Column: Time for clarity
In these uncertain times, there are surprisingly few factors that truly provide stability. One of them predates the debate on artificial intelligence.
Rarely has there been a time when uncertainty was as omnipresent as it is today. Geopolitically, economically, technologically. You hear phrases like these very often at the moment. Even seasoned managers are worried - and are open about it; in interviews, in town hall meetings with employees, in personal conversations. In this permanent state of uncertainty, there is a lever that is older than the debate about artificial intelligence. It is called "brand". And it creates clarity.
The brand is a North Star
At the heart of the brand - the fundamental question: "What do we stand for?" And at least as important: "What do we not stand for?" The brand is a management tool. And is indispensable in times like these. A clear brand has an impact both internally and externally. Externally, because customers understand what they can expect. Internally, because employees know what they should base their decisions on. Clarity creates structure. And structure creates the ability to act. The brand is the North Star. It sets the direction, clarifies processes, collaboration and priorities. It decides how to lead and how to recruit. Brand is more than marketing, communication and technology. Brand is strategic corporate management. And this is precisely where the responsibility lies. There has been talk of the loss of importance of marketers for years - at least since the article "The Death of the CMO" in the Harvard Business Review made waves internationally. The fundamental criticism: working on the surface instead of the substance. This is precisely why a return to the core is now an opportunity. Marketing means building a bridge to the consumer. To enable a relationship. This is not achieved with arbitrariness, but with attitude. With a clear positioning. With the courage not to do things.
Clarity becomes a currency
Many companies lose themselves in arbitrariness (or rather: lack of direction). Too many offers, too many messages, too little conciseness. All the more reason why we need voices that demand clarity. Who say: This is us. And this is not us. When uncertainty is the background noise, clarity becomes the currency. The hour of the brand is now. We must use it.
