Stop Listening to the Customer

chapter 5 they who hear their brand

I've always liked the Warren Buffett quote, ‘In the business world, the rear view mirror is always clearer than the windshield'. It perfectly sums up the dilemma most people in business face most days. We constantly make decisions about the future, not the past. And the future is always a little murky. It's much easier to look backwards or to gather data than it is to look forwards and have a stab. However, building a brand has as much to do with vision and clarity of thought as it does with art, science or experience. Some people are born with the skill of branding, while others develop it.

Here's a selection of people, brands and businesses that offer hope. The examples prioritise the brand and what the brand stands for above all else. I call this Brand Intelligence (BI; It's far superior to AI).

Hearing IKEA

Who would have imagined that a company started in 1943 by a Swedish carpenter, selling unpronounceable do-it-yourself products, would go on to become one of the most successful in the world? IKEA is synonymous with flat-pack, affordable furniture you construct yourself. But when you pull apart the IKEA consumer experience, you discover it breaks so many rules. IKEA is a classic case of a brand-led rather than consumer-led approach to marketing.

IKEA founder Ingvar Kamprad was obsessed with frugality. Even though he was one of the wealthiest people in the world, he always travelled in economy, drove an old Volvo and preferred discreet ...