Branding Point of View with Founder and CEO Culture of Future, Jody Turner

Forward '09 Brandologie speaker Jody Turner, Founder and CEO Culture of Future, talked with the AMA Forward '09 team to share her view of Branding from a design and archaeology point of view.

What does "brandologie" mean to you?

Anthropology is the science of humans and their endeavors, psychology the science of human and animal behaviors, archaeology is the science and study of articles and items from the past revealing the cultural behaviors of historic humans... what is brandologie?

Fast forward and you have the science of product iconography and human engagement in the marketplace. Business is a powerful agent of influence and change, Brandologie is much more active than a study or science.... because it is current and real-time engagement.

If you are doing brand correctly, then you are a living, breathing engagement dynamic reinventing your relationship with the consumer continually. This does take study. It is important to look at what is happening in culture that is inspiring the consumer and to know what is happening within your brand, service and product that is inspiring you. How you communicate your passion to the consumer has changed as well, are you twittering your delight with your consumer and offering something of value in doing so or is this not appropriate? (See UberCool article on Twitterati for information on this brandscape)

What are the realistic opportunity spaces that you can grow into? A living brand is everything from Generation G (see trendwatching.com and cultureoffuture.com briefings) in which you infuse meaning and mutual beneficial behaviors in your brand conversation with the consumer to a Starbucks Green Campaign YouTube video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pVpaLsRmJ8) to...

Why did you found Culture of Future?

I was doing a contract at Starbucks Store Concepts group in Seattle and met two major drivers of IDEO (San Francisco and London) who really shook me up. The subsequently became my mentors, helping me develop my business and hiring me for over 20 projects over the next few years.

It was a joy to move from end of the line designer (creating beauty is of great value in these situations but I had done it long enough) to front end innovation.... it was thrilling. I like being around smart people, IDEO is filled with them. I felt challenged and really had to step up.

The joy in creating Culture of Future is influencing companies in directions closer to the heart of the consumer which helps align companies with deeper meaning and value all around. When I was doing design communications for the Nike trend resources my ideas of Generation G (giving versus greed or growth economy) were not yet peeking... since then Nike Considered and the Armstrong benefit bracelet have shown otherwise.

How has your background in design and archaeology informed your branding point of view?

Oh I think I just answered that one.

I recently contributed to a Danish book called Instant Icon. Jens Skibsted is a designer who has created Biomega bikes for Puma and other brands. His ideas center on product design versus marketing.... engaging consumer in your brand via useful, inspirational and iconographic items that speak well for your brand culturally. He believes in products that are of high quality and very consumer connected, in this way you have an instant brand icon and long-term relationship with the consumer. This is one sustainable model as well.

So design is intriguing right now, Generation X has product lust as we return to the value of crafting things of meaning, and we have evolved into a highly visual society looking for authentic communications. Much is riding on design right now. Design is in a powerful role and can make or break this reinvention of American and her green economy.

Archaeology studies the item and the energy around the item.... the culture. An item says so much about a culture and visa versa.

Modern Brand Archaeology is about making sure the product, service and engagement we promote have meaning to consumer human and the society to come.

Culture of Future is the study of culture now and the reinvention of how we live, work and play for betterment in the future.