Living people have personalities and imaginary people have personalities.
Corporations do not have personalities.
Corporations have brands.
The average corporate brand consists of a trademarked logo, minutes of board meetings, and a manual of policies and procedures.
A brilliant corporate brand has a personality that lives inside our mind.
We do not bond with corporations.
We bond with personalities.
The personalities of living people are revealed by their statements, actions, and reactions.
The personalities of imaginary people are revealed in the stories that are told about them.
A brand personality is an imaginary person that lives in the mind of the customer.
The more deeply that a customer feels like they “know” the brand, the more likely they are to choose that brand. They are buying from a trusted friend.
Sustainable and scalable ad campaigns are a series of stories that reveal the personality of a brand.
Notice that I said “reveal” the personality.
You cannot explain your brand personality. You must allow the public to experience it.
You cannot say, “We are tender-hearted and generous.” You must allow the customer to listen to your stories and realize that you are tender-hearted and generous.
Do not say, “We are bold, innovative leaders.” You must allow the customer to listen to your stories and decide for themselves that you are a bold, innovative leader.
Let me say it again. You cannot explain your brand personality. You must allow the public to experience it.
This was what Sir Arthur Conan Doyle did in 1887 when he launched a series of stories about a man named Sherlock Holmes.
This was what Marvel Comics did in 1962 when they launched a series of stories about a young man named Peter Parker who was bitten by a radioactive spider.
This was what Steve Jobs did in 1983 when he began urging us to Think Different. The more we read and heard his ads, the more we perceived Apple to be innovative and visionary, simple and intuitive, sophisticated and elegant, and delightfully, humanly, rebellious. But Steve Jobs never said those things. Those are the conclusions that we came to on our own.
You have a story to tell. And you have the rest of your life to tell it.
Are you ready to get started?
Roy H. Williams
David C. Barnett is a small business valuation expert on the hot seat. Without advance notice, our roving reporter Rotbart invited Ken Lain to join him in questioning Mr. Barnett.
Ken Lain is the owner of a successful garden center in Prescott, Arizona, and he is on the hunt to acquire more garden centers.
Ken Lain’s questions weren’t theoretical. They came directly from situations that he is confronting as a prospective buyer of businesses.
This is an absolutely fascinating episode. Listen and learn at MondayMorningRadio.com