What most brand leaders still get wrong about community
The shift from performance marketing to human-first ecosystems.
Have you ever looked at a brand’s Instagram, or their About page, or even their product, and felt like you’ve seen it a thousand times?
Even in 2025, most brands are still building like it’s 2012.
Good morning team,
I gave myself a challenge this morning: write this in 60 minutes. No overthinking. Just reflection, honesty, and one idea that’s been circling in my head all week.
It’s been a bit of a heavy one. A few days ago, I decided to say goodbye to NNormal, where I’ve been living a dream job for the past three years. Walking away wasn’t easy, but it felt right.
It’s strange being on vacation and unemployed at the same time. I’ve felt a bit scared, sure. But mostly? I feel excited. Open. Curious.
So next week, there won’t be a newsletter. I’m going fully offline.
But before that, I want to leave you with this one idea:
The Tension
Scroll through LinkedIn or peek behind the curtain of most brand decks and you’ll find the same tired pillars.
Same funnels.
Same influencer playbooks.
Same rinse-and-repeat campaigns.
And yet:
We live in a time where people are desperate for meaning, not messaging.
For belonging, not broadcast.
For trust, not tricks.
In sport, wellness, the outdoors, industries that should be rich with soul, we’re still watching many treat community like a campaign, not a core principle.
It’s not that the old model is dead.
It’s just that it’s not enough anymore.
What’s still broken
Most brand strategies today are still stuck in the past.
Still chasing reach over resonance.
Still confusing awareness with affinity.
Still seeing community as a “nice to have”, not as the operating system.
This creates a disconnect between how people want to experience brands and how most brands are still trying to be experienced.
And in a world where AI-generated content is exploding, sameness is multiplying.
Because the truth is: everyone’s copying everyone.
Like Jay Clouse wrote the other day:
If we’re all consuming the same things, we’ll all know the same things. And no one will evolve.
That line hit me. Because I don’t want to make more noise.
Differentiation is no longer a logo, a slogan, or a paid ad.
It’s how a brand makes people feel and what they’re invited into.
The Shift
It’s not a fight between old and new.
It’s not David vs. Goliath.
It’s a shift in what matters most.
Here’s what I’m seeing:
OLD WAY
Product-first
Push messaging
Paid ads = growth
Top-down decisions
Community = audience
NEW WAY
Purpose-first
Pull-through stories
Trust = growth
Co-creation > campaigns
Community = ecosystem
The new model is slower.
But it’s deeper.
More resilient.
More human.
It’s built on shared values, storytelling, participation, and trust.
It requires more listening, more patience, and more honesty.
But when it works?
It builds movements, not just marketing machines.
Why This Matters
Especially in the industries we care about (sport, wellness, outdoors, health), brands have so much more to offer than conversions and content.
They can be culture shapers.
They can be platforms for identity.
They can build ecosystems where people feel something → where product meets purpose.
But only if we’re willing to redefine the playbook.
So here’s what I’m sitting with:
If you were starting a brand from scratch today, no legacy, no pressure, no growth targets…
What kind of brand would you build?
Not what it would look like.
Not how it would scale.
But what it would stand for.
What would it mean to people?
And what would it mean to you?
That’s the challenge I’m sitting with right now.
And if you’re reading this, maybe you are too.
Thanks for being here. I’ll be taking a short break next week to fully disconnect.
But if this sparked something in you, reply or leave a comment.
Would love to know what you’re building right now.
Francisco