Capitalism, he says, is founded on the equation of creative destruction. The cornerstones of capitalism as we know it systematically and chronically undercount the costs of destruction and over-count the benefits of creation. The result is an oversupply of “bads” with too much economic destruction for too little creation. The sum of over-destruction and under-creation is the deep debt a society incurs. Umair Haque is clarifying the goal of the 21st Century brand, which is to create what he calls “thick value”—value that matters, value that lasts and value that multiples, not the “thin value” of the 20th Century firm that is artificial and unsustainable, often gained through harm to or at the expense of people, communities or society. It is about making a positive difference in people’s lives, not merely having a differentiated product and brand. The New Capitalist Manifesto by Umair Haque is also available at Amazon.
Costas did you listen to the podcast interview I did with him?
ReplyDeleteYes Anna. I did. From my point of view is of interest to observe that a growing number of people from the branding / advertising profession are believing now that we have to replace capitalism with something.. nicer. This also deconstructs in a way, all the current approaches in branding. Arrogant brands, totally representative species of shellfish capitalism, are now replaced by new species of brands.. Nice Brands. That was the very essence of my book few years ago. I continue my research work on that front and in the new Brand Ecosystem in general. Soon I will be in a position to announce some interesting findings, including some intelligent tools that measure a brand’s adaptation and survival potential. Interesting stuff!
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