challenges and building communities around implementing solutions became instinctive.

2.  What if the ‘fringe’ creative thinkers were perceived as trustworthy problem-solvers by government and business?

We might solve some problems.

There’s a lot of talk about how to fix the various structural, financial and ideological problems plaguing the U.S. right now. I’m obviously not an economist or a public official, but I have an idea for what the first step could be.

Earlier this summer, I was introduced to the work of a visionary ethnographer and strategist named Simon Sinek. He created a model for inspirational leadership called “The Golden Circle.” It's very useful to companies and brands that want to differentiate themselves from the competition and create a unified community of advocates.

The Golden Circle mirrors how the human brain thinks about things - how thoughts and impressions make their way through the channels of the mind. It consists of three parts:

The What.  For example, all companies know what they do.

The How.  All companies know how they do what they do.

The Why.  According to Sinek, this is most important part. Basically, understandingwhyyou do something means that you do it for a reason, that you have clarity, and that a corresponding sense of passion and purpose drives your behavior. Clarity of mission and passionate drive create the energy that attracts consumers and makes them loyal brand advocates.

Sinek offers Apple as the best example of a company that has total clarity about its Why:

“Everything we do, we challenge the status quo. We believe in thinking differently.” 

Consequently, Apple now has more cash than the United States and is the 2^nd largest company on the planet. 

So, thinking about brand clarity led me to a thought: The United States is experiencing an identity crisis right now. We don’t seem to know who we are anymore, which is apparent from the heated ideological conflicts that continue to erupt. The bottom line is that we no longer have a unified understanding of our purpose and mission as a nation. 

In other words, we don’t understand our national Why.  

That’s a big deal when you consider that we are a country of 313 million people who are part of a global community of almost 7 billion! 

The American identity has been discussed by the press a lot recently, due to the anniversary of 9/11. Several articles seem to corroborate the idea that we Americans have lost sight of our Why, and that this lack of clarity is at the heart of our most daunting challenges. 

For example, a sobering editorial ran in The Washington Post last week. The author says we’ve lost our “common sense of self,” and that we are experiencing “an ongoing, self-perpetuating act of American self-destruction.”

Another editorial stated that our leaders are debating matters “crucial to the survival of American civilization.”

Yet another article talked about how 9/11 fundamentally altered the American psyche.

Clearly, we need to pause and shift the conversation. We need to decide who we are, who we want to be, and WHY our nation exists. And if we find it difficult to come up with our national brand platform, we can always borrow Apple’s:

"We believe in thinking differently.”  

Let's think differently and discover our Why.

I mean, why not?