Companies understand that to be successful they and their brands need to stand for something. This results in bold and principled declarations to the world: "At Acme Amalgamated, we're committed to X. We believe in Y. We care passionately about Z." Unfortunately, in the end, it all starts to sound like generic ad-speak.

Here's a modest suggestion: If you really want to show the world what you believe in and stand for, how about telling us what you stand against?

Recently, my agency StrawberryFrog launched a new campaign for smart car that was rooted in this kind of oppositional thinking. We understood that the smart car brand stands for some pretty good things: efficiency, economy, reduced environmental footprint. But put way, it sounds rather dull and predictable.

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