I love us. As humans, we have so many weird and wonderful qualities. I love our differences, our contradictions. I love the commonalities and wisdom that we share across cultures. Yes, there's a lot we need to fix (emphasis on "a lot"). We have evolving to do, no doubt. But, all things considered, humanity is better than its brand.
Much of my professional background is in marketing, so this "branding inconsistency" bugs me. My husband and I periodically entertain one another by debating how we would explain ourselves to aliens. Nothing profound, more along the lines of mistletoe, parades, and goat yoga – all commonly accepted but hard to justify if you’re pressed for a valid explanation (for instance, by an alien). Exploring humanity from an alien’s perspective is fun and all, but seriously... if they see the footage, if they "go to the tapes," what will they think of us?
I wholeheartedly agree that we need to draw attention to the very real issues in our human experience. There's so much that needs our collective attention! We also need to immerse ourselves in more of the good. Goodness is out there. Progress, innovation, and beauty are out there. But, when we contrast what we see in the news, social media, and entertainment, with our direct experience with other humans, does it seem a little off balance?
Perception is reality (our version of it anyway). Our brains are wired to perceive (aka create) the world based on our prior expectations/beliefs and incoming sensory data. With that in mind, we need to see ourselves differently – literally and figuratively, individually and collectively – if we're going to change humanity for the better.
Humanity's Brand
Merriam-Webster's first definition of humanity is "compassionate, sympathetic, or generous behavior or disposition; the quality or state of being humane." Other definitions follow, including "the quality or state of being human" and "the totality of human beings." I found it interesting that they didn't start with the collective or the condition of being human. They started with being humane.
The definition of humanity, our brand, starts with being humane, which Merriam-Webster defines as "marked by compassion, sympathy, or consideration for humans or animals." Dictionary.com defines humane as being "characterized by tenderness, compassion, and sympathy for people and animals, especially for the suffering or distressed." The Cambridge Dictionary defines human as "showing kindness, care, and sympathy towards others, especially those who are suffering."
Got it, so as humans, we're compassionate, sympathetic, generous, tender, kind, caring, and considerate. How are you feeling about our brand consistency? Right, if who we are as a collective is humane (and I believe we are), then we have a challenge on our hands. We need to see ourselves and the world through the lens of humanity and act accordingly, if we expect to create a more humane world. We need to collectively believe humanity is humane. We need to expect our humane nature to show up consistently. And, we need to reinforce that expectation with action. From a brand perspective, how we show up (anywhere and everywhere) needs to reflect our brand authentically and consistently. If not, our brand sucks, professionally speaking.
Reimagining Humanity
Is it time to rebrand humanity? Before we answer that, let's consider what makes a great brand. Consistency is a significant factor. Great brands are also purpose-driven, with an impactful mission and vision. Great brands create a positive experience; not fake positive, genuinely positive. Great brands also share high-quality content that's far reaching, consumed, and valued by their audience. There's more, but this isn't a marketing blog.
If a brand's reputation has become tarnished, if there's an overall issue with identity, or the brand is confusing, damaged, or outdated, then it's generally time to rebrand or refresh. Companies rebrand when they need to strategically pivot to realign with changing audience needs, or when the organization has evolved (or aspires to grow) in a way that's significantly different from the current brand. Companies tend to refresh when they need to shake things up to stay relevant, or to realign with who they are (to correct incongruence between who the company is and how they're showing up in the world).
The best time to do either is before it's necessary. So, what do you think? Do we need to reimagine humanity? IMO: Being humane is solid. We don't need an entirely new identity. We also don't want to align with what the aliens are seeing on our planet's live stream. We need to realign humanity with who we really are – compassionate, sympathetic, generous, tender, kind, caring, and considerate. That's us, and it's a good brand. No matter how we evolve as a society, being humane is always going to be relevant, desirable, good for people, good for the planet, and good for the universe. We do have a legit issue with identity and consistency, but we don't need to totally reimagine what it means to be human. We need to refresh, refocus, innovate, and recommit to being humane.
Ambassadors for Humanity
As humans, we're the customers, employees, leaders, and owners of this organization. We're responsible for creating and consuming all the goods and services for humanity. That's power. We're in a great position to make humanity a strong brand. And, we'll get even better results if we act as dedicated brand ambassadors, putting time, effort, and intention behind it.
Brand ambassadors help companies develop an effective identity and reach consumers consistently. As ambassadors for humanity, we have a similar role. Let's be clear, we also have a lot to fix within the human "organization" itself (you know: violence, poverty, prejudice, disease, the environment – the list goes on). It's clearly not all about image. Being humane has to include action and accountability.
So, what does it mean to be a good brand ambassador for humanity? The following attributes are used to define brand ambassadors for organizations; the concept works here too:
Having influence; we all have a platform we can use for good
Being a trustworthy leader and team player; we all win or lose together
Having real passion and enthusiasm for the brand
Acting and interacting with professionalism; taking the high road
Communicating in a way that reflects what the brand stands for
Being authentic; you're unique in all the world – share what lights you up!
Bringing innovative ideas and creative solutions to the table
Building, applying, and sharing relevant knowledge
Positively receiving and responding to feedback
Developing our interpersonal skills and building relationships
Going with the flow; being flexible, adaptable and open-minded
Always reflecting and representing the brand's essence
Bottom line: As brand ambassadors, what we create, purchase, consume, support, and promote will help align humanity with being humane (or not). Together, we have the power to refresh humanity's brand and change the world for the better. Then maybe, just maybe, we won't have as much to explain to the aliens. We'll still have to explain goat yoga.
More to Explore
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