The Chanel Brand:

We can all think of them: brands that were once icons and that now seem more like high street relics.
Why do some brands that have been around for decades continue to captivate us whilst others that were once considered invincible have died or lost profile? How do you avoid redundancy in the attention economy?

Understand the factors that are in play:

First, history, and its enemy, impatience. The past plays a critical role in branding, because consumers make decisions based on what they have known and what they have come to expect. Time adds credibility, presence, track record, reliability and the powerful and cumulative effect of collective memory. Nowhere is that dynamic more powerful than with longstanding brands.

Inheritance, of shared experiences, and of a common history. These are powerful and emotive bonds. In a world of change and choice, brands with time behind them are stalwarts.

Because the Chanel brand has always understood the irony of longevity: one must be current, even ahead of one's time, but never a slave to trend, and - most intriguing of all - never a simple reflector of fashion. As Coco herself is quoted as saying, "fashion passes; style remains".

Powerful brands like Chanel have lasted because the single-minded thought that drives them is as powerful today as it was when Coco made it her own.