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Comment on Advertising Age article: James Dyson: 'I Don't Believe in Brand' - But Does the Design Icon and Vacuum Cleaner Salesman Protest Too Much?

A "brand" is not about advertising, logos, slogans or hype. It is the sum total of the assets and liabilities represented by a product or a company, and it is the promise made to the marketplace.

In Erik Eliason’s recent blog for the Huffington Post, Why Your Business Needs Brand Advocates, he says, “the value of a "Like" [on Facebook] has become meaningless….your brand's most passionate fans are now mixed with passersby who simply liked your brand to get a $5 coupon.”  He goes on to discuss the importance of creating conditions that allow people who have the tightest, most passionate bonds with a brand to easily communicate with others of like mind to reinforce those bonds.  His examples of creating affinity networks for brands online is certainly interesting, and something brands have been doing for a long time. 

As reported in the Retirement section of the Wall Street Journal, “So what happens when He Wants to Retire… But She Doesn't”?

It's the kind of fundamental misalignment of perspective that can place a serious strain on a marriage, both emotionally and financially. More often than not, such disagreements prevent couples from effectively planning for retirement at all. For Fidelity Investments, that represents an opportunity to help their clients at a critical time in their lives.