In today’s shared-brand economy, people rule. And it’s about time. The rules of engagement have fundamentally changed. The line between people and brand is blurred now more than ever. The opportunity to be yourself and beyond yourself has arrived.

It’s our world. It’s our time. It’s our experience.

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When discussing new technologies with clients and peers I often hear the importance of not building “technology for technology’s sake”.   I agree that this should be prevented but I prefer to think positively and speak about how we want technology to work instead of how we don’t want it to work.  In doing this, I use the word Sprezzatura.

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I have lived in Jamaica Plain, MA for about 15 years. Known as JP, it is admired for its diversity, community involvement, and being a bastion of progressive politics. Our geography balances the gritty city with some of the city’s best green spots: Jamaica Pond and the Arnold Arboretum.

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Corey has enjoyed the great privilege to work with Keurig over the past two years on a number of branding initiatives for their At Home and their Away From Home divisions. Our work has run the gamut from brand strategy and corporate identity to packaging, direct mail and ads. We sat down with John Whoriskey, Vice President, General Manager of Keurig Coffee’s At Home division, to hear his thoughts on how Corey helped perk up the Keurig brand.

1. What most impressed you about Corey’s pitch to Keurig?

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When I heard that airports were installing full-body scanners that gave TSA workers x-ray vision through clothing, my first thought was, “No one will possibly put up with this.” Then I learned that if a traveler decides not to be subjected to this inspection, they can choose to be subjected to an “enhanced pat-down.” As Tom Keane points out in his recent editorial the Boston Globe, this kind of “unreasonable search“ without “probable cause” is not only demeaning but also in clear violation of the Fourth Amendment to the US Constitution.

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I have two boys, one seven and one two. LEGO is all over our house: literally, pieces of World Racers and Power Miners on my dining room table, the bus and people who ride the bus on my floor, the word “LEGO” is one of the 30 words my two year old states repeatedly. We love LEGO in my house.

We love it because it is brilliant – methodical in approach, clear in direction, surprising in its outcome. It is creative and encourages open play. Kids of all ages can tear apart their models and mash them up with other sets.

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A key question when developing social media strategy or a website is “Who do we target?”. “Who will be the most effective individuals to reach with our message?” Often these target audiences break down into two groups. Advocates for your organization, people who are invested in you and your offering, and the public, customers or end users – the ultimate recipients of your offering. A typical website design or social media strategy will try to reach these two groups in varying proportions.

But there is a third group, a group as important as either and one that can have a disproportionate effect on reaching end users. We call this group “Messengers.” Unlike your advocates, messengers are an audience that you don’t have direct contact with on a regular basis. They don’t follow your every word but they do share an affinity for your ideas, your topics and your issues. They might already be talking about your issues without mentioning your organization. Sometimes messengers talk about your topic on a regular basis, sometimes more sporadically as events or seasonality dictates.

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Internal applications – intranets, knowledge management sites, workflow management systems, etc. – drive an organization by keeping employees informed, creating quality and consistency across an organization, and positively influencing the bottom line. In this post, I review 4 ways to make these internal workhorses really shine.

Social Tools

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Yes, that’s right, the mighty Businessweek recently called on us to contribute some tips on branding. The tips are being featured in a regular section targeted to small businesses. Three of our tips have been published in the last two months. Tell us what you think. We’d love to hear your two cents or even more.

Tip One: Your Brand is a Verb, Not a Noun

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