"From Branding with Love" - a TED Talk by Sasha Strauss

Super entertaing TED talk by Sasha Strauss, an ADHD sufferer who has a lot to say about how to get people to remember specific things about you pertaining to your brand.  Strauss feeds off, but is equally distracted by, visual energy from body language (something I had no idea ADHD facilitated) but the most interesting revelation is that during his time as a school mascot at university, everyone wanted to hug him while he was dressed up in a costume that made him unidentifiable.  "I realised something amazing," he says. "All of us want to be loved."  This led him to the realisation that the same applied to branding, and has been using it to drive a successful career in the industry ever since.  

"Businesses, they don't just want to make stuff and sell it to you, they want you to loooove it.  They want you to be passionate about it.  They want you to tell your friends and family about it.  Businesses know, that if you love them, you will prefer them...We don't just eat boring food - no, no!  We like food that smells good, tastes good…we want to enjoy it.  We want to engage it.  We want things wrapped in love!  We want to feel connected to the choices we make.  This is what branding is."

The talk covers a lot about the current social media overload and what that means for brands today, and why Strauss is looking for a more authentic approach.  He uses a video of his dog to demonstrate that the reason we love cute things is because they are pure and present, and not trying to second guess, judge, etc.  Strauss wraps the talk up with a significant point about how to rise above the noise when it comes to branding, particularly for the self:
"Everyone is communicating all the time, and if you want to break through, you need to show up. I want to know and love you." This was an interesting take on the approach to branding, as typically we would focus on a product or service rather than the personalities behind it.  A different stance on the approach to branding could be refreshing to people, at a time where over-saturation of people's projected personalities is arguably becoming a hindrance to our emotional relationships.  One to keep in mind.