Jeff Bezos once said: “I very frequently get the question: What's going to change in the next 10 years? And that is a very interesting question; it's a very common one. I almost never get the question: What's not going to change in the next 10 years? And I submit to you that that second question is actually the more important of the two. Because you can build a business strategy around the things that are stable in time.”

Mark Ritson once said: “Most marketers are more focused on the cool new stuff than with the concerning lack of clarity or discipline in our field. When you visit the next marketing conference, it’s almost certain that you will encounter packed sessions on blockchain, augmented reality and crypto-currencies, plus whatever new toys have been invented between now and the next conference.”

I’m with the big boys here. I’m always happy to counter some of the hype. That’s why I spend most of my time with clients working on ‘diagnosis’ and ‘strategy’. I believe that working on marketing fundamentals like insights, brand, positioning, value propositions, customer journeys and so on is the best recipe for creating and managing long term brand and business value.