Tell your story87

87

TELL YOUR STORY

People like to know the real story behind the brand and about the people who work there. That’s why the companies whose founders are still around to tell their own tales have a fascination that goes beyond what they are selling.

It’s good to know that there was a Ben and Jerry. They sold up to Unilever, established by Lord Lever. Unilever’s headquarters in the UK, the art deco building north west of Blackfriars Bridge, was Lord Lever’s favourite hotel, so he bought it.

Pete & Johnny’s Smoothies, which became PJ Smoothies, was bought by PepsiCo and disappeared in 2008. There was never a Pete or a Johnny.

The stories about your history show the human side of a brand. They also distinguish the fabricated brands from the genuine ones.

The idea There’s a usually space on a brand’s website, often called About Us, where you can read about the founders and their history, look at old photographs and watch fi lms about them. This is where an organisation can tell all the stories about their brand. Whether it started last week or 100 years ago, it’s still interesting.

If there isn’t one, then the brand lacks a sense of authenticity. People are becoming more cynical and suspicious of marketing as a profession. If companies are going to keep their customer’ trust, then it helps to show the real people running them. That men

in suits who think of them as a demographic aren’t trying to fool them. Unless you’re in IT security, showing faces and telling stories remind customers that companies are made up of people too.

One of my favourites is the Pearl & Dean website, online home of the cinema advertising people. You can read about the two Mr Pearls and Mr Dean, but be warned that it plays their famous 1970s theme tune, which does rather smack you in the ears. There is a sweet story about how they met and started up the business, and a 1950s black and white photograph of them in evening dress with their wives in ball gowns.

Everyone who works for the business currently has their photograph on the website too, so if you call them you can picture you’re speaking to.

In practice • Tell the story of how your brand came into being and how you’ve been getting along since then. It will distinguish you from the invented ones. • It’s people who make a brand is what it is; knowing who they were and who they are now brings the brand values to life. • Everyone within an organisation has a different version of their own brand story; each one is worth telling and listening to.