Rory Sutherland

By the way, his theory, which is ingenious, that Jeffrey Epstein was basically an intelligence ploy that couldn't survive into the Internet age. That was one of those eye-opening moments where you go, surely not. Because if you think about it, OK, for a government, for a state actor, operating a billionaire looks expensive, right? But compared to an aircraft carrier, it's a rounding out.

By the way, his theory, which is ingenious, that Jeffrey Epstein was basically an intelligence ploy that couldn't survive into the Internet age. That was one of those eye-opening moments where you go, surely not. Because if you think about it, OK, for a government, for a state actor, operating a billionaire looks expensive, right? But compared to an aircraft carrier, it's a rounding out.

Yeah, so my first job in business school, I started a company called Profit Brand Strategy. That's now about 500 people. Now it's just called Profit. And the basic notion was, it was based on the principles of my professor my second year, David Ocker, who's considered the father of modern branding.

Yeah, so my first job in business school, I started a company called Profit Brand Strategy. That's now about 500 people. Now it's just called Profit. And the basic notion was, it was based on the principles of my professor my second year, David Ocker, who's considered the father of modern branding.

And it was that the intangible associations with a brand or a set of products or services are the only sustainable advantage. That if you can wrap... a set of products and services with these brand codes of masculinity, European elegance, youth, and then pound away at those associations using this incredibly cheap efficient medium called broadcast advertising.

And it was that the intangible associations with a brand or a set of products or services are the only sustainable advantage. That if you can wrap... a set of products and services with these brand codes of masculinity, European elegance, youth, and then pound away at those associations using this incredibly cheap efficient medium called broadcast advertising.

You can take a marginal shoe, salty snack, marginal car, and get amazing margins on it. So that's been, from the end of World War II to the introduction of Google in the 90s, the algorithm for creating massive shareholder wealth was find a mediocre product, wrap it in amazing brand codes and make people feel more patriotic or younger, stuff the channel with it and print money.

You can take a marginal shoe, salty snack, marginal car, and get amazing margins on it. So that's been, from the end of World War II to the introduction of Google in the 90s, the algorithm for creating massive shareholder wealth was find a mediocre product, wrap it in amazing brand codes and make people feel more patriotic or younger, stuff the channel with it and print money.

The P&G's, the PepsiCo's of the world, the Coca-Cola's, these were the economic titans of yesteryear. The sun has passed midday on that. Because our weapons of diligence, whether it's Google or TripAdvisor or Amazon reviews, now gets us to the best product without the benefit of this weapon of diligence called brand.

The P&G's, the PepsiCo's of the world, the Coca-Cola's, these were the economic titans of yesteryear. The sun has passed midday on that. Because our weapons of diligence, whether it's Google or TripAdvisor or Amazon reviews, now gets us to the best product without the benefit of this weapon of diligence called brand.

When I came to London, I used to stay at the Four Seasons in the Mandarin Oriental. Why? Because someone else was paying and they're always an eight. And then I went on TripAdvisor and I went on my social graph and I found out people love the Connett Hotel or people love the Ferndale Hotel. So I started staying at the Haymarket. Why?

When I came to London, I used to stay at the Four Seasons in the Mandarin Oriental. Why? Because someone else was paying and they're always an eight. And then I went on TripAdvisor and I went on my social graph and I found out people love the Connett Hotel or people love the Ferndale Hotel. So I started staying at the Haymarket. Why?

I like a place with a nice gym and I wanna hang out with people who are younger and cooler than me. So I started staying at boutique hotels. So all of a sudden product became the bomb again. And then your ability to embrace these new mediums around social became more important than broadcast advertising.

I like a place with a nice gym and I wanna hang out with people who are younger and cooler than me. So I started staying at boutique hotels. So all of a sudden product became the bomb again. And then your ability to embrace these new mediums around social became more important than broadcast advertising.

So the traditional metrics of branding, the traditional vehicles for branding, a brand identity and broadcast advertising that I've been preaching in brand strategy, the sun has passed midday.

So the traditional metrics of branding, the traditional vehicles for branding, a brand identity and broadcast advertising that I've been preaching in brand strategy, the sun has passed midday.

If you look at my curriculum and the majority of curriculums and marketing departments, you could argue that we're just training people to go to work at Unilever or General Mills and be laid off 24 months later. branding has become much more about innovation and actual product quality. Now that extends into how you discover the product, how you absorb the product, the community around it.

If you look at my curriculum and the majority of curriculums and marketing departments, you could argue that we're just training people to go to work at Unilever or General Mills and be laid off 24 months later. branding has become much more about innovation and actual product quality. Now that extends into how you discover the product, how you absorb the product, the community around it.

But Tesla is a better product. Apple used to be an underpowered product with a great brand. Now it's a great brand with a superior product. So Airbnb is a much better product. Google is 10X better than what was there before it.

But Tesla is a better product. Apple used to be an underpowered product with a great brand. Now it's a great brand with a superior product. So Airbnb is a much better product. Google is 10X better than what was there before it.