The Need For History and Authenticity
I had a great talk with my grandfather last week — we call him Papa Joe. He’s that favorite family member with all the stories. The one who’s been everywhere, and climbed snow covered hills barefooted just to get to school. It had been way too long since we sat down for one of Papa’s “lessons.” Sadly, I’d waited until he was confined to a hospital bed before I made the time to REALLY listen.
I’ve got an idea for an article, he told me. Do you know about the Chicago Stock Yards? He went on to explain how there were many popular restaurants located right along the strip of Chicago’s famous slaughter houses. People came from all over the country to eat steak right where it was grown (so to speak).
And the smell… he said… Well I guess you can imagine. He wanted me to pitch a story about what happened to all of those restaurants after the stock yards closed down. I thought of every interesting angle that could be covered; like why folks thought it was so glamorous to eat their beef in a spot of town that wreaked of blood, and why they would get all fancied up to do so.
But I knew my editor wouldn’t go for it. Yes, I write about food. But, I am supposed to write about the now. The audience is hungry for what’s hot today. They want the where to eat and drink and what clubs to go to. They want to know what everyone else is doing – so I’m told.
Perhaps it is this very concept that poses a problem for new business owners. Are people really only interested in what is hot right now? When they hear the same set of songs on EVERY local radio station and notice the same trends in every commercial – they just might not know any different.
The truth is that most people are starving for authenticity. They yearn for real art, entertainment with soul, and products that are going to make their lives easier.
You know this because these are the products that they’ll tell all their friends about. These are the ideas that seem to travel the world by word of mouth. I worked for Dyson Vacuum, and learned that his personal message on his commercial persuaded housewives across America to buy $600 vacuums.
But, most of the customers I spoke with bought the machine because their neighbor told them about it.
So you want to get to them? You want them to notice your product or subscribe to your service? Show them something in a new light. Or maybe a new “old” light. We all have a history – use yours to round out your business.
Yeah, we are living in a new era – but I’m sure you’ve noticed that it doesn’t always take a quality product to make a million bucks. If you want more than your quick 15 minutes of fame, you’ll need to build a strong foundation.
Use old novels, magazines or music to inspire new marketing ideas. Rely on something other than PowerPoint to give your next presentation. Remember, your audience may be experiencing a sugar-coated commercial life, but they’re not lost.
We are your audience, and I’d like to think that we know true quality when we see it.
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