CHAPTER TWO - SIGNIFICANT
“Success is fleeting. Significance is lasting.”
Beth Brooke
TOY OF THE CENTURY
In 1932, a young carpenter named Ole Kirk Kristiansen was tinkering in his workshop in the village of Billund in Denmark. The Great Depression was in full swing and work was hard to find. To improve the design of his household products, Kristiansen began making tiny prototypes—miniature stepladders and ironing boards. But, instead of helping him to refine his designs, the prototypes led Kristiansen along an entirely different path. He looked at these cute little models and was inspired to start making children’s toys.
In a moment that probably seemed insignificant, one of the most well-known and loved brands of our time was born. Not long after Ole Kirk Kristiansen began hand making wooden toys in that village workshop, his company designed and made the first interlocking plastic bricks we know today as Lego.
From such humble beginnings, Lego has grown to become a significant part of our lives. Over 400 million excited kids across the world have, at some time, sat on their bedroom floor or at the family dining table, and let their imaginations spring to life, brick by brick. The world’s children spend five billion hours each year playing with Lego bricks! (Not to mention the adults!). But Lego’s significance is not simply because it has reached so many people. It’s because it has given its customers so much value. Lego is significant, not because of its breadth, but because of its depth.
Lego matters. It makes a difference in people’s lives and the world loves it. Yes, the world. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t have a soft spot in their heart for Lego. Do you? This is why Lego was named Toy of the Century. Lego is significant.
Lego literally means play well in Danish. And in 2002, to realign with their brand heritage, the company changed its tagline to play on. You’re probably not familiar with this slogan, but nevertheless, I’m sure you know this is why Lego exists. It’s a clarion call to the children of the world to imagine, create and play on!
HOW TO SHINE IN A CLUTTERED MARKETPLACE
Brands like Lego that shine in a competitive and cluttered marketplace know exactly why they exist and why they matter to their customers. Their understanding of why is the difference between being an exceptional brand that thrives, and an average brand that just survives. It’s the difference between being a brand people love, or, a brand people easily forget.
Think about it for a moment. List some of the brands you love and then write down why each of them matters to you. I’ll bet a key reason why these brands matter is because you know why they exist. And you know it because you feel it in your bones.
Take Camper, for example. I love this brand. A lot! Camper make wonderful shoes, but they also say something important about life that resonates deeply with their customers. Embedded in this brand is a powerful call-to-action that life should be fun, colourful, whimsical and even a little unusual. This is why Camper exists—to make walking and life fun—and that’s the reason why I love them. Sure, their shoes look and feel great, but every time I wear my Campers, I’m reminded to think outside the box and live life with a little more colour and flair. And that’s why Camper matters to me and millions of others around the world.
KNOW WHY YOUR BRAND MATTERS
It’s impossible to build a brand people love without being crystal clear about why your brand matters. You’d be surprised how many business owners do not know their why, and jump straight into the tactics of building their business without considering the big picture of why their product or service matters.
If you want to build a brand customers love, you need to be absolutely clear why they should love it. Then you need to tell that story in authentic, compelling and emotive ways. Great companies and brands take their why and build their whole business upon it. Their why becomes their brand story, and with it they seek to shape how people feel, think and act.
I’m sure you’ve heard a lot about making sure you have a “brand story”. But unfortunately, there is a lot of confusion over what a brand story is and how to discover it. Hopefully I can clear that up in this next sentence:
Your brand story is simply why your brand matters.
That’s it. It’s the story of the value your brand offers to meet your customer’s needs, wants and aspirations. Ultimately, it is the story of your brand’s significance and why people should love it.
TO FEEL WHAT ATHLETES FEEL
Phil Knight’s ultimate dream was to be a great athlete. Sadly, he knew that fate had made him good, not great. At twenty-four he finally resigned himself to this truth. Early one morning in 1962, while he was on his daily run through the Oregon forest he asked himself, “What if there was a way, without being an athlete, to feel what athletes feel? To play all the time?"
Yes, I thought, that’s it. That’s the word. The secret of happiness, I’d always suspected, the essence of beauty or truth, lay somewhere in that moment when the ball is in midair, when both boxers sense the approach of the bell, when the runners near the finish line and the crowd rises as one. There’s a kind of exuberant clarity in that pulsing half second before winning and losing are decided. I wanted that, whatever that was, to be my life, my daily life. What if there was a way, without being an athlete, to feel what athletes feel? To play all the time?
Phil Knight
That one question was the inspiration for Phil Knight to start Nike. He believed people would be happier if they could “play all the time”, or at least feel like they were. He knew people wanted to feel what an athlete felt. He wanted his brand to unleash the inner athlete, living inside each of us, just striving to play all the time.
It makes perfect sense that Nike’s brand story (and why Nike matters) is that they help unleash your inner athlete and inspire you to “Just do it.”
That’s the power of knowing the right story.
OFFER SIGNIFICANCE AND MONEY WILL FLOW
This may sound counterintuitive, but the primary reason for a brand’s existence should not be to make money. Financial profit is an outcome and by-product of offering people significance, which is far more enticing, valuable and enduring. Of course, you need to make a healthy profit. Your business won’t survive without it. But it shouldn’t be the key reason why your brand exists. Offer significance, and money will flow.
Money to a business is the same as fuel to a car. Fuel enables you to drive your car to your destination of choice. Without fuel, you’ll never get there. The golden question is;
Where are you going?
What’s your destination?
What do you believe in?
What do you want to offer the world through your business?
If you do that well and offer significance, people will be inspired to buy and money will flow. Understand why what you do matters, and build upon what you truly believe in with single-minded dedication.
So why was selling shoes so different? Because, I realized, it wasn’t selling. I believed in running. I believed that if people got out and ran a few miles every day, the world would be a better place, and I believed these shoes were better to run in. People, sensing my belief, wanted some of that belief for themselves. Belief, I decided. Belief is irresistible.
Phil Knight
WHAT WILL YOUR VERSE BE?
Everyone points to Apple as a shining example of brand excellence. They know why they exist and why people love their brand. Yes, there are many reasons why people love Apple, but one clear story stands above the rest. Apple believes people are driven by a deep desire to create and contribute to the world. What’s more, is that they believe people want to make their contribution with style and finesse.
You might remember their ads for iPad a few years ago. The series of ads were titled “What will your verse be?”, with the attached motivational copy inspired by the movie, Dead Poets Society.
Each of us has something to share. A voice, a passion, a perspective. The potential to add a stanza to the world’s story.
Attached to these ads were inspirational stories from around the world of people using their iPads to add their meaningful stories to the world. This allows us great insight into Apple’s why.
I believe their why is to help you and me to make our contribution by providing us with intelligent and beautifully designed tools. Right now I’m making my contribution by typing this on my MacBook Air. Each time my fingers touch the backlit magic keyboard, I feel and hear the familiar click and my senses pick up on that story. I am reminded of Apple’s why each time I use their product. Apple makes people feel great about making their contribution. That’s incredibly powerful and significant.
YOUR MOST VALUABLE ASSET
My good friend Alan Hirsch is an avid storyteller. One morning, over an espresso, he told me the following story while we were chatting about the importance of putting why before how.
The Zenith Drilling Company was one of the best drill-bit producers in the world. For years they were way ahead of their competitors. However, the competition got wise and slowly but surely, Zenith began to lose their lead.
To refresh the company’s vision and hopefully regain its industry leadership, the board decided to appoint a new CEO. During a company retreat not long after the new CEO started, he asked the leadership why the company existed.
After a rigorous discussion, the leaders agreed that their reason for existence was to make the best drill bits in the world. When they presented this to the CEO he simply replied, “Is it?”. He paced back and forth across the room for a few minutes, rubbing his chin, then asked, “Is our reason for existence to make the best drill bits in the world, or is it to make the best holes?” The penny dropped and they realised their brand’s reason for existence was much deeper than simply making drill bits. With this renewed understanding of their why, they led the industry again and invented a new way to make holes—laser drilling.
That’s the power of knowing your why before your how. It leads you to a deeper understanding of why your brand matters. It opens your mind to limitless and untapped potential. But unfortunately, a lot of business owners do not have the patience. They dive straight into their marketing tactics and bypass the big-picture strategy of why they matter.
I see it all the time and understand the temptation to get straight into the details of launching and building a business. But if you want to build a brand people will love for a long time to come, you need to clarify why your brand matters. Your why will become one of your most valuable assets. And once you find it, you must guard it, invest in it and build your entire business upon it.
WHY DOES YOUR BRAND MATTER?
The significance of your brand is one of the most important qualities for you to get a handle on, so it’s wise to take the time to explore it in depth. Here are two questions I always ask when I need to gain clarity about a brand:
1. Why should people care?
This question aims to uncover the real value your products and services offer to those who buy them. What difference does it make to them? Why should they care? What needs, wants and aspirations does your brand satisfy?
2. Why am I doing this?
Answering this question is an important reminder of why your brand was created in the first place. This is about discovering the founding passion of your brand. If you are the founder, ask yourself why you started it. Did it evolve out of a need that you had? Did it solve a problem or meet an aspiration for you?
If you didn’t start the brand, interview the founder. If that’s not possible, you might need to do a little research to find out why the brand was created in the first place. You’ll be thankful you did, as you will uncover a treasure-chest filled with purpose.
If you consider these questions honestly and deeply, you’ll become a lot clearer on why your brand matters. But you’ll need to be patient, because it may take a little while to get clarity, especially if you’ve had your head down in the detail of running your business.
Get all your key people together and ask the key questions mentioned above. Collect all your thoughts and let it simmer for a while. Then, when you least expect it, while you’re doing something totally unrelated, a phrase or sentence will pop into your head and you’ll have language for why your brand matters. This process is enlightening and you will start to look at your brand in a completely new way. You will be grateful for having spent the time uncovering the answers to these crucial questions.
WE SPEAK THE SAME LANGUAGE
My wife loves watching movies and keeping up-to-date with what’s happening in the film industry. Often while we’re watching a movie she will grab her phone to find out more about the actors and the director. She loves being able to quickly access behind-the-scenes details. She says it deepens her enjoyment and appreciation of the film. Can you guess what brand she loves? Yeah, that’s right, IMDb – the world's most popular and authoritative source for movie, TV and celebrity content. My wife and IMDb hit it off because their passions connect and they believe the same thing – that information about the entertainment industry is entertaining in its own right.
Why do coffee lovers drive past suburbs filled with cafes to get to the one they know appreciates coffee as much as they do? Same answer, colliding passions! That’s how deep connections are formed. It’s the magnetic lure of creating a brand with deeply held beliefs others also share. When passions connect, sparks fly, and a relationship is ignited that people find hard to resist. It's common for customers to talk about this deep connection by saying, “We speak the same language.”
FIND OUT WHAT MATTERS AND OFFER IT
When you understand the significance of your brand, and why it matters, you’ve taken a huge step along the path to creating a brand people will love. The approach is simple. Find out what matters, what your people deeply love, and give it to them.