“The art of cinema consists in arousing desire, to play with desire. But at the same time keeping it at a safe distance, domesticating it, rendering it palpable, ” says noted cultural theorist Slavoj Zizek in his documentary  ‘A pervert’s guide to cinema’ - a provocative take on the relationship between cinema and our individual and  collective psyche.

Like cinema, the art of branding too can do (does?) the same thing. 

I recently heard  an interview with  Prof. Stew Friedman (who runs a course on Total Leadership at Wharton and has authored a book by the same name)  where he talks about  the 4 important dimensions of people’s life experiences - Self, Home, Work and Community. He says that people measure their success across these 4 domains, and seek harmony  between them.

While he uses these as pillars as part of his Leadership building program, I found myself using this framework as a starting point for thinking about positioning options for a new brand.

Traditionally, one’s success was measured  in terms of work achievements, and about how well one looked after family and home.  But today,  people are also paying far more attention to their private self on the one hand,  and  on the other, to their role in society at large

This frame could also be a useful way of thinking about brand positioning - e.g., does your brand work towards enhancing a personal sense of self-worth?  Is its job to help in performing one’s family duties  better ?  Or does it make one more effective at work?  Or does it help you be a better citizen?

For example, a travel brand could consider itself as an aide to self-discovery; Or be about creating deeper bonds with family and friends; Or promise to make work-travel more efficient or pleasurable;. Or be rooted in the deep benefits it brings to local communities and cultures. Maybe a travel company could look at an range of brand offerings positioned to serve different roles in people's lives

Thinking in these terms, what positioning options could open up for a new brand of soap? Or an insurance brand? Or a new brand offering a new social media platform?

(You can hear this interview at  https://www.playtopotential.com/audio/431  - those interested will also find  an array of thought provoking conversations  between Deepak Jayaram and an array business leaders at playtopotential.com)