Every person on this planet has a story. Between today and this Sunday, the 8 billionth person will be born on Earth. We immediately think it will be in China or India. However, it could well be in Madrid, Buenos Aires or Melbourne.
In 1800 we were one billion. 128 years later we reached 2 billion. 4 billion in 1970, twice as many today. In a little more than 50 years, more than 4.7 billion lives have been added to history. The greatest leap in growth occurred in the 19th century, doubling the population in 100 years. Since the beginning of the 20th century, the leaps from one billion to one billion have occurred in an average of 14 years. From the 8 billion human beings that will inhabit the planet today, of which about 40% live in China and India, we will evolve to 9.9 billion by 2050.
We will reach the “peak” at the end of this century, with a total of 11 billion people.
The challenge is that from the year 2100 onwards this population explosion will slow down and for the first time in human history we will have negative growth. From that moment on, population growth will be practically zero, thus closing a demographic cycle unprecedented in the history of mankind.
The current crisis is an opportunity for a profound and systemic change towards a more sustainable economy that works for both people and the planet.
But what does this have to do with branding? Branding is fundamentally about improving people’s lives. Hence the paramount importance of a human, genuine and honest purpose. Thanks to new technologies, branding is moving towards personalization. We will no longer talk about targets but about each individual person. To reach people and connect with them, every story of the 8 billion people is important. Every single heart that beats and the stories they inspire. To understand and comprehend what makes them beat, act, emote, love, cry, hug, share, consume, care, ultimately live.
The questions for brands are: Why is my brand relevant to people’s lives? How have I taken advantage of this demographic growth? How do I contribute to improving the environment, society and the economy? How do I integrate in my plans the improvement of their lives and the protection of the planet? How do I evolve with a point of view that is not only environmental, but also social and economic?
At TOTEM Branding we work to integrate sustainability, innovation and human-centric strategies. We help brands, in a real, tangible, inspiring way, so that the future of our planet is populated by hearts that beat, laugh, get excited and enjoy responsibly and sustainably.
