I wanted to buy a pair of good running shoes, the last one,  a Nike Air Max having worn out way before its time. I went on to social media and asked friends for recommendation. I was surprised that 90% of my friends did not recommend popular, well advertised brands which would be my natural go to choice. Most of them recommended a brand far less advertised but well known among the running community. I went and checked out review sites and the recommended brand had been highly rated and reviewed by experts and laymen alike.

That's the sign of times to come. Millions of dollars poured into creating an imagery which would translate into sales is over. I know I am stating the obvious. But for the first time, I actually opened my wallet for a brand I did not even know how to pronounce.

That worries me tremendously. I work for the advertising industry. Everyday thousands of us chase after millions of dollars on the back of one promise - we will make the brand famous. How wrong is that?

What we really need to do is make more brand champions who will talk about our brands. Not because they are being payed to do so but because the brand has SERIOUSLY touched their lives. At Burnett, the company I work for, we try and do that everyday. Help solve people's problems through our brands but effectiveness will only show when people talk about the problem is solved and recommend it to others in the need of the same solution.

I know everyone knows this. But how many of us really practice it?