In advertising people has always talked about “reason to believe”. Basically it means that you have to present some kind of proof that you will deliver on your promise. In the best of all cases, your communication is your proof – you have a symbol!

Sony’s robotic dog Aibo is of course a classic brilliant example. Building a robotic dog. Is there a better way to prove to the world that you are a company based on innovation, design and consumer orientation? Probably not. But nowadays there are other proofs that’s more probable to close a case. Prof that your company has a relevance, given the situation in the society today. Prof that you’re with it.

Symbols used to be the hardest currency in advertising. Now, context is the new symbol. Sure we all still love symbols. We still love to be served a reason to believe. But more that that we love to see how companies, products and services interact with their surroundings.

So go home and find your brand model. Look up the words “Reason to believe” and change them to “Reason to care”.

True or bs?