Blog Archive
Brands
Burns Night, Monday 25th January, saw many of our team, clients and associates participate in a very special whisky-tasting event at Century Club in Shaftesbury Avenue. This wasn’t just about an excuse to indulge in the amber nectar, nor simply an opportunity for a social; it was a superb, seamless piece of storytelling, delivered by the Ambassador of one of the UK’s most celebrated single malt scotch whiskies – The Balvenie – Dr Andy Forrester.
Barnardo’s have always created great adverts. Adverts which communicate the lives of those they strive to help. And their recent TV spot titled ‘Turn Around’ is nothing less than brilliant.
CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) has been around for many years. In fact, since the 50’s when the phrase was first used by academics and business leaders to identify and articulate the impact of global businesses on society. (I imagine the phrase was near strangled by the booms and busts of the 80’s and 90’s when the environment was not at the forefront of a businesses strategy).
Illustration has always been close to my heart, having been an avid Beano and Dandy collector as a small boy. Its ability to share and communicate stories is, I suppose, what draws me in (if you can excuse the pun).
I was amused to read an article in The Times today relating to a slating Facebook posting by the daughter of ousted General Motors Chief Executive Fritz Henderson, giving the company’s management a piece of her mind about the enforced exit of her father from the organisation.
I recall a great story when a little boy, sick from eating so much sugar beet, was taken by his mother in desperation to Mahatma Gandhi for guidance. She walked for days to get there, but was promptly sent home again by the great man and told to return in a month. The reason? Gandhi needed a month of sugar abstinence himself before telling the boy not to eat any more sugar.
Honestly, the stories these banks are coming up with. Are they doing it just to get some PR? First RBS insists that its employees bank with them, or else…. and then HSBC opens a branch in Canford Cliffs, (Dorset) which will only serve people with large wads of cash or substantial mortgages. If I was an HSBC employee in Canford Cliffs I’d be wondering in eager anticipation whether or not HSBC will follow RBS’s example and insist that I bank with my employer. Hmmm, now would that involve a hefty payrise? Maybe someone could suggest it as a new recruitment strategy….
Great to see that JetBlue’s new advertising campaign is one of storytelling….
Simon Caulkin writes in The Observer this week that stories permit ‘meaning and memory’. Like mnemonics, stories enable us to absorb and remember incredibly complex detail. Stories have always been part of marketing, but nowadays is an integral part of a brand.
I was in one of my local pubs last night, fascinated by a framed front page from a wartime newspaper on the wall – The Daily Herald, 16th September 1940. The headlines were predictable and almost completely dominated the page: ‘Buckingham Palace Bombed Third Time’, ‘Raiders Chased Back To The Channel’, ‘RAF Puts Goering In Shade’, ‘Nazis Hold Up French Train’, ‘RAF Triumphs In Biggest Air Battles Of War’ and so on. And quietly, in the right hand bottom corner, was a not-so-small advert depicting a mother getting onto a bus, with the headline “Tell Daddy I’ve Gone To Boots”.
Great article from Christian Budtz and Klaus Fog in Design Bulletin. Companies who want to maintain brand status in the future must have a great story to tell. Storytelling is as important for building brands as it is for engaging employees, in creating an understanding of their values and personality. Oh, and they’ve written a new book called Storytelling – Branding in Practice. I’m off to buy it right now.
Recently there has been much talk of ‘Love Brands’. I think that this is a very interesting notion, and it got me thinking.
In an excerpt to Seth Godin’s new book ‘All Marketers Are Liars’, we read that the key to profitable growth is from giving consumers what they want, not what they need. People tell themselves compelling stories about what they want, and in turn believe that this is indeed what they need. Read on….!
While we eagerly anticipate the launch of the next Harry Potter book, John Simmons for The Observer looks at how businesses and brands have been ‘crying out for clarity and emotional engagement’. What better way to build a brand – as J K Rowling has done so innocently and successfully – than through the telling of stories? This is a great article which supports our own belief in the power of storytelling in business…
Why do brand owners need storytelling?
Because the destiny of their brands is in the hands of their employees. A brand is a promise consistently delivered. And when it’s delivered by hundreds of different types of customer interactions, across thousands of employees and millions of miles – well that promise hangs by a thread.