Brands were created to make us happy - for a fleeting moment, at any
rate. After that moment passed, they trained us to be dissatisfied until
we hit the 'buy' button again.
But lately, something strange has been happening.
Blame
it on sustainability or internet-induced transparency. Blame it on
people getting fed up with feeling compelled to buy more on smaller
paychecks. Blame it on enlightenment.
Today, people want to be
makers, or they want to enjoy experiences. Buying new shiny things is
starting to look less, well, shiny.
In this context, I wanted to introduce you to John Habibi.
John
caught my eye because his business was teaching tech entrepreneurs to
close more deals and take more time off. As I spend most of my time in
tech, this promise seemed like the holy grail. Intoxicating, and
unreachable.
When I dug a bit deeper, it turned out John was
helping these entrepreneurs discover mindfulness and spirituality
through meditation. Again, a concept that seemed incongruent with my
impression of the average alpha tech entrepreneur.
John and I have
had a number of conversations on his practice, and how our yearning for
something 'more' than material success is changing the face of our
society. As a brand specialist, I dug into his thoughts on how
mindfulness could destroy brands, or reshape them.
