Reflection #6: Gardner’s “stories” and marketing

In his book Leading Minds, Howard Gardner posits his theory of leadership. One aspect of leadership he presents is the idea that effective leaders embody stories of identity. That is, they tell a certain story to their followers and also embody that story. For example, Eleanor Roosevelt was an advocate for women’s rights; she embodied this identity in her personal life and her career by taking on roles that were not considered womanlike. In this way she embodied her feminist message. This idea of embodying stories is incredibly relevant to the industry of marketing and branding. I have observed that companies also tell certain stories, and that they can either embody them or not. Part of my work as an intern at Simpson Scarborough has included assisting the marketing team in researching peer companies – specifically how these peer companies market themselves. I’ve been researching how these companies talk about themselves. Because of this, I’ve been able to see a lot of different examples of stories, in the way Gardner talks about them. Companies usually have an “About Us” section on their website. What I’ve noticed is that every company I researched (all small, East Coast or Mid-West marketing/website design/market research firms, focused on higher education) has a similar “story.” Each company seems to think it’s being unique – quirky and laid-back, with employee bios that share favorite ice cream flavors and films, some candid shots from around the office, a conversational and friendly tone (that screams “trying too hard”). In reality, they all begin to fade together in your mind. Their stories are not what Gardner would call visionary or innovative. A visionary story is something completely new – a new concept or identity for people to rally behind. An innovative story takes an old story and presents it in a new or unconventional way. Almost none of these companies can distinguish themselves from the others, despite their clear effort. I don’t know what the answer to this problem is, but I believe the first step in solving it is what I’m currently doing for Simpson Scarborough: researching the various “stories” of competing companies. Through this research, getting a sense of what’s the norm in the industry, Simpson Scarborough can begin to distinguish itself from the competition.