Sixteen (ii)

To generalize Dom’s narrative, when it comes to our organization’s stakeholders in general, one phenomenon of the system is our reputation – the resultant regard these people have for our brand collectively, or indeed in sub-groups, and how this regard changes over time.

My gut was telling me that Dom was spot on, but I also know he likes to be challenged.

“How does that square with Occam’s razor then?” was the best I could muster.

Dom thought for perhaps a whole millisecond. “Well the razor – the idea that the simplest explanation will be the most plausible – has a caveat; ‘until evidence is presented to prove it false’. And while complexity science remains a work in progress, the evidence at this level is incontrovertible. Groups of people behave in ways that you can’t predict by studying them individually. You can’t learn much about the termite mound by studying the individual termite, or the traffic jam by studying the car.

“Look, I’m not saying that some people won’t be tipped over the TV purchasing edge by what’s-his-name, his mile-wide smile and trademark wink. Acknowledging complexity does not rule out this outcome. Acknowledging complexity however will likely attribute such celebrity endorsement a considerably lower value in the mix of things than it appears to command today.”

I made a mental bookmark to revisit the ongoing relationship between Attenzi and celebrity chef Alice B.