Brands who pass the "would I miss you?" test are those that go beyond the benefit and stand for something more. An ambitious vision, a commitment to something better, a different business model or a commitment to change. Would you stand the test?

Gone are the days when brands were just guarantees of product quality assuring the consumer of safety and efficacy. Nowadays, given almost universally high product quality and often strong regulation to underwrite it, brands take on myriad other roles in consumers’ minds

Consumers today are becoming more empowered, demanding and raising the bar. As they peer behind the messages into the companies generating them they are rapidly concluding that they can’t trust businesses, their brands, their advertising and above all their motivations. Marketers in turn will have to take on the responsibility not just for driving sales but commit their brands to building positive social capital and through this finally regain trust.

Fear is the ‘lower order’ stick and the brand is the ‘higher order’ carrot. Think of all the ads which claim that if you don’t buy this or that brand you are running mortal risk. The soap and detergent ads that destroy our invisible enemies – bacteria – and protect our children. One ad campaign or another may not have effect on the overall level of fear in society but, combined with the media and all other fear-based messages from other brands, it does contribute to the overall negative impact.

There are many serious issues facing us as a world. Brands and their marketing have a big responsibility to contribute solutions. Marketing departments are, or should be, at the heart of understanding the external, human aspects of a business in the context of the market. Marketing teams, whether they know it or not, use the tools of the psychologist to change perceptions and behaviours. Fun is a powerful tool for creating trustful human relationships.

Yesterday I followed Lord Currie's keynote speech at the Reputation in Financial Services Conference 2010, in London, with some reflections on Trust in Financial Services.