Oh dear, I am genuinely depressed that Tom Peters is spending time on this.

According to Kevin Roberts, "Consumers need to be emotionally engaged, they need to have a relationship. A lovemark is a brand that has moved up that respect axis. Adidas is one for many people. I went into the concept store in Seattle about three or four weeks ago. I didn't need anything, didn't want anything; $880 dollars later, I came out a happy guy.

I was up there talking to 3,000 university professors, so I'd had a very slow morning. [Laughs.] Yeah, I just walked along the street. I love Adidas, so I just -- $880 bucks! Because I'm loyal beyond reason."

There seems to be an equation of consumption with intimacy. I think this is vulgar. And to describe equate shopaholism with loyalty competely devalues the word.

Rather than engage with people (although it's a typical high-status ploy to let us know they were professors) he prefers to consume goods. Sneer at the humans, indulge materialsim. And then talk to us about love?!!

Kevin Roberts is the Gilderoy Lockhart of branding, his one theme is "Magical Me". Why do people take this nonsense seriously?

And now, in a breakthrough for business thinkers everywhere, I can reveal a new technique which measures the twin drivers of what I term a "GuruMark".

A GuruMark measures the degrees of altruism (Unselfish concern for the welfare of others) and humility (freedom from pride and arrogance) held by our leading business thinkers.

Up to now, we have long measured business gurus in terms of paradigm-shifting, intellectual prowess and rigour (and creative execution of brilliant ideas, products and services) but few have thought to worry about assessing their levels of selflessness and modesty.

GuruMark does just. How? By plotting the two key drivers of business Guru value on a 2x2 matrix: On the x-axis, Altruism. On the y-axis, Humility.

A true GuruMark can be said to have high altruism - a selfless interest in propogating new ideas for the good of the idea and the world; and high humility, a low or zero interest in propogating ideas about oneself and ones company.

Lets take Kevin Roberts and Tom Peters..

Let me get this straight. Roberts and his worldwide staff want us to now retain them as an “ideas company” after years of counseling us as an “advertising agency.” This is the same guy who encouraged the blind consumption of consumer products, yes? The same people who made branding a bad word, and then said that branding is dead? The same guy who places himself in our way as an expert in the doing of good deeds, and as one who can position companies to move higher in the “love axis”, whatever that is. He’s written a book, done a scad of interviews and put together a web site, and wants us all to get involved. The big buy-in. Anybody looked at the web site? It appears to me like the same old brands, listed in whatever opportunistic way will serve his ends. Climb aboard at your own risk. The bald-faced self promotion in this interview reads more like post WWII advertising blather than innovative brand thinking. Somebody please kick the soapbox out from under this guy, before he does any more damage.