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January 17, 2008

The Hughtrain

The Hughtrain by Hugh MacLeod is a manifesto on brands, blogs, and the now of advertising and marketing. First published in 2005. Download the complete PDF here.

The market for something to believe in is infinite...

Hugh MacLeod writes:

We are here to find meaning. We are here to help other people do the same. Everything else
is secondary.

We humans want to believe in our own species. And we want people, companies and prod-
ucts in our lives that make it easier to do so. That is human nature.

Product benefit doesnʼt excite us. Belief in humanity and human potential excites us.

Think less about what your product does, and think more about human potential.

What statement about humanity does your product make?

The bigger the statement, the bigger the idea, the bigger your brand will become.

About the author:
Hugh MacLeod is a brand consultant, copywriter and cartoonist. Born in America but educated in the UK, he has spent most of his life shuttling between the two countries. He started out in straight TV advertising writing in the early 90s but with the advent of new media it evolved into new brand thinking and cultural transformation. His website, http://gapingvoid.com, is widely read in the blogosphere.

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