Photo of Sketch image with business ideas diagrams and graphs from Shutterstock.
People have a hard time putting their finger on what “brand” is, exactly.
I do my best in my own way to communicate the importance of branding to both large companies and SMBs. I do the usual speech of how it is more than your logo, how it is more than your web presence and how there are way more elements involved to making the whole thing work.
I often read up on case studies to use as ammunition on the battlefield of talking brand. When I find a few good ones I often scribble them down in my notebook to review later along with other random ramblings of ideas, sketches, doodles and whatever else pops into my melon.
The notebook
I only recently started keeping a daily journal to keep track of these passing ideas and stray thoughts. (I highly recommend it. Very therapeutic). The other day I was scribbling away on some idea – I’m sure I convinced myself it was amazing – and I just happened to notice my notebook itself. A simple black Moleskine number. When I picked it up I wasn’t even out shopping for a notebook that day; I’d simply waltzed into a stationery store and just saw a stack of them on a table – and there, to the left of the Moleskine display, was also a stack Hilroy spiral bound notebooks.
Two choices in front of me. Which would I choose as the vessel to hold the incredible creative revelations that bubbled forth from my mind? (Pardon me…just trying to build some drama here). Without hesitation, I grabbed the slick black notebook.
Sorry, Hilroy.
But then I thought to myself, why the Moleskine? I mean, it’s more expensive than the Hilroy, it has less writing space, and at the end of the day it’s just book filled with blank paper. So what is that would make me pay more for the pared-down esthetic of a slick hardcover notebook with an elasticized closure?
For me, it was the story behind the Moleskine brand.
The history
For those who don’t know, Moleskin notebooks have been around a long, a prototype based on the types of hand-bound notebooks made in Paris during the 19th and 20th century. Those notebooks were used by the likes of Oscar Wilde, Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Ernest Hemingway and Henri Matisse.
Moleskine allows its users to dream. And that’s exactly what great brands deliver to their customers.
Quite the creative pedigree, no? All incredible individuals whose life stories have shaped history. Now, could you imagine Pablo sketching out the beginnings of the Cubism movement in a Hilroy spiral-bound number. Of course, my choosing a Moleskine doesn’t elevated my ideas to the level of creative genius…but maybe…just maybe, by using this notebook, I could channel their inner greatness? Tap into my full creative potential and have a life of adventure that makes history?
I know. It’s a long shot, but that’s exactly it, right? That the Moleskine brand makes me believe it’s possible – all because of the historical legacy behind a small black book.
The choice
Over the years, Moleskine has woven a romantic narrative around their product that is summed up simply:
Moleskin = Travel, art, adventure, life experiences, exotic travel, culture, memory, imagination, and personal identity.
Hilroy = Calculus.
Quite the contrast in brand story for what is, essentially, just a book full of blank paper. Moleskine allows its users to dream. And that’s exactly what great brands deliver to their customers.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some doodling to do.
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About the author: Josh McInerney RGD, is Creative Director and Partner at Modu Design, an award-winning brand strategy and design agency that provides corporate brand strategy and design communications for small and medium enterprises, early-stage technology start-ups, and blue-chip clients.
What are the elements of a great brand story? Which brands are you loyal to because of their backstory? We’d love to hear from you. Tell us in the comments section below!