I just talked about story yesterday. Here is another example:
Last night the results of the Iowa Caucus were announced. The two “hope” candidates won (Obama’s message, Huckabee’s home town).
This isn’t a political blog — I won’t mention who I support — but I think it’s safe to call these two “story candidates”.
The other candidates have their policies, their experience, and their political machines. Yes, they have stories too.
But these two are all about stories. Their speeches, demeanor, and interactions are all crafted to build a personal brand.
Brands reach people, especially in a place like Iowa where the message isn’t diluted by a huge population. It should come as no surprise that the story candidates — the ones with the strongest personal brands — did the best in reaching a (comparatively) small audience.
Where’s the marketing lesson in this? A strong personal brand reaches “deep,” as opposed to “wide”. At first.
Money lets you reach wide right away. It lets you blast your message to the masses.
Brand lets you reach deep. It lets you touch, mobilize, and evangelize a small group.
Our new and growing interconnectedness is beginning to prove the value in turning the small group of evangelists into your megaphone, rather than wielding the megaphone in the first place.
[photo via smcgee]
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