Being powerful and memorable

Memory is powerful – especially when it carries with it abundant emotion.

As I shovel my way through January and February I’m reminded of when I was a kid in the snow.  Back then I was not concerned about getting to work or worrying about when the snow plow would come back to bury me in. My snow experiences were filled with making snow balls, snow angels, sledding, and skiing. They always included my friends or my brothers. It was joy.

I’m also reminded of a book my 1st grade teacher read to me called, The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats. It’s about a boy named Peter who had wondrous adventures in the snow. It’s a memorable story. My teacher read many other stories that year. Books about eating vegetables, that policeman are your friend, and wearing mittens and boots makes mom happy. I can tell you nothing more about these stories. They didn’t connect with me.  Yet I can play back the entire story of Peter in the Snowy Day. To me good marketing is like the Snowy Day. It’s unique, conjuring up distinct sights and sounds and fills you with emotion. Think of some current brands – think Apple, then Microsoft. Think Panera Bread, then McDonalds. All are successful  brands (remember people are brands, too). But one feels passionate and memorable and the other just doesn’t seem to have it, or has lost it’s way.

So next time you’re shoveling out from the latest visit by your neighborhood snow plow think of what snow felt like when you were a kid. Those memories are as wondrous as the glistening icicles around you. Why not consider and make yourself and your brand wondrous and fun? Don’t lose your way. Be a powerful, memorable story to all, just like the book my teacher read to me about The Snowy day… and not like that other book about peas and milk and something else I can’t remember.