Firebrand

“Established in 1906″ used to be important. Now apparently it’s a liability. -Seth Godin, Tribes

Seth Godin said that in reference to instability. Marketing by virtue is trying to change and destabilize markets so that one company can come out on top, hopefully yours. The stock market also likes instability because there will be winning and loosing customers, and money can be made from both.

I agree. There is nearly nothing the same about operating in 1906 as operating in the 21st century. The fact that your company has a legacy means that your company has legacy systems that are a liability. Sure, if you have been operating for that long than you have a track record of adapting. But between the time Seth Godin wrote Tribes and now, we have seen long standing companies fall. Most of the companies we deal with as consumers are relatively new, entrepreneurial companies: Google, Wal Mart, Best Buy, Amazon, etc.

Companies are like trees. Older companies have great roots that hold them up, but they are also taller making them more likely to fall. Sure old companies can succeed and new companies can definately fail. The point is that the playing field is more level than ever, no matter how much legacy you have.

Stop putting “Est. in 19XX” in your branding. It doesn’t mean anything.

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By Colin Finkle. Colin Finkle is an award winning industrial designer who works with large multinational brands everyday designing retail displays for FX Displays in Toronto, Canada. He is the principle designer at Firebrand Creative. He also writes for AMD’s FireUser.com blog.

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