Hi Thomson:

I agree with most of what you say.

There are two observations I would like to make.

1. Brand Strategy and "decorative design" are likely to separate.

Good consumer insights affect all elements of the brand's mix, not just brand communication. Those who wish to have access to the ears of the C-Suite will have to move up the strategy chain. 

2. While the demand for culturally relevant design execution will grow, brand strategy will become more universal. 

Fortunately, it's the same emotions that drive human beings around the world. Discovering the obvious emotional truth that your brand is based on will be less cultural and more universal.

Thanks to LinkedIn I find that my current brand coaching assignments are spread across the US, Canada, Spain, India, Singapore and Australia. I know very little about the variegated cultures across these countries. In fact, India, where I live, has more cultural diversity than the differences in culture between, say Canada and Australia. 

But the obvious emotional truths on which my clients base their brands are easy to find BECAUSE they are universal.

Sumit