Part 2: Patrick Hanlon On Brand Authenticity, Narratives & Beliefs

Part 2 of a 3 part interview for Hypebot by guest blogger Kyle Bylin. Read Part 1 here and Part 3 here.

Patrick Hanlon is the founder and CEO of Thinktopia and author of Primal Branding: Create Zealots for Your Brand, Your Company, and Your Future.

Q. Professor Mike Wesch states in An anthropological introduction to YouTube that, "There is this cultural inversion going on where we are becoming increasingly individual, but many of us still have this strong value and desire for community, we become increasingly independent while longing for stronger relationships, and we see increasing commercialization all around us, therefore we seek authenticity."

What is it about this cultural inversion that reinforces the notion that within tribal communities there is a great need for well-structured belief systems and leaders?

Hanlon: I would put it out there that paradoxically there is a community of people wanting to be individuals. We all experience a quest for soul. In fact, while society tells us to fit in, we reward those who stand out. The recent quest for authenticity, I think, is fallout from two areas: 1) companies like Enron who are not who they say they are, and 2) people (on the Internet and in the public arena) who also turn out not to be who they say they are. Bands who are not who they say they are are doomed, e.g. Milli Vanilli. To add to that, it is when you have a well-structured belief system and a leader that you have created a tribe.

Q: On an artist level, what elements of the creation story are ingrained into our perception of what it means to be a rock star?

Hanlon: Powerful brands have a narrative. They tell a story. The creation is the start of that story, so it is incredibly important. You can’t have a story without it. All the time, we hear about new bands and before the DJ throws the track on the air, they says things like, “These guys come out of Seattle…these guys met in high school…this woman was backup singer for Don Henley.” I’ve just started the brand narrative for Nirvana, U2 and Sheryl Crow. But that’s not the most important part of what we’re talking about. The real juice is…

when all seven pieces of what we call primal code are working together.

A few years ago, I spoke about Primal Branding at a conference in
Madison. Afterwards, I stayed for the lunch (I don’t always stay for
the lunch) and happened to sit next to a woman who had the name of the
company she worked for printed on her name tag. The company was ABKCO.
What’s that? I asked. “Allen B. Klein Company,” she replied.* I took a
sharp breath. “I liked what you talked about,” she went on to say.
“You’re right, it’s not just about talent. Lots of people have talent.
But who are the bands you remember? KISS. The Beatles. The Rolling
Stones. Why? They have an image. Literally. They have an image that
sticks in your mind. That’s why they last.” 

Q: The Advertising and Music Industry share many pieces of
primal code which have endured since their early beginnings, what makes
those images so powerful that they capture our imaginations still
today?

Patrick Hanlon: The primal code extends beyond business or industry and
connects with something that is fundamentally human. We all want to
believe in something. We all want to believe in something that is
larger than ourselves. That could mean connecting to a product
(Starbucks), a subculture (skateboarding), a subculture product
(Volcom), a political movement (Obama) an ideology (the Green movement)
and more.

As I mentioned earlier, when you create a belief system using
the seven pieces of primal code, it turns people’s heads. They connect.
Of the thousands of things bubbling out in the culture trying to
attract our attention, those things imbedded with the seven pieces of
primal code attract and connect. Global warming. Bird flu. Locavores.
Try it, your world will never look the same.