It don't mean a thing if it ain't got soul

Something we've always wondered about here is how best to talk about a company's beliefs, raison d'etre, ethics if you like. It's hard to even talk about it without sounding holier-than-thou. After all, saying 'we're reducing our carbon footprint' or 'we give to charity' or 'we are a green company' can sound dangerously like spin, or jumping on the eco-ethical bandwagon.

That's why I was interested to read at The Wise Marketer about a report by Fletcher Knight, Eight key marketing trends for 2008 and beyond, in which they state that marketers 'must not only be aware of trends but also develop marketing initiatives that genuinely link their 'brand soul' to consumer expectations'.

So perhaps it's OK now to talk about this thing 'brand soul'. A bit of soul searching wouldn't go amiss in the (sometimes) dirty race to win customers and beat the competition. But let's not ignore that little word 'genuine'.