Products are produced in the factory; brands are produced in our minds.

We're no longer bored - in fact we're petrified of being alone with ourselves getting bored. Yet boredom is the foundation for creativity - an asset slowly disappearing from our world.

Brands must make use of the inclination of consumers to be persuaded by friends.

Here in particular the idea of contextual communication - i.e. communicating the right message, at the right time to the right audience - seems to generate an increasing effect on the consumer in a manipulative way.

The reality is that a brand can no longer afford to be "friends with everyone."

Visit your local supermarket or retail chain. You'll experience a lot of visual stimulus, but it's unlikely that your other senses will encounter any compelling messages.

The U.S. has dominated and continues to dominate the society and thus products and brands activating fear - and subsequently removing fear are selling substantially better than in other countries.