Few weeks ago I started an online course called “The secret power of brands“. It was my first experience with distance learning education as I previously wasn’t keen on it as I prefer face to face interaction – also I am easily distracted. But 3 factors persuaded me to try it:

1. The tutor. Robert Jones, works at Wolff Olins as an Strategist. The brand consultancy approach and work are very inspiring. To give you an example, they reinvented the category when working with Orange, making a mobile phone network talking about people and optimism. As they said “We gave the network the name of a colour, not a technospeak name”. They didn’t have a special technological advantage, so they created a brand that had nothing to do with technology, and everything to do with simplicity. I used to love its slogan The future’s bright. For me it was a brand talking to humans and behaving like one of us. But that was back in 2008, now Orange and T-mobile have merged into EE and that’s the case for another post.

 2. What I saw. I read an accurate and concise description and I saw a clean website. Future Learn has a modern, simple and user-friendly platform.

3. Time. 3 hours per week for 6 weeks, that’s it. Unlike long-distance relationships, distance learning didn’t require a big commitment.

So far, I find it very interesting. There were some quotes in the first week that I would like to share or post somewhere so I don’t forget.

It’s better to think of brand not as cause, but as effect. Doing the right things will create growth, and a strong brand will follow as the effect.

‘User’ doesn’t just mean consumer, but also colleague, neighbor, investor, supplier, partner.

The high-growth businesses of the future will all be, at heart, purposeful. And purpose is the source of value-creativity.

Experiences aren’t things you create and then transmit to people – they’re things people shape for themselves.

If you have 3 spare hours per week, and don’t have any Breaking Bad episode or soap opera in the queue, I recommend you to join the class.