Brand on Brand

Taking corporate speak for a joy ride, I've seen more and more brands engaging in public-facing conversations with other brands via Twitter. 

Normally a no-no to give up any time or attention to the competition or really, any other brand at all -- unless we are talking about competitive analysis or coveting thy neighbor guerrilla marketing tactics -- but Twitter is changing that. 

And the best brand on brand conversations are the kind that we want to see. It's the jostling back and forth between friends. It's the teasing and the one-liners. It's putting yourself out there to show people that it's okay to be human. It's the authentic joking around and flirting that makes sitcoms so popular and let's face it, real life neighbors and friends more enjoyable. 

It really boils down to a brand being comfortable in their own skin. A brand that has an identity but also has a personality is what it takes to win in this social media evolution. It's not about being the smartest or offering the most coupons or heck, even collecting the most fans...it's about making authentic connections and being real. 

Behind every brand is a strategy. Behind every strategy is a team of people. Those people make the collective voice -- and sometimes it's maybe only one person -- but that voice is not just a regurgitation of marketing offers, circular ads and deals of the day. It's a person who is speaking directly with (not at) your customers. It's a person that goes home to a family or a cat or a plate of take-out or a book every night and likely flips on their favorite sitcom. The point is...it's a person. 

So to see brands communicating with other brands is cool. It makes it okay for brands to have personalities and that's very approachable and real. And it's what leads to good content. Because it really is all about the conversations and stories we tell that shapes us into who we need to be now -- and in the future, especially when technology evolves farther than we can even imagine. Those stories will always be the glue that holds us together. Those stories - and the need for those stories - will always serve as reminder for how technology must always place people in the center of it's development. Because we are all people, after all. 

Here are a few of examples of brand on branding. What else have you seen that made you smile?