Another great Ze Frank point:

"Brands provide context"

That’s the reason why brands continue to win.  They create context.  They have resonance.  They connect with consumers in a meaningful way (at least the best ones do).

Sure, some brands create a very narrow context ("I am a cheese") and some pitch a big tent (Nike: Be your best self).  But either way, we select brands because we either appreciate what they stand for or we choose to envision ourselves in them.

A favorite quote (sometimes attributed to Tom Peters, sometimes to Faith Popcorn):  Women don’t buy brands, they join them.

When we’re operating in the interwebs where we there is a myriad of choice for every single thing we want to do, brands are the magnets that draw us in.   Don’t neglect your brand.