There is a new movement afoot called cosmopolitanism that will take brands into a deeper context than simply globalization. It is the next wave in branding based on the Greek word kosmos or cosmos meaning world. To be a cosmopolitan brand means that there is understanding of the interconnectedness of everything, and the ability to see humanity as the one unifying principal that brands can be guided by, and chose to answer to with their actions now and into the future.
In 12th post on my Goodbye/Hello blog called Cosmopolitan Branding (link to come) on Huffington Post I wrote about how this new brand philosophy has the potential to
to totally shift the context for brands. In my post there is a link to a very good article called, Patriotism and Cosmopolitanism by Policy Innovations an online publication of the Carnegie Council ,in it Noah Bopp, the director of the School for Ethics and Global Leadership teaches his students, how global interconnectedness and many choices determine brand ethics, by using a Hershey's Kiss as an example. The article lays out the principles of cosmopolitanism from many different angles. It is well worth reading and considering for any brand looking to build more sustainable, humane, and dynamic future.
Cosmopolitan Branding is a bold step in that it asks brands to consider the consequences of their policies, behaviors, and actions as it relates to humanity at large. It will take influential leaders to raise up and guide a brand to the level of reflection necessary to be both a great and good brand.
