Why Brands Should Act More Like Elmo (in Six Sentences)


I have two year old son, so I hear about Elmo a lot.  And I just watched the wonderful documentary about Kevin Clash, the man behind the muppet, in which they talk about how Elmo relates to kids by doing one simple thing: loving them.  

Elmo and his puppeteer show an incredible sense of compassion and understanding for the people they are trying to reach with a consistent goal of creating joy.  And the honesty with which they speak and listen to their audience is something all marketers can learn from.  As brands we are often so caught up in trying to sell something or manufacture an emotion that we lose the true humanness that all of us possess.  

Knowing that people buy from people, as brands we should all act a little more like Elmo and speak with the honesty, pure emotion, and humanity that connect us to each other and the shared experiences we create. 

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