As Seth Godin reminded me this week, we all have an origin story.
Superman had his story about coming from Krypton and Ben & Jerry have told their tale about taking a correspondence course to learn how to make ice cream.
These origin stories are a vital part of marketing a brand because they allow a brand to be specific, special and even sacred.
Only we have this story of our founder’s journey that explains the dilemma and how she responded to it through action. No one else is like us because we had a mission, a vision and it started with a moment and an unquenched need.
These stories are like time capsules that capture the emotion and energy of a specific time.
Like Howard Schultz experience around espresso culture in Italy and how he started to see how a third place could become important to Americans. Or, a story like the one Maggie Kane told me about being in a soup kitchen as a child and believing that there was another way to nourish a community in need through A Place At The Table.
How Do You Tell Your Origin Story
If you work in a business in the marketing department, how well do you celebrate your founder’s origin story? Do you tell it in a way that could only come from your brand? Do new products reveal the DNA of your founder?
Jeff Lebesch rode a bike with a big, fat tire throughout Belgium sampling beer many years ago? The experience was so profound and important to New Belgium Fat Tire beer, that all employees receive a bicycle after their first year to remind them of this story. The bicycle is the tangible representation of the origin story and is part of a ritual celebration for employees.
Brands build a movement when they are powered by origin stories fueled with authenticity and sweat. How are you bringing your founder’s origin story to life to inspire and help you imagine the future?
Need help igniting your founder’s origin story?
You can set up a time to chat with me about your marketing challenges using my calendar. Email me jeffslater@themarketingsage.com Call me. 919 720 0995. The conversation is free and we can explore if working together makes sense. Try my new chat feature on my site if you have a quick question.
Photo by Laurent Perren on Unsplash
Don’t miss Seth Godin’s new podcast called Akimbo. It is like a free master class in marketing wisdom.
