Defining Your Organization’s Story

I believe the importance of storytelling is currently under-utilized in the market–yet it’s becoming ever more needed. As a customer myself, I value companies that take a position, that share their values and back them up with action–companies that are more than a company–but a passionate group of people not afraid to add to the manuscript.

But as an organization–how do you get everyone on the same page? Sure–a communications brief, a missions statement, or a value statement might provide a route to defining one’s table of contents. However, constructing those documents can be an intimidating, formal and painstakingly long process. So, I have another remedy for you.

Jump over to Ogilvy PR’s recent post where Patagonia’s VP of Marketing shares Patagonia’s story. The simple, bullet format provided offers insight into the values Patagonia has, the position it takes and how it translates both into business.When done reading, try the exercise out for your own organization. Try it with a colleague or even try it with a customer–what were your answers? Did you have an answer? And if you did the exercise with someone else–how’d the answers differ?

Now, my next question: What process might you recommend for an organization wanting to define its story?

PS: I want to give props to an organization who is doing this right (examples always help)–> Worldways Social Marketing. The title of their blog is my favorite title of any blog, We Take Sides. It tells me where they stand. It gives me a feel for the type of company they are, and communicates to me that they are a passionate group of people who believe in what they do–without any corporate speak. Your turn: Who do you think is doing it right?

flickr photo credit: JeremyHall

5 thoughts on “Defining Your Organization’s Story”

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Mark Marosits November 23, 2009 at 10:13 am

First, thank you for the mention-Worldways is honored by your kind words. On storytelling, I really like freedomfromhunger.org, where it tells its story by featuring a few of the million of women it helps to lift themselves from poverty. It has been very, very successful. I also like Skoll Foundation’s Social Edge blog under the editorial guidance of Victor D’Allant. And, well…Social Butterfly!

Alex Post authorNovember 23, 2009 at 10:36 am

Thanks Mark! I’ll be sure to look into those organizations–sounds like some good eats to fuel some good thinking.

Alex Post authorNovember 23, 2009 at 5:13 pm

Hey all–I found this great post on frogloop with some more tangible next steps and thoughts (including a pretty neat slidedeck) to get your mind mulling over the importance of storytelling even more: http://ow.ly/EZYa.

Robin Luymes December 7, 2009 at 11:30 am

Great post and great question. I began as a journalist writer 20 years ago, and then shifted to PR. Over the years, I came to love the PR profession because it is about story telling, plain and simple. My mom taught me to love reading and writing; my dad taught me to love hearing and telling stories. Together, they are what PR is all about.

For an organization, it’s important to know who/what they are and what there story is, and for people throughout that organization to know it and be able to share it. I worked for a company where most knew the story, but there was disagreement between folk (depending on where they sat) on what was most central to the company’s existence.

In any case, great job!

Alex Post authorDecember 7, 2009 at 12:10 pm

@Robin Thanks for the kudos. Though, like you, a lot of the credit goes back to my mom who is a reading and writing teacher who enstilled similiar values in me that it sounds like your mother did as well. That, and my journalism professors who showed me how the story is always evolving and always changing–and taught me the value and fun of being a part of it!

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5 thoughts on “Defining Your Organization’s Story”