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evian Mountain
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Today, we will explore how a brand story based on heritage can be an extremely rewarding proposition if you can connect your brand with the desire of consumers to formulate a deeper connection with the place or culture your brand will be known for.
We love to connect with places we've been to, call home, or dream of visiting one day. We sense an immediate feeling of connection and sometimes belonging. Marketing has always taken full advantage of this, from Evian water showcasing the beauty of its origin, Évian-les-Bains on the south shore of Lake Geneva in Switzerland (where I was once lucky to live across the lake and enjoy the view daily), to the Danish-sounding Häagen-Dazs, which actually hails from the Bronx. That's right – the brand association we make with a location can sometimes be misleading. The next time you use Irish Spring soap, dream of Germany instead of Celtic landscapes because that is where the "Irish" soap actually originates.
Do you remember the Super Bowl spot from Chrysler and Eminem? "Born of Fire", also known as "Imported from Detroit". Featuring the rapper Eminem (from Detroit), it showcased storytelling built on heritage at its best. I even got goosebumps, and I'm not from Detroit.
How to use Heritage in Brand Building
Connect with (your) heritage and let it speak. It will create conversations that will have your brand as the centerpiece.
Just like attaching your brand to a personality, a location can make for bad headlines. Know the risks, and be prepared to partake in flipping it around as you are now an unofficial spokesperson for that location.
Expanding a heritage brand needs to be well-planned to keep a brand aura of authenticity.
If heritage becomes your brand, “buy/support local” may turn into an obvious and sometimes immediate added benefit to your brand.
💡Takeaway → Heritage can enhance brand authenticity, but it requires careful management to maintain credibility and handle potential risks.
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