I’m very brand loyal. And with the emergence of the digital world, I’m even more brand loyal. I was speaking at the POLLSTAR conference two years back and I heard EDDY CUE - SVP, Internet Software & Services at APPLE discuss (paraphrasing) that the mission of the iPhone and app store was to transition much of the transactions, tasks, and information that we do and need each day into the palm of your hand. They have. They led the charge. (An illustrative example of what Eddy was talking about.) In fact, I use so many app services as part of my daily life that sometimes I behave as if I own them. A company could look at that as a bad thing but again, I’m brand loyal. If I love your product so much that I feel let down, I'm going to voice it. If you don’t hear me (not obey me), then I'm going to quit you. Like I did POSTMATES. Or I go to a public forum. Because, at its best, social media has become the great equalizer in customer service. Our leverage against those that take us for granted. I go nuts on airlines, cable companies, and telcos the most. Why? Because inherent in their customer service DNA was a big FU to consumers. Every transaction is a brand touchpoint. UNITED AIRLINES charges me change fees that are often the same price as the ticket. SOUTHWEST and JETBLUE don’t. And I love them for it. SPECTRUM cable goes out, and they don’t text me or leave a robocall voicemail. I have to call. And when I ask if I’m going to receive a credit for downtime, they say, that is not automatic policy but I can call back when service is restored and plead my case. A stupid-as-f**k way to deal with it. Now, I get my way often because of my contacts or public profile. That’s not fair. I complain for all of us. But it also got me thinking about the importance of brand. Brand is anything that is a touchpoint for your product. The brands I love have an ethos. They stand for something. They have a voice. They're not just utilities to me. One of my favorite people on this planet is UNION SQUARE VENTURES’ ANDY WEISSMAN. His POV, advice and pop-culture savant-ish-ness are priceless to me. At breakfast in “our” booth, the topic of conversation was the idea of a “lovebrand” or “lovemark.” A concept and book introduced to me by BLAKE KRIKORIAN when I was at SLINGBOX. KEVIN ROBERTS, the author who coined the term, explains "What builds loyalty that goes beyond reason? What makes a truly great love stand out?” WIKIPEDIA lays it out. “Mystery: Great stories: past, present and future; taps into dreams, myths and icons; and inspiration. Sensuality: Sound, sight, smell, touch, and taste. Intimacy: Commitment, empathy, and passion.” When I understand that about your brand. I feel. And when I feel it goes beyond reason. And when your brand messes up. I have patience, because of what I understand about it. I’m a media and tech hybrid. Media companies have almost always understood the importance of brand. Tech companies and platforms in particular, not so much. Most of them want to play the middle. They don’t lean into a brand, a voice, a POV that stands for something. They think that’s a risk. I don’t. It’s a blind spot. Brand and voice will be a necessary part of the next evolution as media and tech morph into one. The hybrids are going to win the next race. Getting noticed is harder than ever before. Brands as navigators still matter. Whether a platform, a product or service or an individual voice or expert. Send me a newsletter with links and no voice., maybe I’ll get to it. One with a strong voice? I'll stare at my inbox until it comes. ROGER EBERT was my film navigator when I was growing up. MATT BALL, BEN THOMPSON, BEN EVANS, and PETER KAFKA in media and tech. S.E. CUPP for understanding the decent GOP. THE INFATUATION, LAWRENCE LONGO, and JAMIE PATRICOF for food. BENJAMIN WITTES and LAWFARE for the intersection of law and institutions. MARINA POPOVA for raw curiosity. And on and on and on. And the ones I love, I’ll pay for. Does your brand have an ethos? Do you want to be loved for the right reasons? We live in a world of copycats. If your product and service isn’t ten times better than the copier, you’re in trouble. But if you’re a “lovemark,” you probably already know that... Happy Birthday to MATTY KARAS (this Sunday edition is dedicated to him, say HBD to MusicREDEF's resident genius), JOSH ELMAN, OMID ASHTARI, LLOYD BRAUN, CASSIE AVIROM, ALISON GELB PINCUS. Belated to DANNY RIMER, DAN ROSE, BEN LERER, ZACH KLEIN, JOE FERNANDEZ, MARSHALL ABBOTT, CHLOE SLADDEN, CHARLES HIRSCHHORN, WARREN LIEBERFARB, CASEY COFFMAN, RAN HARNEVO, STEVE EHRLICH, CHARLOTTE FREUND, ROBERT KRAVITZ, DAVID LAWENDA, SUZY RYOO, LUCAS SHAW, BRAD HUNSTABLE, YUSUF MEHDI, RAJIL KAPOOR, ANDREA RABNEY, and CATHERINE MECKLER.