The question appears stark at first glance, obvious, almost black and white with little room to argue the gray: “Is perception more important than reality?” As a parameter upon which vital decisions often are based, the question is a common one in offices and conference rooms around the world, and appropriately so.

In our fast-paced environment, where standards are few and models are constantly in flux and ever-adapting to shifitng trends and scalable requirements, perception and reality also can seem to merge and become one and the same. What is reality, anyway? Isn’t it subject to the message, the perception, that is created through marketing campaigns? Isn’t that the whole point of marketing and branding, to create a favorable perception about a product, service, idea, etc.?

Of course it is, and the great revolution of the day is about the new ways that those messages and perceptions are now created, delivered and received. Duh.