Paul Graham describes the Swiss watch industry in his essay: when quartz arrived, technical precision lost its value as a differentiator. Brand took over that role. From technical instruments, status objects emerged. Marketing is facing a comparable moment today.
The industry's blind spot
For a long time, agencies and brands differentiated themselves through production quality. Large sets, international shoots, elaborate campaigns. The quality of generative systems is rising rapidly and raising the entire production level. This quality will soon be available almost everywhere - and become the minimum prerequisite for participation.
What counts after that
When production quality becomes a hygiene factor, differentiation emerges through something else: meaning (what does the brand stand for?), style (is there a distinctive visual handwriting?), recognizability, and trust.
Brand becomes the decisive competitive advantage. That requires a new foundation: technical infrastructure, brand as a structured data space, and AI-supported production capability - without losing the brand.