On Wednesday the Consumer Insights Forum kicked off with a presentation by J Walker Smith of the Futures Company. Walker sees the world at 30,000 feet, but in doing so he shares insights on how people relate to the world around them. This can predict how they behave – how preferences have changed; some for good, others temporarily.  There were two big take-aways. One was that the deep emotional connection people have to home remains despite very rough going the last few years including foreclosures and falling values. The vast majority of people still aspire to own a home.

The second is the evolving notion of the marketplace based on the strength of “relationships” to others (the new model) rather than relationships to institutions, experts or brands (the old model). As Walker stated “people don’t want relationships with brands, they want relationships with other people.” Brands are merely backdrop or the facilitator as it were, to how people live their lives and connect with others.  He calls this evolution “kinship”. When relationships rule, the relationships that matter most are the gold standard for brands to emulate.

To learn more check out this article by Walker from the Branding Strategy Insider http://www.brandingstrategyinsider.com/2012/06/brand-marketing-a-new-era-begins.html