• Building emotional connection will be key
• Brands will focus more on creating/engineering the total customer experience
• Customer-relevant innovation will be a key success factor
• Outstanding customer service will also be a key success factor
• Hiring the right employees and creating the appropriate culture will be essential
• More and more, brands will co-create the customer experience with the customer
• More and more, brands will need to “stand for something” to survive
• Strong brands will not only “stand for something,” they will also provide forums for people who believe in what the brands stand for
• Organizations whose employees become consultants to and friends and partners with their customers will be the most successful
• One-on-one marketing will become more and more important
• The Internet will also become increasingly important as a brand building vehicle
• For larger organizations, customer relationship management (CRM) will become a critical success factor
• Fast, flexible and agile organizations will increasingly “win” in the digital age.