by aleida, on April 28th, 2009I had never heard of Duke Stump before Saturday, and as I sat there watching him present, I was furiously taking notes on his approach to building powerful and lasting brands. Duke is Principal and Chief Architect of The NorthStar Manifesto. His experience ranges from CMO at Seventh Generation to a VP spot with Nike. His SEEing Green 2: Moving Beyond Green presentation, titled Shift Happens, led us first through his four beliefs. Duke believes in cultural shifts, bonfire brands, abundance, and principles. In a funny line, he admitted that he did not know what a brand actually is, but he does know what a bonfire is, and he knows what effect it has on people. A bonfire brings people in, compels them to fold their energy into the circle, galvanizes them, leads them into conversation with each other.
He endeavors, therefore, to create bonfire brands, and he has a list of principles to help make this happen: Widen the Lens; Inspiration vs. Desperation; Live Empathy; Sense the Emerging Future; Adopt Sun Tzu; Master the Art of Storytelling; Trust = Currency; Optimize Resonance & Relevance; Create a Northstar. When it comes to sustainability, Duke believes principles are more vital than a to-do list because principles will help guide people’s behavior. He encouraged the audience to think of what would happen if we approach the idea of green from a rational and an emotional perspective. He asked us to discover genuine ways in which to romance our audience. This approach can substantially redesign the conversation about what is green and what is sustainability. I love the idea of the bonfire brand. Imagine the progress we could make if the green movement could inspire that kind of energy and excitement on a wide-spread level!