You’ve only got finite energy. And what you accomplish with it depends on where you channelize it. Spend it only on battling Entropy- the ever-increasing chaos, disturbance, and uncertainty in life, and it only saps you of time, money, and resources. Use it to create experiences of enduring value, and you flourish.

The same is true of Brands as well. Just like people, Brands are engulfed by tremendous Entropy, which according to the Second Law of Thermodynamics, always increases over time.

Brands that spend energy battling Entropy are always edgy about growth numbers- year-on-year, month-on-month, week-on-week, and day-on-day. They are in a perpetual frenzy for more clicks, likes, hashtags, and shares. They suppress their gut and intuition, and continuously seek refuge in third-party validation. Changing trends and business environments make them anxious. A myopic Culture of impatience and instant gratification permeates within their organization and it is perpetuated by their people, processes, practices, and products. They easily succumb to the continuous barrage of competitive impulses and drain tremendous amounts of time, money and effort by waging ad wars, price wars, and data wars with the competition…

According to a CII-KPMG 2017 Report, India will spend ~ INR 255 Billion on Digital Advertising alone by 2020. Just to stay ahead in the online retail race, a leading brand reportedly lost INR 14 crore per day in FY16!

…In the infinite game of business, they eventually tap out having lost the will or the resources required to keep going.

And then there are Brands that focus their energy on adding so much value to the lives of their Customers, that it elevates their existence, unlocks their potential, and empowers them to thrive. These Brands are firmly built, not merely on demand-supply gaps and fragile competitive advantages, but on their Positive Valence- the authentic, inherent, and positively inspiring strengths that are fundamental to their professional DNA. They embody real human Values and represent a Culture that their Customers proudly imbibe. They serve a larger, more impelling Purpose by fulfilling the Fundamental Needs of their Customers. They collaborate to enhance life instead of competing and adding to Entropy- they invest in creating instead of spending Crores in correcting. They command the deepest level of trust and the highest order of loyalty. They deliver a strong Triple Bottom Line of people, planet, and profits. Above all, they bring a lasting sense of fulfillment to all their stakeholders.

As Marketers and Brand Custodians, you can do a lot more and achieve far greater, provided you focus your energy on creating value instead of battling Entropy. It all starts with pressing pause and distancing yourself from Entropy. It requires you to shift your focus from the uncontrollable variables outside to the enduring constants within; It requires you to relook and redefine your brand thoroughly from the inside-out. It is what inspires Apple to challenge status quo and GE to make the World work better. It enables Lego to inspire and develop builders of tomorrow and Disneyland to create happiness for its visitors. It makes Amul be the Taste of India and Lijjat Papad be the symbol of women’s strength.

It is this paradigm shift in thinking and approach that Lokusdesign is committed to drive among Brands. Are you game?

For more on this, write to us at info@lokusdesign.com.