Brand Ontology: A Coherent Strategy for the Polycene Era

"Cause and effect no longer move in straight lines. They loop, amplify, sometimes refract. A sustainability pledge triggers backlash. A viral moment becomes a reputational crisis. An algorithm amplifies what no human ever intended. Welcome to what Thomas L. Friedman has dubbed the "Polycene Era," this moment in time defined by overlapping, interacting, and accelerating systems (technological, ecological, geopolitical, economic, and social) all shaping one another simultaneously. It's happening fast."

"We're no longer dealing with a single crisis. We've got a behemoth polycrisis at the door... And it's not knocking politely. Climate instability compounds supply chain issues while AI reshapes labor and takes a chainsaw to trust. Geopolitical realignment collides with cultural fragmentation as technology speeds everything up. What does all of this mean to brands? It means that stability is now an illusion , and coherence has become the new currency."

"In such complex systems, even small issues can turn into the proverbial perfect storm, unpredictably. A viral tweet turns into a reputational avalanche. A well-intentioned influencer campaign creates unintended consequences. Control gives way to emergence, where brand perception isn't formed from top-down, well-managed rollouts, but from the interplay of algorithms, user-generated content, and cultural currents. This is why traditional brand strategy, built on positioning matrices, binary differentiation, and static narratives, has been increasingly losing the plot."

Cause and effect loop, amplify, and refract as overlapping technological, ecological, geopolitical, economic, and social systems interact and accelerate. A sustainability pledge can trigger backlash, a viral moment can become a reputational crisis, and algorithms can amplify unintended content. Climate instability combines with supply chain fragility while AI reshapes labor and erodes trust amid geopolitical realignment and cultural fragmentation. Stability has become an illusion and coherence the new currency for brands. Optimization strategies suited to stable systems no longer suffice; brand perception now emerges from algorithms, user-generated content, and cultural currents, creating unpredictable risks.

Read at Brandingmag