Building a Brand, Telling your Story by Adah Parris; ArabNet Digital Summit 2015
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Presented by Adah Parris, Personal Branding Expert; Intellectual Polygamist @AdahParris
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Building a Brand, Telling your Story by Adah Parris; ArabNet Digital Summit 2015
- 1. 21st Century Cave Painting (or how to tell YOUR brand story)
- 3. mness and serendipity are the new
- 4. The Secret Power of Time
- 6. Everything is connected, you just have to see the patterns
- 7. When is a brick not just a brick?
- 9. The Gatekeepers must change
- 10. Are you playing to the same rhythm?
- 11. • Think like an Internet Mermaid. Be fluid • Randomness and serendipity are the new normal • Acknowledge and embrace the secret power of time • Old concepts (Ennion Made Me) + New mindsets and behaviours (Millennials) • Everything is connected you just have to see the patterns • When is a brick not just a brick? • Chess is life • The Gatekeepers must change • Are you playing to the same rhythm?
Editor's Notes
- Cave paintings are paintings found on cave walls and ceilings, and especially those of prehistoric origin, which date back to some 40,000 years ago in both Asia and Europe. Evidence suggests that they were not merely decorations. Some theories suggest that cave paintings may have been a way of communicating with others. In the 21st Century new mindsets and behaviours with respect to methods of communications, the development of technology AND access to information has made us as powerful as brands.
- Meg Mosely is a friend of mine and artist and a social media expert who has always been interested in the power of culture and identity. Two years ago she created an alter ego Megastar, to document her travels around Las Vegas exploring the glamour of the city as a humorous reference point to her home town, Trowbridge in the UK. What started as a collection of ideas in video, photography and film turned into 3 online episodes of a fictional reality TV show called, #mylife. As someone interested in culture as a context for self expression and identity she found her alter ego began to take over her life, this ability to really express herself and tell her story. Megastar became Meg’s brand and she began curating her story through Megastar. Megastar became a brand in herself. Meg has done what brands have been doing for years, with big budgets and marketing experts, but se did it with little or no budget or team of marketing experts; she began branding and packaging herself and worked out how she could create and manipulate her ‘story’ by creating a persuasive image of her new glamorous self. Megastar created a fictional perfume and life story, merchandise, clothing range and started selling herself through products. Megastar is also a social media character posting 100s of narcissistic ‘selfies’. She embraced all things social media, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and built a kind of online language. Today her work is a living art project and social experiment, and as a a digital native she saw the internet as a place where identity and personal branding can be fluid and creative. She has also been referred to as an ‘internet mermaid’. A being that lives on the internet, who's identity is fluid and ever manifesting into a myriad of forms. The internet is an ocean of memes, who's tides allow this mermaid to exist as she manifests her own myths. As a result of her work well known brands have approached her to work with them to help them understand the power, mindset and behaviour of storytelling and of the ‘selfie’ generation of millennials. Last year Megastar worked with Selfridges, for their beauty campaign #BeautyProject, developed Megastar Mega Selfie Museum Dress-Up app commissioned by the Windsor Museum. She also had her selfies featured at the National Portrait Gallery, as part of the event ‘What Makes a Good Selfie: The Curated Ego.’ What’s the difference between Meg and Megastar? Meg will tell you that she's been trained to think about culture and context. Whereas Megastar is a mixture of observations and background, and who she might have become if she hadn’t been trained to question things. Megastar is fluid in both mindset and behaviour. After years of expressing her views through her brand Megastar, Meg has teamed up with Dr James Kilner, Head of Neuroscience at UCL, to further explore the psychology behind the selfie (#StayTuned) (or the self as a brand). Her art has shown brands that there is power in the ART of communication about the self, everyone wants to belong AND has an story to tell. - Brand equity Reputation management (subjective metrics) eg Klout score, Facebook likes, re-Tweets Always on
- Author Frans Johansson suggests that in this world of global virtual communities, where the rules of the game (including branding) have changed, we need to be open to randomness and serendipity. He calls this The Click Moment, when luck and skill collide. As a brand this means that we need to be flexible to seize opportunities and not just depend on analysis, planning or strategy. On the 25th April 2015 an earthquake reaching 7.8 on the richter scale hit Nepal. My friend Imogen, an international disaster relief expert, had lived and worked in the Nepal a few years ago, she still had friends there. The news was personal, it was part of her own brand story. Imogen decided to act. She wanted to organise a small dinner in her home for a few people to discuss how they could help and get the aid where is was needed, her dining table could hold 8 people. That same evening Imogen talked with our friend Alex, an Architect, about her idea. That dinner for 8 turned into a fundraising dinner for 30, then 60 then 100. Grub Club a SupperClub startup owned by some of our friends offered their online platform for us to coordinate the event. They waived their fees and the founders personally got involved. Over the next 12 hours we shared our stories and quest on social media, more friends heard the personal stories of Nepalese contacts, of Imogen, Alex and others and felt it matched their own brand stories and decided to help in whatever way they could. Within the first 24 hours we had a Nepalese Michelin Star Chef (Pratap Chahal), all the ingredients to cater for 100 diners, a venue and a burgeoning list of prizes for a raffle and an auction, all coordinated via social media and donated for free. 72 hours after that first idea was born all 100 £65 tickets were sold and there was a growing waiting list. The fundraiser was held on the 7th May 2015. That night we raised £22k with all the proceeds going directly to charities on the ground working in hard to reach communities. The next morning we received a photograph from the Dolma Development Fund, one of the charities we were working with, some of the money had already got through and they were able to sit down for their first dinner since the earthquake happened. Why is this story so important? Because it is a real life example of how our concept of time has changed.
- Psychologist Professor Philip Zimbardo explains how our individual perspectives of time affect our work, health and well-being. In his book The Secret Powers of Time he says that we underestimate the power of technology in rewiring our brains, our capacity for idea generation, decision making, problem solving, storytelling and our levels of expectation. When thinking about brand storytelling it’s surprising to see that how many people and brands still underestimate how quickly reputations can be made and broken, especially due to our proliferation of social media and digital communications. We’ve opened the Pandora’s Box to our lives and our brands. It’s too late to close the box but now is the time to take control of our brand stories in order to maximise our brand equity. How do we do that? Well we need to start by looking backwards, to understand old behaviours in relation to new technologies. So where did this concept of branding start?
- The oldest example of branding dates back to the First Century when a Lebanese glass blower, called Ennion who knew the value his customer placed on his pieces decided to tag them ‘Ennion Made Me’ to prove their authenticity, Branding, as a concept, has been used throughout history to help us understand (and create) associations with a particular product, service, idea or person. We have become digital omnivores, consuming, interacting and telling our brand stories, through connected devices and this has had an exponential impact on our capacity for digital consumption and storytelling. So in this world where time is apparently of the essence we need to adopt new mindsets and behaviours to be able to tell our stories. We can start by looking at millennials. There are lots of reports, articles and papers about their use (or misuse) of social media and communication tools but the common theme is that they have an expressed need for, and a desire to create authentic human connections (albeit it in the virtual world). One that fits with their own picture of themselves. For them it’s about respecting their authenticity, their creativity and their diversity. There has to be a dialog rather than a narrative, there has to be social and emotional engagement which should be be flexible and organic. But it’s also about power. They are the CEOs of their own brands, they know their customers (their audience) and the jobs they are trying to do, they have a perception of the value they can add to their relationships and they are not afraid to show their vulnerabilities while telling their stories. Their tag would read ‘I made me’. Look back to move forward Be self-aware and reflective (personally and professionally but don’t live in the past) Old behaviours, new technology Be curious - seem to have lost that spirit Paradigm shifts The Digital Enlightenment The Third Industrial Revolution
- So how do you start taking back the power of your brand in order to tell your brand story? You start by looking for patterns and realising that everything is connected. Everything you are, everything you do and everything you say. There is a lot we can learn from bees and the patterns of hives. Nature has adapted and thrived for 3.8 billion years. If we take a closer look, it is a source of wisdom that can improve our designs and decision-making on both a personal and professional level. The combs are natural engineering marvels, bees use the least possible amount of wax to provide the greatest amount of storage space, with the greatest possible structural stability. Understanding these simple yet complex patterns led to mathematician John Conway developing the a theory called the Game of Life; which in turn led to the development of early mathematical algorithms; which we can now see in 3D modelling structures. So you see, everything really is connected. For us, we need to recognise our own patterns in their simplest form. Who are we? What jobs are we trying to? Understanding what excites us about each of those roles will help us start to recognise patterns that we can build on.
- When you don’t know who your customers are, understand they have personal identities that want to be recognised, AND have understanding the job they are trying to do. Build a wall, a house, a hospital or just use the brick as a door stop? You need to have an insight into their ‘why’? Look at them in terms of the functional, social and emotional needs as individual customer segments. They have thoughts, feelings and aspirations (remember they are trying to manage, curate and tell their their own brand stories just like you). Therefore your interaction with them should empathetic and a series of engaging and authentic dialogs and not a series of narratives. They buy your product or services because they have an understanding of what THEIR customers are trying to do. They know how long the supply chain is and where they sit in it, and the relative value of that position (which actually may be flexible). So when telling your own brand story it is worth considering who are your customers' customers and who depends on your work in order to get their own jobs done? By understanding (and demonstrating) this, you are starting to build a 360 view of your own brand AND it’s associations. Remember, everything is connected. Keep looking for the patterns. So, if you’re a entrepreneur then your customers could be your investors (current or potential), your family, business partners, journalists, employees and end users. Now you know who they are and what they are trying to do, how do you understand and define your value in relation to each? Who is your most important customer (if there is one)?
- Chess is a game of strategy. You know the names of each piece and the moves they are allowed to make and the rules of the game. As you play the value you place to each piece may change relative to short, medium and long term objectives of your game. You need to be flexible in your thinking and strategy and sometimes take risks. It’s a simple analogy but we are often so busy chasing the next goal that we forget to enjoy and appreciate the journey (or the game). Give yourself permission to stop and think about your customers as those different chess pieces. What is their value (and how do you add value) in relation to your current game and their position on the board? To understand their value in relation to your current game you need to think about what their current solutions to the problem you are trying to solve. What are they happy with and how can you exceed or surprise them? What keeps them awake at night and how can you alleviate some of their concerns. Looking at this in relation to your current resources (pieces on the board) (including how you manage the relationship(s)) this gives you an indication of the value exchange between you and them for the current climate (or game). Do they need to be sacrificed for a long term strategic move? Or, do you need to increase the amount of value you ascribe to them? This is where you are starting to work out your brand equity, your value proposition, and how to start telling your brand story. You are starting to structure a blueprint for creating and maintaining a dialog with each customer segment. Remember the millennials, they are the CEOs of their brands and are fluent at telling their brand stories because they understand the perceived value they add to each their relationships and they know how AND when to communicate authentically to each BECAUSE they are coming from a place of empathy and flexibility that might appear before them.
- You’re going on holiday. You know where you want to go but how do you decide where you are going to stay? We used to rely on travel agents who were the gatekeepers to all destinations. Now there are sites like TripAdvisor and AirBnB that rely on real customer reviews and stories. Most places will also have their own social media accounts and use these digital platforms to tell their own stories. If we think about the process of booking travel accommodation in terms of a customer journey mapping, then there are three key stages to consider to help us make a decision so we can map the value we are adding to our customer relationships. Now I’m sure most of you know about customer journey mapping but how many of you apply the same principles to finding and working with investors, employees, journalists etc. Just to recap, the three phases of a customer journey are: The pre-service period is about creating levels of expectation this is usually done through Advertising/ PR, Social Media, Word-of-Mouth. The service period is when customers are actually experiencing the brand. What pre-service tools are still in place to match and enhance their level of expectation? The post-service period is when you’ve returned home, unpacked your suitcases and settling back into daily life. How does the brand (accommodation) follow-up with you? What CRM, Social Media and Word-of-Mouth tools do they AND you use? How do customers express your satisfaction or dissatisfaction. So for example when thinking about recruiting employees,why leave it to a recruitment consultant or online jobs board; or if you are thinking about investors, why leave it to an accelerator program to make introductions. Work with them but must YOU become the gatekeepers of your own brand stories.
- A single musical note has no meaning. But a page of notes in the right order and played at the right tempo produces beautiful music. That music represents your personal brand, so it is important to ensure, as the composer that you put the notes in the right order, select the right tempo and eventually choose the right instruments and orchestra to play your piece. When thinking about telling your brand story you have to think of yourself as the composer. Who are you going to select to be part of that orchestra? Can they read music? Do they know (or can they learn) the piece? Can they keep time and do they play the right instrument and have the level expertise needed? Now you have a better understanding of what job your customers are trying to do and how you can add value, think about the criteria for those you want to become your brand partners. Brand partnerships are about a mutual value exchange, a synergy of brand stories. What value are you offering to your partner(s)? - Performance, customisation, design, pricing, cost reductions? What value do you desire in exchange? Tangible assets such as buildings, stock, capital or intangible assets such as knowledge, reputation, networks and scale? What activities need to be undertaken to make that exchange is real, measurable and accessible? You’ve written the roadmap (the customer journeys) and now you are at the final phase of creating the template for telling your brand story. You are creating a template for future brand partnerships a blueprint for your fans, your groupies and the people who will actually help you get to the next phase, who have a synergy with your brand story. There is a great TED Talk by American Singer Amanda Palmer on the Art of Asking. In it she tells the story of how she was able to ask her fans to support her in creating a new album. There are so many take-aways from that talk but what resonates here is that she really knew herself, her brand story and those of her fans. By being open, transparent, authentic and creating a human dialog with them, Amanda and her fans, were able to create new and lasting brand partnerships which resulted in one of the largest funds raised via Kickstarter of all time. She wanted to raise $100K but actually raised over $1M.
- Hopefully I’ve given you a slightly different approach to thinking about personal branding and brand storytelling. Before I finish let’s just recap on some of the ideas I covered. And remember just like music, stories are subjective but the music that gives us goosebumps and the stories we share are the ones that touch us on a human, authentic and emotional level, we connect with them and create our own memories and then pass them on. That is what I hope you do with your stories. I hope like the cave paintings people will remember sometimes find them our ‘virtual homes, in unusual places, but understand they are messages about our shared past and futureselves.