By Gillian Christie
“An iconic brand has relevance way beyond its product
category—beyond tangible benefits, beyond emotional
benefits, beyond lifestyle. It permeates, creates and
represents popular culture in a deeply imbedded way
like Nike, Harley-Davidson, Coca-Cola and Apple. An
iconic brand inspires an irrational level of loyalty
from its core consumers—thus it withstands decades
of changes in technology, competition and
lifestyles—and it forestalls the pressures of commoditization
or obsolescence. Iconic brands of the future will create
transformational value that’s sustainable for all stakeholders.”
—Udaiyan Jatar, founder and CEO, Blue Earth Network.
Being iconic is not just about being popular or well known. It is
about connecting at a core level with consumers, becoming part of
their lives—including everything from product choices to how they
demonstrate their loyalty to the brand and its values, such as wearing
your company name on a t-shirt.
Today, organic itself has become iconic in many ways. The collaborative
action of the entire organic industry has propelled organic into the mainstream
with media personalities and celebrities touting the benefits of organics, from the
annual “A list” gathering at the Environmental Media Awards highlighting dynamic or-
ganic gardening programs in local schools to Meryl Streep exclaiming that “the produce
manager is more important to my children’s health than the pediatrician.”
