“Being great is the new brand,” according to Questus founding partner Jeff Rosenblum. “It’s no longer about saying you’re great.”

His spirited keynote address used his upcoming documentary,The Naked Brand, to illustrate the best and worst across the brand landscape. Among the highlights:

- American companies spend roughly $150B annually on advertising; more than three times the amount of the next biggest spender (Japan).
- By contrast, U.S. brands rank 11th in R&D expenditures.
-The marketing revolution began with search; it shifted the balance of power to the consumer.

- The days of telling a customer what to think about your product are over.

- Technology allows us to tell real-time stories and 80% of Americans have a super computer in their pocket.
- Trust in corporations and brands is at an all-time low.
- Advertisers are still using digital to do what they’ve always done. The consumer, however, is re-shaping the experience.
- While banner ads and television advertising remain effective, 1 of 1,000 banner ads are viewed and only 1 of 9 tv spots.
- There is a glut of information. Yahoo has 256 links on its homepage. (Jeff claims to know this due to Questus’s “intern torture” program).

He closed his presentation with the documentary’s compelling close-up look at Zappos! and its total reliance on a culture of happy employees to define the brand. The film shows CEO Tony Hsieh sharing his belief that, “Brand is a lagging indicator of culture.”

A must-see for marketers, the film’s profits are being donated by the producers to Make A Wish. To learn more reach Jeff via Twitter @jrquestus.