Brands are right to think about drivers of authenticity, but should carefully consider hitching themselves to the social purpose wagon. Remember: just because a routine is habit that doesn’t mean there are not better, more fulfilling ways of doing things. The change in group energy level—all these are more potent indicators of what’s really going on in people minds than the words they use.

How Not to Use Focus Groups: “Expertly practiced groups can give us a uniquely sensitive understanding of people’s relationships with brands and communication.You get more punch for your marketing pound if you spread it across multiple tools rather than plopping all of it down on just one option. Consistency No Longer Matters: “One of the biggest marketing skills to master is the art of leaving well alone… Marketers fret about wear-out… Worry more about wear-in. We forget that so far, the internet has decimated print because of its direct response capabilities, but has actually complemented TV and grown the total video landscape. We left the canal and visited some inner city churches and their second hand markets, offering cheap coffee and large, silent spaces.

The perception amongst online marketers is that tight targeting and direct response marketing is the way to go. Encourage clients to invest in them over the long term… Advertising influences people as a weak force, not a strong one. To impact sales, an ad needs to convey the right motivational message in an emotionally engaging way. This is increasingly how I am practicing living my life: with a minimum of routines and plans, allowing the present moment to dictate the future.We can quickly strip away a brand's mental availability by not leveraging the distinctive assets (logo, colours etc) that made it famous in the first place.