What do Harley-Davidson, LEGO, and Apple have in common? They're all based on communities.

Roughly 21,000 new brands are introduced worldwide per year, yet history tells us that more than 90% of them are gone from the shelf a year later.

We're all obsessed with our smartphones and thus really don't see anything around us.

Considering LEGO's considerable brand equity, you might expect that the company must have a marketing budget in the billions. Not so. In fact, LEGO's marketing budget is so modest that if I recorded it here, you'd probably think it was a typo. LEGO doesn't do its own talking; it lets LEGO maniacs talk for it.

Once you know the reason why - you've defined your white space of canvas on which you can paint and create a new concept idea. No matter how creative you are - and thus how much creative space you need - there's always some fundamental values and drivers your brand should seek to address - in order to become successful.

The consumer has become increasingly sophisticated in the way they obtain and digest information - of the simple reason that they've become comfortable about building and maintaining their own personal brands. This has thickened their "filter" and as a result made them become more critical towards advertising and communication.

The enemy shapes the brand.