My friend Gair Maxwell recently wrote a brilliant book titled: “Big Little Legends: How everyday leaders build irresistible brands”. He is passionate about stories that define your brand. Stories that separate you and your brand as a leader or as a company from all the clutter and noise that is out there.
Gair talks about the Mona Lisa, and the story around why that painting by Leonardo da Vinci is so special. He poses the question: “Ever wonder why amongst 35,000 master-works hanging in the Louvre that just one comparatively unremarkable 30×21 inch (76×53 cm’s) painting is perpetually surrounded by tourists?”
Gair goes on to tell the story about how the Mona Lisa became famous overnight when in 1911 it was stolen by three Italian Handymen that hid overnight in a closet inside the Louvre and in the morning, walked out with the Mona Lisa, and boarded a train out of the city. The Louvre didn’t report the theft because someone thought the painting had been taken away by a photographer to document the museums many works. After the theft was announced to the press, newspapers all over the world reported on it, and the ‘heist’ became a national scandal.
There are lots of stories about seemingly unremarkable businesses out there that become famous because of the stories that get told about them. A fish monger in Seattle’s Pike Place Market where people line up to watch workers throw fish at each other. A roadside burger stand in rural Ontario where people line up every day for a burger, fries and a shake and the government had to install a pedestrian overpass so that customers would not get hit by a car on the highway trying to cross over. Jack Daniels Whiskey. The Savannah Bananas (a minor league baseball team that sells out every home game). The list goes on.
You and your business have a story that needs to be told. A story that sets you apart from everyone and everything else. A story that makes you remarkable and worthy of being sought after or lined up for.
Gair will also say that your company is not your product or service. You are a media company that tells stories that make you different. Stories are emotional and connect people to each other. Stories get noticed.
What story do you have to tell?
Robert Murray is a Vancouver, BC based Business Strategy Consultant, #1 Best Selling Author, International Keynote Speaker, and TEC Top Speaker of the Year for 2018. For further advice, insight and inspiration on how to unlock your inner leader, connect with Robert on LinkedIn.
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Tags: Branding, Business Strategy, Marketing, Mona Lisa, Robert Murray, Robert S. Murray, Storytelling
