Add this to your must-read business books: Accidental Branding.
It's not that the content is revolutionary, or that it communicates the one elusive secret to business success. Rather, it is an inspirational book filled with great stories of entrepreneurs and what makes them tick, and the accidents and choices that made their businesses great.
The premise is simple. Author David Vinjamuri, a business school prof and former large company brand manager, went looking for successful companies that were not born in a corporate board room, or in the brain of a B-school grad. These are stories of ordinary people who thought "I can do that better," or "why is no one selling this," and then they set about to do just that. The
eight seven companies profiled had the typical hiccups and struggles along the way, but they persisted and built great brands.
The stories are of companies built around consumer brands -- Burt's Bees, J. Peterman, Clif Bar, for instance -- but I found things that ring true for me as a business-to-business marketer.
Vinjamuri begins the book with a chapter on the "rules" of these successful enterprises, the practices they appear to have in common (besides beating the odds). My favorite observation? "Rule # 5: Build a Myth."
I cannot overemphasize the importance of your founding myth to the success of your brand. Remember that consumers look for expertise, authenticity, and consistency in brands.... The trick in building your founding myth is selecting the facts that you want to tell, and deciding best how to share them.... You may not have a romantic founding story, but if you're an entrepreneur solving your own problem, you do have a story.... You will know your myth is a good one if it comes back to you from your consumers.
Wow.
I have instinctively known this for years. The "story" is what has attracted me to so many entrepreneurial ventures, and I have opined on the need to articulate the "story" to many entrepreneurs trying to raise funding and reach customers.
Your story is what differentiates you. A good story is what allows a small venture to disrupt an established market and to win customers away from bigger players. The story allows inventors to effectively create a new category of product or service.
Of course, to be successful, the story has to be true, and consistent with the customers' experiences with the product and their interactions with the company. It has to "inform" and shape the brand.
The other rules (Be your own customer, Be unnaturally persistent, Do sweat the small stuff, and more) are also worth discussion and thought. Still the need to tell a story resonated with me.
The subsequent chapters, one on each company, recount the founding myths, and make it clear how these stories helped shape the brands.
It's an optimistic, engaging book. In spite of the gloomy economic backdrop, I closed the book energized and excited about what entrepreneurs I might be lucky enough to cross paths with tomorrow. I can hardly wait to hear their stories!
