Aren't acronyms also non-words like IBM? or FTD? And aren't they by their very nature more difficult to protect?

Craig, Great distillation! -- Axle http://www.distility.com

Great advice for any company. We did 23 interviews with our customers, and were surprised by some of their pains. These pains are now being translated into lots of little stories we're going to use for our launch. Andrew and I refer to the notes we took from New Rules and World Wide Rave routinely, as we develop our mini-campaigns. Thanks again, - Axle

Malcolm, every citizen should have to take a course on basic market research hygiene before they are allowed off their social network.

Tom, I've followed your blog for a long time and just had to weigh in on this one. I'm disapointed by most of the conversation around the Forrester piece. I read it last week and frankly, based on what was within, the change in the title or role of the brand manager was the least consequential of all the points. What emerges is a wholesale disruption in how brands are planned, created, managed and monitored. The death of the "big advertising" idea. The empowerment of consumers. The increasing self-reliant advertiser. The rise of new marketing technologies. The Brand Manager is just one person, in an entire chain of command whose work lives will never be the same on account of the above mentioned factors. This "bonfire brand" idea is sweet. It is authentic. I like it. But this is exactly the problem with branding, and brand experts. We're always looking for the new term, the new idea, to make better sense of what we do. I say enough of the buzz phrases. You write "how inspiring it would be to talk in terms than real consumers can understand." Now you've got me nodding my head. Branding has become too complicated, too mediated by the experts. Your cartoon, tells me that they've taken branding hostage. As a recovering brand expert, I couldn't agree more. I'm hoping we're at the start of something incredibly exciting, a time when sincerity and authetticity trump sophistication and perfectionism. - Axle Davids http://www.distility.com - 1day1brand

Laura, you forgot reason #6 "Don't let this person promote your product". [pic] http://ow.ly/i/4zS

You're right to talk about the importance of trust. Makes me think of a great book I read last year, Covey's "Speed of Trust". From a branding perspective, I hope 2010 -- what with Social Media, Recession, Technology. Consumer Empowerment -- will be the year in which brand developers focus on pragmatism instead of perfection, sincerity instead of sophistication.

Agreed. It is all to common that we have to work with brands that are super sophisticated in their brand strategies but kill you with their service. Here in Toronto, Bell Canada is the poster child for this kind of disassociative brand identity disorder. I'd rather their brands were authentic -- "We're too big to care" -- so I would lose my naive expectations. Axle Davids www.distility.com p.s. My first visit to Brand Champions Blog. I really like it!