Branding, marketing, and media are often misused in irresponsible and unsustainable ways—ways that overpromise on the value that can actually be delivered; ways that manipulate by appealing to our most shallow, image-driven vulnerabilities; and ways that define brands as substitutes for human relationships. That said, Laurence Vincent argues, brands can play a valuable role in our culture—and that those executives who have the privilege of guiding brands have a responsibility to understand the impact they can exert on a consumer’s individual identity.

Adapted from Brand Real: How Smart Companies Live Their Brand Promise
and Inspire Fierce Customer Loyalty.