Death of the brand. Birth of the people.

In a world of ever changing marketing, it seems as though many brands have remained behind the curve. They are still pushing brand name and product over the truest value they have as a brand: people.

The mission of brands should always be to get people talking. Brands don’t get people talking. People get people talking.

When looking at your marketing strategy, how many of your pieces are connected back to people? Whether you own a one-off flower shop or a $500M business, people will always be the cornerstone of your growth.

The best form of people usage comes in the form of viral word-of-mouth. This is something that cannot be forced of purchased with traditional methods. Good brands ask agencies to create a viral video for them; great brands ask their agency to find great stories, moments or ideas revolving around people to create a great viral moment.

Three examples.

First, Coke. Look at their can campaign. Share a Coke With INSERT NAME. That naturally gets people to buy more Coke – especially when they see their friend’s name. That also gets them to try more product, as they hunt for more friends’ names — they have enlisted their brand ambassadors to buy more Coke, share more Coke and have more smiles with Coke. Genius. All by simply reserving a tiny piece of wasted can real estate to add world names.

Second, look at Shake Shack. Even if you have never been to one, you know about it. Why? Someone told you a story about it. What does Shake Shack do better than every other better-burger brand from a flavor standpoint? Probably not much. What does it do to get people to talk about its brand? Probably a lot. I remember the first time I went there, I saw a line out the door. My perception as I walked up was that this place must be incredible. The reality is, they let the 10 people in line do the talking for them by pushing the order line closer to the door. This created a people experience and a perception. Perception, ala Krispy Kreme, is the magic in getting people to transform your brand.

Lastly, open up the closest magazine to you. Look at the advertisements. How many of them use people — real people? How many of those messages have a marketing, PR, advertising, digital and social message connected to it? Why not? They already paid for the ad space, why are the silos not connected? Look at the first ad that features a human message. Are those messages more connected?

Budgets will forever be tight, no matter what the current temperature of the economy is. If you want to win at communications for your brand, you should connect the dots and create perceptions. This will save money and create money for your brand.