I am not one of those people who have what could be called an overactive imagination (i.e. on extreme end of the schizotypal scale) who is planning for a zombie (or any other kind of) apocalypse. (That said, I would thoroughly recommend a watch of National Geographic's 'Doomsday Preppers' for some great examples of said over active imagination.)
But I, like many others, have become captivated(/addicted) to the hit US show 'The Walking Dead'. With clever plot twists, action (guaranteeing at least 5 zombie kills per episode!) and some beautiful limited-dialogue acting, it is difficult not to love it.
As the widely anticipated Season 7 hits our screens, I got thinking about what zombies can teach us about Brand Strategy. I'm sure you are thinking that the answer is obvious, but please allow me to explain it anyway.
**1) Plan for the worst, and the best. **
First, plan for the worst. If you are ready for your best friend to be killed and come back as a zombie then you will be much better at dealing with it when it happens. As with your brand strategy, by scenario planning to 'stress test' your strategy, you are making it as strong as possible. In addition, scenario planning allows you to better understand the threats, challenges and 'wins' and therefore better able to deal with the situation if and when it comes. So, if you plan for your best friend to become a zombie and try and eat you alive it will be easier to deal with if it happens and lead to a better result (i.e. you stabbing them in the head) rather than you being unable to kill them and them snacking on your intestines whilst you look on in horror.
**2) Take risks, but make them calculated. **
In the post apocalyptic world, being completely risk averse and cowering in your home will only get you killed by a herd of 'walkers'. If not straight away, then eventually. But running out of a safe place just for the sake of it is not clever either (there are freakin' Zombies everywhere!!). Thus the reward must be worth the risk. The same is true in this world where brand is key. I watched a talk by Rory Sutherland again recently (a big boss at advertising agency Ogilvy, and a fantastic speaker - particularly his 2009 TEDTalk) and he explains that in a world where ever more products and services exist, the amount of tangible value differentiation decreases (i.e. product), therefore the only way to differentiate is through intangible value - i.e. Brand.
So the first equation is that no risk = no differentiation, therefore doing 'something' is better than simply staying still (remember, there are lots of zombies around and even though they only shuffle along, they are still moving forward!). But accepting that equation can be liberating as it means it is less risky than doing nothing, therefore spurring you into action.
The second equation is about risk vs. reward. You could aim to travel across the country to find a secure military facility that has lots of supplies, security and is safe from the zombies. However, the further that journey is, the many more variables and risks you would encounter. Defining what you want to achieve in future (long term safety & security) allows you to plan the steps needed to obtain that future. This effectively 'chunks down' that risk, making each individual risk more palatable and easier to overcome or avoid. In addition, it makes the desired future scenario easier to obtain. Rather than aiming for a very specific 'military base across the country', you might be just as happy with a bunker in the next village.
Simply put, define what you want to achieve and take a calculated risk to push you towards that path, whilst always remaining cognisant of the overall objective.
**3) Define an actionable problem. **
When the zombie apocalypse starts one might understandably explain the problem as:
'Agggghhhhh, zombies everywhere - we're all gonna dieeeeeeeeeee! Kill everything that shuffles!'.
However, this becomes less useful the longer you live with the problem as it is essentially not a solvable 'problem', rather a comment on this new world (and a negative one at that).
Not understanding the problem and defining it wrongly leads to poor action. In this case, by seeing all zombies as a threat means you will have to attempt to kill all zombies to eliminate that threat (surely near impossible) and with each kill the probability of your own demise increases proportionally, if not exponentially. A better explanation therefore could be:
'In this post apocalyptic world, long term survival is key. Therefore the objective is to secure the components required for long term survival; security and sustainable supplies. Ahhhhhhhhh.'
This problem definition creates action points that help contextualise and prioritise decision making i.e. risking your safety by attacking a herd for a long term and secure facility makes more sense than doing so just for overnight accommodation. This problem definition can be inspected further - how long is 'long term', what is 'sustainable' etc. This helps to further conceptualise the decisions that must be made.
Linking problem definition to brands, by drilling down to the key components of the 'problem' it allows you to better focus on what the priorities actually are and therefore what should happen in the future.
All three learnings together are interdependent: by defining the problem you know where you are now and where you want to get to; planning ahead enables you to 'future proof' your aim; and then taking calculated risks helps you travel the path between where you are now and the future you choose. Learning from zombies is the way brands can achieve the 'intangible glory' they desire.