From Brand Policing to Brand Participation
The fourth mindset shift powering Emergent Brands.
Earlier this year, we delved into rediscovering the magic of being a brand by shifting from brand strategy to Brand Anarchy. That shift to Brand Anarchy is what’s needed to create Emergent Brands: brands that are always in motion, deeply human, and constantly growing.
The most impactful brands are those that are not only innovative in their offerings but also dynamic in their approach to brand-building. In our earlier posts, we explored 3 mindset shifts (01, 02, 03) needed to unlock better outcomes—a focus on brand innovation as a strategic growth driver, tuning into the inputs to create real meaning, and engaging in continuous world-building to respond to the evolving world.
Our fourth mindset shift takes this concept further by reimagining branding as an active world-creation process rather than a passive exercise. Brand emergence happens in real-time, out in the world, and brands must be agile enough to evolve with it.
This means moving away from the traditional notion of brand policing, which often stifles creativity and alienates the very consumers who are most passionate about the brand. Instead of being overly prescriptive and putting up barriers that prevent people from forming their own connections with the brand, we advocate for creating brand assets that offer a foundation but leave room for interpretation and personal meaning.
A brand should be a shared experience, one that fosters a sense of ownership among its community. True community building isn’t about ‘community washing’—it’s about fostering a sense of reciprocity and shared exchange, where both the brand and its community work together in pursuit of a bigger cultural aspiration. By embracing this mindset, brands can create worlds that are not only innovative but also deeply meaningful and enduring.
Where to start
In traditional brand building, a brand’s identity was considered to be at its pinnacle when it first launches. The goal then becomes about maintaining that identity with exacting consistency, repeating it over and over again without deviation. The brand’s expression is fully controlled, with any deviation seen as a potential threat. This creates a cycle where brand builders double down on control, enforcing even more rigidity in an attempt to maintain this ‘perfect’ state.
However, this approach overlooks a crucial truth: a brand isn’t just what you say it is—it’s what people perceive and feel when they think of you. There are aspects of your brand’s world that you simply cannot control, and this is why embracing participation is essential. Launching a brand is no longer the finish line; it’s the starting point for an ongoing journey of engagement and evolution.
When it comes to building your brand world, one critical element that cannot be overlooked is participation. Brands are ultimately made for people, and those people should be able to engage with them in ways that allow them to create their own meaning. This involves more than just offering a product or service—it means finding your community and developing a strategy that invites them to play an active role in culture creation, with your brand as a key enabler.
This participatory approach results in a brand experience that fosters both recognition and empowerment—qualities that Emergent Brands excel at. The true power of a brand lies not in its unwavering consistency, but in its ability to attract people who want to engage with it and help propel it forward within culture. Community participation is what drives cultural adoption, making it a cornerstone of modern brand building.
While community participation is not a new trend, the ways in which it is enabled are rapidly evolving. Communities have always existed, but the methods by which they organize and connect have transformed dramatically with the advent of new technologies and shifts in societal behaviors and attitudes. The most successful examples of community participation today incorporate key elements such as:
Enablement and Ownership: Empowering community members to take ownership and make meaningful contributions.
Space for Creation: Providing a platform or space where members can express their creativity.
Shared Intention: Cultivating a common purpose that aligns the brand’s goals with the community’s aspirations.
Member-to-Member Connection: Facilitating connections between community members, fostering a sense of belonging and camaraderie.
Rituals and Shared Language: Establishing rituals and a shared language that reinforce the community’s identity and values.
By embracing these principles, the best brands build vibrant, participatory communities that not only enhance the brand’s relevance but also drive its cultural adoption and growth.
Putting it into practice
When your most passionate fans and community members are enabled and incentivized to participate, they build up existing brand ideas or co-create new ideas on behalf of your brand that are amplified through their own channels and consumed by the masses.
We’ve seen the launch of Brand Defining Experiences that center identity objects as cultural artifacts and then invite people to make them richer in meaning, therefore helping to build upon the brand’s foundation.
🍏 Charli XCX’s Brat Summer takeover with neon green remixable graphics
⚰️ Liquid Death’s Stunts and Collabs to launch new flavors
💽 e.l.f. Cosmetics album release to stake their place in the GRWM world
💄 Glossier vending machine, photo booth and custom charms pop-up touring across NYC
🛖 Airbnb’s expansion of unique stays and experiences—really a way of bundling products and new services, around the banner of different lifestyles
All of these examples center objects, merch or ideas that can be replicated, reproduced and riffed on in the pursuit of cultural growth.
Questions to ask to get started:
Where does community already exist in your ecosystem? What are their needs?
What about our brand can you open up to participation?
Identifying the role of community — the types of people who will advance the shared ideology and how we engage/support/uplift them?
What are the objects, artifacts or tools you can give them to participate with?
Start building your Participatory Brand
Is it time for your brand or team to shift from policing to participation?
Let’s talk: hello@zeusjones.com
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