
I want to expand on that and add another dimension -- great brands also know what they oppose. Three brands illustrate this point.
Harley Davidson's new campaign, "screw it, let's ride", is a powerful manifesto for the brand. This campaign found a way to link Harley's defy authority ethos to today's zeitgeist of war, recession and slippery politicians. The campaign and website unite a community in a crusade against fear.

The Dove "Real Beauty" campaign shook the cosmetic world a few years back by standing up for individual self-esteem and exhorting people to question and defy the pretense of media-defined beauty.

What all three brands have in common is an appreciation of narrative. In any great story a protagonist must also have an antagonist. Every hero's journey involves overcoming challenges and adversaries, whether they be dragons, tyrants or competitors.
So what's the lesson for marketers? Create a compelling story, not just a strategy. Go beyond defining what you stand for; decide what you oppose. The most passionate causes tend to be in pursuit of both -- an ideal that inspires and a status quo that must be vanquished. It is the yin and yang of these two forces that trumpets a call to arms.