Applied Brilliance:  Special Report on Luminary Panel                   

Architecture Magazine 2000, USA

Elsie Maio, an expert in holistic corporate branding, sees a powerful need for brilliance with a conscience. Pointing to the plight of the tobacco industry, the World Trade Organization protests in Seattle, and the quandary of the World Band, she observed that the need for organizations to take an ethical stand will grow as technology skyrockets into the biotechnology arena. We are hurtling into an age where not just data, but genes - and all they produce - may be patented and owned by corporations,

In the near future, brand acceptance and corporate loyalty will not be enough, Maio predicts. Companies will need to adopt a humanizing identity to cultivate and brand. This will be esoecially true with the next generation of consumers, who are already noted for their burgeoning social and political consciousness. "Can you imagine corporations positioning themselves around character? Well, we'll see that in the future," she said. "And the second aspect is that there has to be authenticity to it."

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