Brand Bonanza At Davos
The world’s most popular brand is putting its muscle behind another, though lesser-known, global brand, the World Economic Forum.
Google CEO Eric Schmidt is co-chair of WEF’s annual meeting in Davos this week, along with other top executives that wield global brand power, namely Coca-Cola’s E. Neville Isdell and BP’s Sir John Browne.
Top it off with Bill Gates, Michael Dell, Rupert Murdoch and the heads of YouTube and MySpace, and you’ve got one of the biggest meetings of the who's who in brands.
Appropriately, Davos participants delved into the business of branding with a panel on Wednesday titled “Getting The Message Across With A Story.” Panelists including Nike brand president Charles Denson, Gucci CEO Robert Polet, Ruder Finn CEO Kathy Bloomgarden and BBDO New York CEO John Osborn discussed new ways to reach consumers in an increasingly competitive market.
“Brands are shortcuts that help people figure out what companies are all about and decide if they are interested in what is being offered,” said Allen Adamson, New York managing director of branding and design consultancy Landor Associates and author of “BrandSimple”. “In a world where there’s a clutter of information and consumer ADD is rampant, if you can’t get your message across in a clear, simple and sharp way, it becomes very hard to tell your story.”
