The Business of Aspiration: How Social, Cultural, and Environmental Capital Changes Brands

At the moment, radical individualism is out, social connection is in. Brand focus is not on the end customer, but on the communities they belong to. Just as personas made individual consumers visible, the new brand methodology makes visible consumer communities and their co-dependencies and influences.

Veblen goods defy the traditional economic logic where a price of a good or service is inversely correlated with its demand. Instead, they are socially positional: high-end fashion, watches, cars, wine, organic food, travel experiences, and practices of self-actualization visibly and publicly convey the appearance of success, wealth, status, identi

Not long ago, wearing real fur was a signal of wealth and status. Now, it’s a signal of ignorance. In contrast, fake fur is inexpensive, but it displays status lent by awareness about climate crisis and importance of sustainability.

Modern aspiration is not about having money to buy things, but having the taste to know what to buy.

Today, aesthetic innovation gives competitive edge. Innovativeness is not in having superior product properties or novel tech, but in the emphasis on aesthetics and experience (consider how GOOP-endorsed products have been accused of deceptive health claims yet continue to be popular). Successful brands ingrain themselves in the cultural context, n

Tsundoku is a Japanese word for the uncomfortable feeling of having too many books to read. It’s also the MO of contemporary life.

Investing to make the each customer experience touchpoint rewarding in itself through small perks and attentive care is more motivating and creates greater brand affinity than just getting points. A pure behavioral economics is behind it: consumers prefer many small repeated gains and many incremental rewards instead of big infrequent ones. They’d

Every brand should start thinking like a B Corp.

Through taste regimes, modern brands introduce new meanings in our everyday activities: cooking, socializing, bathing, decorating, dressing, caring for pets or plants. “Power and pleasure of making food with your own hands” replaces cooking. “Minimizing environmental impact” replaces buying a dress. “Boosting our creativity” replaces buying plants.