On the issue of trust

From Creativity's October 2007 Editor's Letter:

But it seems like the fundamental unit of trust, the thing that is most critical for a brand to be able to do anything interesting creatively or have any meaningful connection to its audience, is the marketer's trust in its own identity. A marketer needs to have a strong, holistic sense of itself, from products and processes to communications. When your purpose in life is clear and everyone in the company can tell you what it is, it's easier to articulate problems and goals to creative partners, it's easier to harness creativity to address them and it's easier to identify what works for your brand without needing a focus group to tell you.

Teressa Iezzi sounds like she gets it.

Memo to brands: know thyself. Own thy personal pipes.