Once upon a Brand: Part Two

To tell its story externally, Kimpton created a storybook that tells the brand story in the form of a short novel. This book was sent with a press release to journalists around the country. They also hosted a press junket at one hotel where the CEO, COO, and the director of pet relations told the story in the form of an old-fashioned storytelling hour. The journalists then visited various stations within the suite and experienced the brand pillars and elements of the story personally.

StartupNation
These guys put together all the resources to make their dream a reality. Jeff and Rich Sloan, StartupNation founders and StartupNation Radio co-hosts, tell their brand story to their employees through a communications architecture "that outlines our mission, audiences, and brand attributes for team members to reference. Additionally we have a brand book that outlines brand attributes, key litany, messaging, and logo requirements."

The number one avenue of communications is their own nationally syndicated, one-hour radio talk show. Other value tactics have included:

• Media Relations: They've secured significant national articles in newspapers and magazines through public relations efforts.
• Short-form Radio: They voice several short-form radio spots that air regularly on AM news talk stations.
• Networking with entrepreneurs and key business leaders.
• They also have a book on starting your dream business, StartupNation: Open for Business, that will be available in May.

The Sloans say, "Growing a new brand doesn't happen overnight and can be both challenging and rewarding. It's important not to expect to know your whole 'story' right away, and give your brand a chance to evolve into its own. It doesn't necessarily take a lot of money, but it does take a lot of planning, time, and passion for what you're doing.

Exhale
Exhale, a total life sanctuary encompassing relaxation, wellness, and fitness to enhance inner and outer well-being, is a story told well by the organization and loyal customers who carry the brand torch every day.

Annbeth Eschbach, Exhale's founder and CEO, shares how their story started and how it continues to be told: "We believe Exhale's brand story is built from the inside out. If we take care of our teammates, they take care of our guests, who in turn will take care of our financial performance. It was a conscious decision and key strategy from the very birth of Exhale to develop a compelling brand training system. The senior team developed a mission, vision statement, and mantras (core values), and then we built a unique, proprietary training methodology entitled 'Serving with Soul' and 'Selling with Soul.' We developed orientation tools and language that serve to distinguish our intent and create our soulful culture.

"Additionally we created offer letters, team manuals, orientation programs, company video, and language specific to Exhale mantras and a certification program that requires each teammate to pass a knowledge test in each key exhale service area after experiencing it before they are able to make full wage.

"The tactics which have been most helpful in communicating our brand externally have been our website and the press."

Flying Pig Marathon
This flying pig story brands one of the fastest-growing marathons in the U.S. The story celebrates Cincinnati's history as "Porkopolis" in the 19th century and welcomed more than 12,000 runners last year.

James H. Ferguson, of the CoActive Marketing Group creative team that developed the Flying Pig Marathon brand, explains how the company is a steward of its brand story. "Our copy strategy has three components: benefit, reasons to believe, and character. Every piece of communication reflects this copy strategy to ensure consistency in execution.

"In addition, we believe that a brand plan has three key components: developing the brand promise itself (positioning, look and feel, etc.), promoting the brand promise (choosing the right communications mediums to ensure an effective and efficient spend), and then delivering on the brand experience 24/7 (this is the most important at the end of the day… one must deliver on the brand promise from the 1-800 number, simplicity of the application form, advertising, and all activities on and around race day. If we are all about 'fun,' then every experience you have with the brand must be fun!

"We think of this as a fully integrated marketing plan that utilizes the most effective communications vehicles possible to ensure an efficient spend. Print advertising, trade shows, direct mail to past runners, and the Web are the main vehicles. Frankly the most effective advertising is 'word-of-mouth' from past runners who become advocates of the brand! We call them our brand ambassadors.