Before you can align your story with marketing and product design, you have to know it intimately. It all starts internally. Studies have shown that employees are most engaged when they understand where they’re going. From the understanding comes a deeper commitment. To build its story internally, a company must answer these sorts of questions: Who are we? Where did we come from? What do we do? What do we care about? Can you answer these? If so, you’re ready to start telling powerful stories with your products and marketing, and then you have the ability to change culture.
The Shakers had their founding story. It influenced everything they did. Think about powerful stories that are told inside your company. Is there a founding story? Herb Kelleher, the founder of Southwest Airlines, knows his. His vision for the airline was getting passengers to their destinations when they want to go, on time, at the lowest cost, and, most important, having fun doing it. This vision created a narrative that customers can connect with and employees can have a great time rallying behind. People crave a human connection with the companies whose products they buy. A cornerstone of good branding is good storytelling—but it’s a two-way street. Companies must constantly evolve their own story by listening to and understanding their customer’s stories. From here, they can create deeper, more relevant stories that evolve and continually change culture.
