Free to Be...You and Me: Lessons in Authentic Brand Content
blog post
February 18, 2021
Free to Be You and Me…Lessons in Authentic Brand Content
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By Heather Munro
Photo: My Own
When COVID-19 struck earlier this spring, copywriters like me were suddenly pressed into service crafting pandemic marketing messages. As the crisis evolved, I saw tons of terrible emails pass through my inbox.
Every business wanted to weigh in on how it was handling these “unprecedented times.” No wait, these “uncertain, unsettling, challenging, unusual, crazyass times.”
Not many companies could pull off the term “crazyass times,” am I right? That’s the beauty of authentic brand content, though. When you find just the right tone —and point of view—to express a brand’s true personality, it just works.
How to Make Authentic Brand Content During a Pandemic
Around this time, I had recently begun writing for a retail client who makes and sells sun protective hats.
As I grappled with the daily onslaught of bad news, I couldn’t understand why this client wanted to keep sharing so much about “working together,” “doing our part” and “staying positive” with customers.
Truth be told, I was skeptical. Wouldn’t customers see through this as a marketing ploy? Or think the brand was too preachy? As a friend of mine said during the first few weeks of the never-ending “COVID-19 Update” emails, “One would HOPE companies are taking all of the necessary safety precautions.”
After writing a landing page about new safety protocols and shipping delays, some emails promoting Mother’s Day gift cards, and a special offer postcard to wholesale customers, I was asked to write a blog post on the silver linings from the pandemic.
You know, sort of like the inspirational last page of Oprah magazine. I was wary.
Authenticity Is the Bridge Between Brand and Sales
But I looked over the gratitude messaging the client wanted to convey, took a deep breath and did some thinking about the company’s mission and goals.
I considered that a portion of proceeds from the company’s sunhat sales have always gone back to skin cancer research. In addition, as a Certified B Corp, the company has formally committed to put people and the planet over profits.
When the company needed to let customers know their warehouse was closing because of local stay at home orders, messaging about keeping employees and the larger community safe during the pandemic was baked into emails and website copy.
Plus, the company’s owner also helped found a nonprofit that provides girls in Africa with biodegradable sanitary napkins so they can stay in school. (Even trains the girls on how to make the pads so they learn a livelihood.)
So I kept all of this in mind when I sat down to write. As Carrie Bradshaw might have said, I couldn’t help but wonder… would positive-thinking people see the good that comes from the bad—that we can and will come back stronger after adversity?
A few hours after the post launched, I found out when my client texted to thank me.
“Nice job on the blog. It went live today and we have already done about $2,000 in sales with no call to action. This is great.”
She was thrilled and I was surprised.
Turns out, the client was right and had a better pulse on her brand than I did.
I was forced to acknowledge that maybe I’m skeptical because I work in marketing and understand how it works behind the scenes. Or more likely, I was scared out of my mind about the pandemic and thought everyone should be hunkering down and preparing for the worst like me, instead of looking for the best like my client.
Marlo Thomas Practically Invented Authentic Brand Content
As I wrote this post, a poem from my childhood popped into my head that perfectly sums up what I learned about authenticity. It’s from Free to Be...You and Me by Marlo Thomas. (Dan Greenbury wrote it and Billy De Wolfe performed it on the album.)
Don't dress your cat in an apron
Just 'cause he's learning to bake.
Don't put your horse in a nightgown
Just 'cause he can't stay awake.
Don't dress your snake in a muu-muu
Just 'cause he's off on a cruise.
Don't dress your whale in galoshes
If she really prefers overshoes.
A person should wear what he wants to.
And not just what other folks say
A person should do what she likes to
A person's a person that way.
We all know the key to good marketing isn’t trying to be all things to all people. It’s staying true to what your brand stands for. So your customers want to have an ongoing relationship with you—the authentic you.
And while the second stanza of the poem may sound like it’s giving you permission to do whatever you want because it’s your company, damn it, it’s really not. Working with this client taught me a valuable lesson: sometimes you’ve got to take a step back and determine what really makes a brand a brand.
These days, the companies that can tap into their authenticity and show they care more about the world around them than their business’ bottom line are the ones who will be around long after the pandemic is gone.
Need authentic brand content? I promise note to dress whale in galoshes.