Back in the day, when I was working at Hal Riney & Partners – this type of brilliant, in sync film-making would have seemed more the norm than the exception.  But today it is simply shocking to see the power of storytelling and visual messaging so masterfully used to communicate a brand’s authenticity.

There’s no question that the execution here is flawless: the casting, the direction, the mood, music, lighting, etc. but what’s thrilling is that the engine that drives this story is the brand’s authentic heritage and iconography.

In a recent Forbes.com article when discussing Johnny Walker, journalist Sam Barclay states that “people are willing to pay more for provenance”.  Here here!

It’s a pity that many of today’s brands spend more time giving us nonsensical entertainment disguised as messaging vs. finding their own stories and bringing them artfully to life.  Anyone for back to romancing the brand?

Bloom argues that “the enjoyment we get from something derives from what we think that thing is…for a painting, it matters who the artist was, for a steak, we care about what sort of animal it came from, for sex we are strongly affected by who we think our sexual partner really is”.

In other words, the invisible and intangible history associated with an otherwise ordinary object can give it a value far above and beyond what that object alone might otherwise command.

He calls this concept Essentialism, “the notion that things have an underlying reality or true nature that one cannot observe directly, and it is this hidden nature that really matters.”

I directly equate this “essential essence” to my first brand building pillar “authenticity”.  Although an intangible, it’s a companies’ passion, history and purpose that consumers care about from brands.  For example, knowing that at their core essence, Patagonia stays true to their “authenticity” or original purpose of making better products without harming the planet matters to us deep inside, and we’re therefore willing to pay more for a Patagonia t-shirt than one from another company lacking in such values.

I thank Professor Bloom for giving us such a thoughtful articulation of something so hard to define, yet so very essential.

“Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis.”
- Patagonia’s Mission Statement

Patagonia has 1,265 employees and saw $315 million in sales in 2009. This year they anticipate sales to be up to nearly $340 million. All while coming out of one of the worst recessions and shopping years in our nation’s history.

And they did it without lowering their prices. And without sacrificing product quality. And without changing their values. They’re true to who they are, they’ve maintained their integrity since they first started selling fleeces in 1977, and they have no plans to do anything differently.

Their authenticity is incredible. Everything they do has the core of their mission statement in mind and they are one of the original true-to-their-purpose brands. According to their CEO and founder Yvon Chouinard, “it’s good business to make a great product, and do it with the least amount of damage to the planet.”

They don’t just talk about doing things, they actually do them – something I call in-sync behaviors. For example, they have a recycling program for their clothing, which keeps their clothing line out of landfills. They have “Let My People Go Surfing” flextime for employees. They’re creating Patagonia National Park, a nature preserve in Chile. And they make it a point to only partner with retailers who make sense for their product.

Patagonia doesn’t only sell fleeces and outdoor gear…while they’re at it, they make sure their authenticity is reflected every step of the way. Their customers reward them for it year after year, proving that staying true can in fact, be a darn good business to be in.

“Both of our grandmothers used sugar, a natural antiseptic, to heal our scrapes.  Wanting to pass this effective ritual on to the world, we bottled our shared tradition, pioneering the use of sugar in the beauty industry.”- Lev Glazman and Alina Roytberg, Fresh Co-Founders

The lovely story, along with the rapturous sweet scent that spills out every time you open the jar, almost takes the sting away from spending $60 on a body scrub (!)

By weaving stories like this one into their product development, operations, employee training, and marketing, Fresh is effortlessly proving their authenticity while creating a powerful bond with customers. They make me feel…fresh.

First – the decor.

The old, worn out floor had been replaced by shiny dark floors made from reclaimed wood. The corporate-commissioned artwork had been replaced with what looked like one-of-a-kinds. The uncomfortable and worn out looking furniture had been replaced with sleek, yet cozy-looking chairs and stools. I felt like I was in a fashionable art deco library, not some corporate cookie cutter coffee shop. It felt…nice.

Next – the coffee line.

Suddenly a tall young gentleman appeared at my side with one of those little microphone ear things, asking me what I’d like to order. He must have either been a trainer or the superstar of his training class, because after I stared, stunned, at him for a few seconds he smoothly began to explain who he was and why he was asking.

He was amazingly eloquent, taking his time to explain this store location as Starbucks’ new downtown flagship. Not only had they renovated, they had also implemented significant operational improvements deeming them LEED-certified at this location. WOWOW! (LEED certification means that the interior was redesigned using strategies that improve environmental impact across all the metrics that matter: energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, and stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts.)

I was shocked they had made this kind of investment.  It can’t have been cheap, and really says something about their environmental conscientiousness.  I’m really listening now, and I can actually feel my non-plussed attitude towards Starbucks changing, right then and there.

Me: “I’ll have a tall coffee.”

The perfectly groomed, articulate employee with all the answers says, “OK. Would you like to try our new Clover coffee?”

He then went on to explain the new Clover machine, and French-press like filtration process.  “Its innovative design lets you discover new layers and dimensions within a coffee’s familiar aroma, flavor, body and acidity. The result is a deeper experience – one that’s carefully prepared and made to order, one cup at a time.”

Starbucks new $11,000 Clover Coffee machine. (BTW photographs of this machine are strictly forbidden - but you saw it here first!!)

The Clover coffee WAS made individually for me.  The barrista took me through the importance of each one of the steps. He also told me how to drink it, and how NOT to dress it with milk, etc. which would water down the magnificence of its flavor.

I could not believe how drastically my perception of this tired and corporate brand was continuing to change before my very eyes.

Summing up the experience…

The Clover Coffee WAS amazing.  I would (and will) recommend it to anyone.  The efficiency of the new pre-order line help was impressive (my coffee was actually ready at the time of payment).  The updated, LEED certified decor was inspirational.

I walked out of that Starbucks feeling amazed. Here is a brand that I’d previously considered so tired, corporate and predictable, that I actually avoid them now. But after that immersive, uplifting experience I walked out of the store actually feeling  EXCITED about  Starbucks again.

And that’s the golden ticket isn’t it?  No amount of money spent on an ad campaign could create something like what I just personally felt at Starbucks.  Humans are experiential learners – our knowledge of the world changes most drastically through personal experiences, not through 30 second commercials.

I wish all companies could understand how powerful a positive brand experience can be in updating and transforming consumers’ impressions of a brand.  Advertising can always build on and enhance consumers’ impressions, but if the impressions are based on a real-life, positive experience, the learning will be real, and consumers themselves will do the advertising!

I’d love to be one of those moms that cooks an amazing meal from scratch every single night. Family meal time is extremely important in my house, but I don’t always have the time I’d like to prepare every dinner every night, just like so many others.

So in came Amy’s.

I first found Amy’s at my local Whole Foods – and apparently so did many others because they’re now the nation’s leading natural frozen foods brand. Founders Andy and Rachel started the business out of their very own home when their daughter, Amy, was born in 1988.  They didn’t set out to be a mega-brand, their goal was simply to provide convenient and tasty natural vegetarian meals for busy people like themselves.

Everything about Amy’s works. The food is yummy.  Not too costly.  They do make healthy eating easy.  But I think what really has people coming back to Amy’s over and over again is their authenticity.  Everything about this brand rings true -  we sense it with every interaction.  From the crystal clear purpose stated on the box, to the great-for-you ingredients, to the real life stories about the employees on their website, to Amy’s own blog (amys.com/journal). Wherever you drill into this company you come up with pay dirt.

I nominate Amy’s the Authenticity poster child this week!

New Holiday Inn Ads From McCann

They do a great job of celebrating their new-found authenticity (updated rooms at a good price) in a very entertaining fashion.

Kiehl’s opened its doors in the East Village over 150 years ago, and one of the brand rituals that started with the founder himself is still prominently pleasing customers today – product sampling.

At any customer’s request (often my own), Kiehl’s provides hand-mixed samples of any product. But it doesn’t stop there. Product samples are enough to last a customer for three days. It’s purposefully just enough to give the product a proper trial before buying an entire bottle. Not only is it a feel-good experience to walk out with a coveted freebie, it’s also a ritual that’s been ingrained in what it means to shop at Kiehl’s.

When the ritual of product sampling started over a century and a half ago, Kiehl’s motto quietly became “Try before you buy!” and it’s amazing that it’s still practiced today.

Sure, anyone can give out a prepackaged bit of moisturizer. But there’s something about a hand-packed vial of Kiehl’s that makes it all the more special. Plus, it makes spending $17 on a bottle of Creme de Corps just a liiiiittle bit easier to swallow.

Not only are the herbs there to tempt your senses of sight and smell, they’re also there to tempt your sense of taste. In Europe, where Vapiano calls home, diners are encouraged to pick herbs straight from the plants on their table to garnish the dish in front of them. Although US food laws do not allow such an amazing branded ritual (touch and smell, yes; eat, no), Vapiano locations in the US encourage their patrons to specify to their chef exactly “how they like their herbs.” Me? I’ll have the pesto pasta with extra oregano and a few basil leaves, please.

And the most amazing part? After a quick skim of their website and their menus, nowhere could I find the phrase “fresh herbs.” Without saying or typing a word, Vapiano successfully communicates in their stores exactly how fresh their foods are through simple branded rituals, visual messaging and by tapping the core of your human being — your five senses.

Cosi gives us flatbread samples. Starbucks calls their employees “baristas.” And Spice Market requires their female wait staff wear gold earrings.

Indian-inspired earrings. In yellow gold. Nothing else will do.

Spice Market is a restaurant in the heart of New York City’s Meatpacking District that focuses on Southeast Asian cuisine. But it’s not just the cuisine that makes it Southeast Asian. In addition to menu items like curried duck and chicken wings drizzled in sticky-sweet chile sauce, the restaurant decor is straight out of an Indian bazaar. And from a brand experience perspective, yellow gold earrings are the icing on the cake.

According to owner and founder Lois Freedman, “I’m very visual,” she says. “I’m involved in the look of a restaurant, down to the staff’s jewelry. At 66, I don’t allow it. At Spice Market, I want the women to wear Indian earrings, yellow gold. I have to be specific. Otherwise they could come in with turquoise ones from New Mexico!” (New York Magazine, “Spice Marketer” by Beth Landman)

And she’s right. The tiniest detail – down to the color and style of staffs’ earrings – has more of an impact on your customer’s brand experience than you’d think. It’s this type of attention to details and congruent messaging that help create a spot-on, in-sync brand experience