Jonah Sachs has written a great book on the proper use of story and the five deadly sins of marketing (vanity, authority, insincerity, puffery and gimmickry).  Tapping into the power of myth, Sachs speaks to empowerment marketing and what that shift would entail. The most important takeaway for me from this new offering was the importance, again, of the value system that guides individual and corporate behaviour. In short, SHOW DON’T TELL.  Any brand who has maintained its value over time has relied on clearly expressed and lived values.  Brand communication becomes sharing your values with your customers and can be expressed in the following values “bucket”:

1. Values built into the founding story

2. Values expressed by products and services

3. Values held by leadership

4. Values you believe will most deeply resonate with your audience

To Sachs, these are the building blocks of the stories you tell about yourself and your organization.  If possible, the values should align over all the categories. Hard to do, yes! Living by values is never an easy choice. But it is the most sustainable and profitable course. So your intent for your organization? If sustainability and profitability matter, then you might want to add this offering to your reference shelf. The book can be purchased now for pre-release – Winning the Story Wars will be available in July.  You can also check out the video.

Winning the Story Wars: Why Those Who Tell (and Live) the Best Stories Will Rule the Future