How to brand anything
[Music]
this is a pen
with no name
no story
and no identity
to tell you the truth
this is just a random pen
that i bought during my last holidays
and right now this pen has no power
whatsoever to relate to you
to your lives
or to your aspirations
but i think i can change that
i’m not really a magician
but i know something very powerful
the way we value things
depends on how we perceive them
the way we value things
depends on how we perceive them
the art and science of changing
perception
is called
branding
branding is a bit like a magical
power
and today i would love to show you this
power
by transforming
this random pen
into
a meaningful brand
for this to happen we’ll have to get a
bit creative
we will have to imagine
that i am the founder of a pen company
presenting to you
a new pen brand
all right
let’s do this
hey guys
do you still recognize the handwriting
of your colleagues
of your friends
or even of your parents
the sad truth
is that we spend so much time on our
screens
that we almost don’t write by hands
anymore
we use emojis to communicate our
emotions
we rely on autocorrect
to take responsibility for our mistakes
and we let predictive text
right on our behalf
what does this say
of our ability to
think thinking is what makes us human
it’s how we grow it’s how we learn it’s
how we create relationships with each
other
but if our devices
are telling us
what to write next
are we still thinking
if we stop thinking
advertising tells us what to buy
our car
tells us where to go
our smart watch
tells us how many steps we should work
every day
our social media feed
tells us
who to vote for
we can be better than that
we can challenge the algorithm
we can
rediscover our inner voice
and most importantly
we can reclaim
our freedom
of thinking
this is why
we created
we the thinkers
pan in hand
our mission is simple
to give the power of thinking back to
the people
we the thinkers
was born to inspire you
you and you to think
and write your own path
and there’s no better way to think than
to write
writing is thinking and the weirdest
thinkers span
is the ultimate
thinking tool
when you are writing your thinking
occurs at the same time
there’s no lag
no notification
no pop-up window
no distraction
whether you’re writing a shopping list
a love letter
or manifesto
we the thinkers inspires you to think
even when you’re not thinking
about thinking
and talking about thinking
there’s some serious thinking
that went behind the crafting of this
pen
it is made using a single piece
of recycled aluminum
and it features a one-of-a-kind
swiss renaissance red
this way it stands out it stands out on
your desk it stands out on your kitchen
counter
it stands out in your bag
making it
a sign of recognition
among
free thinkers
the cartridge
holds enough sustainable ink
for you to write
60 000 words
that’s by the way enough for all of you
to finish this long overdue novel
finally
the reader thinkers pen
comes in a beautiful case
with a set
of thinking cards
each card
features a philosophical question
to stimulate your thinking
and if your ideas
are
worth spreading
just put a stamp on the card
and send it to your loved ones
so if you’re ready to think again
get yourself a weedy thinkers spend
today
on we the thinkers
dot world
end of story
what did we just see
our random pen
now has
a reason for being
how did we achieve that
first
we created a story
a story that is both relatable
and meaningful
a story in which the pen is the hero
second
we give our hero
a name
a name that communicates
a community feel
and a sense of belonging
third
we give our hero
a face
in the form of a visual identity a
distinct
visual identity that is both
sophisticated
and bold
as a result
the pen is not just a product
it’s the symbol of a movement
a movement with a powerful yet simple
anchoring points
inspiring people to think
and now comes the beauty of it
we can use these anchoring points
to create an entire new range of
products and services
all centered
around the idea
of inspiring people to think
in addition to the pen
we could have a we the thinkers notebook
to write down your thoughts
and from here we could have a weed
thinkers cafe
to exchange ideas
why not opening a wider thinkers hotel
and spa
to unplug and free your minds
and i think from here by not having a
weird thinker’s perfume
to stimulate
your thoughts
at the center
the reader thinkers brand
stands on its own
because it goes beyond
products and services
at this stage
we must ask ourselves one question one
last question
what if what if
we the thinker was to shut down
closing its cafes and hotels
withdrawing from the shelf the notebook
and the perfume
even stopping
the production of the pen
would we the thinkers
still exist
of course it would
it would still exist but this time
in your mind
in a way
the branding magic
has occurred
because this pen
has a name
a story
and an identity
this is no longer a pen
this is now
a brand
[Applause]
you