Categories: Articles

Digital Darwinism

Episode #456 of Six Pixels of Separation – The Mirum Podcast is now live and ready for you to listen to.

Brands are in a very difficult predicament. It’s not something that is easy to write, but it’s true. Competition is fierce and it’s getting more complicated, because the types of channels and messages that a brand can create has become boundless (thanks, digital marketing). With this digitization of everything, consumers continue to become more connected, empowered and educated. One might think that this means brands have new and improved opportunities to make connections. According to a McKinsey and Company article published this past February titled, Brand success in an era of Digital Darwinism, this is not the case. The research suggests that brands are losing their impact in a world of “digitally jaded consumers.” What’s working? Good old fashioned word of mouth. Tom Asacker often sends me links to articles like this one. Just a link. They’re usually worthy of a conversation, so this is it. Asacker is a branding expert (although, he prefers to think of his work as the business of belief). He is a well-respected author (The Business of Belief, Sandbox Wisdom, A Clear Eye For Branding and many more) and a friend. Enjoy the conversation…

You can grab the latest episode of Six Pixels of Separation here (or feel free to subscribe via iTunes): Six Pixels of Separation – The Mirum Podcast #456.

Mitch Joel

Mitch Joel lives at the intersection of technology, business transformation and consumer culture. He is the Executive Director of Next Era Institute, a strategic intelligence platform helping leaders understand the forces reshaping business, technology, culture and society. The Institute identifies which shifts matter, explores their wider significance and translates them into strategic direction and momentum. Mitch is also a globally recognized keynote speaker. He has delivered thousands of presentations across both B2B and B2C industries to organizations including Google, Walmart, LEGO, Shopify, Microsoft, Procter & Gamble and Unilever. Strategy Magazine has called him “one of North America’s leading visionaries.” Mitch built his career by working directly inside the waves of change that reshaped modern business. He founded and built a digital marketing agency that worked with some of the world’s largest brands and was later acquired by WPP, where he served as President of a firm operating in 25 countries with almost 3,000 employees. Mitch is the bestselling author of Six Pixels of Separation and CTRL ALT Delete, and the host of Thinking With Mitch Joel, one of the longest-running business podcasts in the world. His writing and commentary appear in outlets including Harvard Business Review, Fast Company and Inc. Magazine. He is a member of Dr. Marshall Goldsmith’s 100 Coaches and was named to the Thinkers50 Radar. Mitch also hosts Groove – The No Treble Podcast, documenting the oral history of electric bass players. Mitch is also Co-Founder of ThinkersOne, a platform that enables companies to bring personalized thought leadership from world-class experts into meetings, events and off-sites in focused 15-minute bursts.