Ultimately, their alignment with these brands says something about themselves.

People aren’t making choices based on what their parents always bought—they’re seeking out companies that align with their core beliefs and to which they can relate on a human level.

The key problem for that audience, i.e., what’s missing from their lives. Of everything we know about them, what’s the most salient problem that this business can solve?

If you’re launching a particular business, you can be sure that someone else is too.

Google is the ultimate example of a business that launched at a specific point in time, with true and meaningful technological superiority, innovative UX, and a brand that almost seemed purposefully nonexistent. Its search results were just smarter (so smart they would give you only one result if you were “feeling lucky”!). Gmail was just easier.

In most cases, UX is now more about elegance and simplicity than a major overhaul of how people are accustomed to having things function.

I learned a ton about how the world’s oldest and largest consumer goods companies approach brand building, and the rigor that goes into defining a target audience, sharpening a consumer insight, developing a clear and succinct brand strategy, and then using that strategy to guide all communications.

The problem is that you can have an amazing product, and a big vision, but without a focus on brand from the beginning, it’s going to fall flat.

I’ll dispel the old myth about the importance of consistency, and look at how tension and