The New Mechanics Of Brands, Channel Shifts, & Unexpected Digital Opportunities

Digital has led to market fragmentation in nearly everything. Reduced opportunity costs have spawned a plethora of Direct to Consumer (DTC) brands which will continue for the foreseeable future. Small niche startups will continue to build followings and “tribes” in ways that couldn’t have been imagined in the pre-internet era.

The promise of the internet has always been a low barrier to entry enabling unique people and brands to find passionate audiences and sustainable business models. That is more possible now through the combination of direct distribution, vertical focus and (often) direct monetization models. But the brands that can pull off DTC strategies need to be... See more

Meanwhile, the more recent rise of social media — plus digital publishing and the continued growth of e-commerce — has given brands strong incentives and tools to build direct relationships with their clientele, skipping the retail middlemen and keeping the rest of their margin.

 In the abundance driven world of the Internet, the dynamics for multiplayer retail change. Instead of increasing the retail distribution of a fungible brand, brand platforms must provide the tooling to adjust the geometry of a brand for specific pockets of demand. Web3 tools can enable more composability via the creation digital franchisees.

The media’s status quo is accelerating towards disruption. We’re seeing the development of new media brands (micro-labels) on platforms and services, the prioritization of talent as a core business pillar by media companies and the shifting business models moving from content direct to creator direct.

“The Stakeholder Economy” will reinvigorate emerging brands and local businesses and be the most disruptive force against internet behemoths and global marketplaces. Brands are now collectively determined by the content generation of the masses as opposed to a creative agency and a nationwide ad buy. The second disruptive force at play is the const... See more

Consumers, too, have become more aware of the mechanics of brand-building. As a result, companies are under pressure to simulate authenticity by leaning into more personalized forms of communication.

The shift away from traditional subscriptions will quicken pace, driven by the proliferation of on-demand solutions across all areas of modern life. Categories like content consumption (Netflix, Spotify), Travel (Uber, Lime), and food delivery (Deliveroo, DoorDash) are creating an atmosphere on everything on our terms, at all times. These category-... See more