11/14/2018
Webster defines familiarity as close acquaintance with or knowledge of something, while Webster defines relevancy as closely connected or appropriate to what is being done or considered. What’s more important? As a brand, would you rather be looked at as familiar or relevant? The answer? Relevant. Well, you should be both because it’s impossible to be relevant without being familiar. However, where many brands fail is they think because they’re familiar with consumers that they are automatically relevant. Whoops! That couldn’t be further from the truth. Sorry Toys-R-Us. Sorry Sears. Sorry Blockbuster. Sorry GE. Shall I continue? However, look at , , and . They salvaged the familiarity with their brand and have shown great success in now becoming relevant again. The more familiar you become as a brand, the more work needs to be done to not become complacent with your current status in culture but continue to invest in your relevancy. The relevant brand sits in the driver seat. They’re a leader. They capture more attention and capture more hearts. That’s why these relevant brands are consistently tapping into Art, Fashion and Entertainment/Sports, and the unique intersection of them all. These industries are the best at capturing people’s attention which is the number 1 priority for any marketer. Hello? Because before you can communicate ANY-thing, you need to have the eyes and ears of consumers. I sometimes think brands are forgetting that… You don’t deserve anyone’s attention. Time and attention are the most valuable asset that consumers will ALWAYS have 100% ownership of. As more avenues of opportunity pop up for consumers to focus their attention on, the ability to EARN that attention becomes a bigger challenge, however, with a greater challenge comes a greater opportunity and a more valuable outcome.
ComplexCon is a great microcosm of the strategies that brands are executing in order to continue to stay relevant. @ Long Beach Convention Center
