Skip to content

Hey Gang, Let’s Put On a Show!

Sometime back, when we were working on the story framework for Target, then CMO Michael Francis explained the magic of retail to me: At its best, he said, it’s like putting on a show—every day.

We’ve been thinking about that metaphor a lot recently, as we watch the fortunes of retailers rise and fall in a constantly churning, Darwinian scrum. What we see, from a story point of view, is that the retailers who are successful at any point in time seem to be the ones with the clearest sense of what show they are putting on.

But it’s important not to confuse a show with a theme. For example, “western” is a theme. You can tell me a movie is a western without telling me anything at all about the story. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, on the other hand, is a show that happens to have a western theme. While applying this structure to retail is a little subjective, I think Pier 1 Imports seems to be built on a theme, while Ikea is a show because it communicates a deeper, more engaging story.

The key is that a compelling retail show, like any good story, embraces conflict in a unique and engaging way. This is important because while classically trained marketers have a discouraging tendency to try to avoid conflict, conflict is the heart of every great story. It’s what gives a great show energy and makes it feel authentic.

We haven’t done a story-framework project for Ikea, so I don’t know for sure what conflict powers its story. Still, the sense of a show is palpable, and the sure touch of the storyteller on every aspect of the experience is very satisfying for me as a member of the audience. Here are some of the intersecting story currents that seem to give the Ikea show its energy: stylish versus functional, imported versus accessible, exotic versus familiar, cheap versus valuable, creative versus controlled.

Having a clear sense of what show you’re putting on must start with understanding the story of the brand at a strategic level—the conflict that drives the story and the meaning that conflict conveys. From that point, the show is in the hands of the storytellers: the marketers, designers and merchandizers who have to scramble to mount a blockbuster every day. That’s why I’m fascinated to see what happens next at J.C.Penny, where Michael Francis has just been hired as the new president. He joins Ron Johnson, Penny’s new CEO and the man credited with the development of the retail store strategy for Apple. These are two guys with a deep, intuitive grasp of story that makes me think they might be able to put on one hell of a show.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this way of looking at the category. I would particularly like to know who you think is putting on a great show, who is settling for the theme approach, and who is simply dying on stage.

Return to all posts

“For B2B businesses, Character is a powerful tool. I have used Character three times in my leader marketing roles, 2x were in B2B businesses. The Character work was the foundation of a transformation in product innovation/commercialization, rebranding, M&A, sales growth, and employee engagement. Character’s work helped us take dead brands and make them relevant again and helped us establish lesser-known brands with high share in a B2B market. What’s so unique is that you don’t create something that the ‘marketing talking heads’ think the company needs, you use the history, culture and DNA that is already part of the company to bring out the true story that is unique to only your brand. The Character team is so special, genuine, and has the perfect mix of creative and business knowledge to lead cross-functional executives through this process. ”
—Melissa Minihan, Head of Digital Commerce & Marketing, Veritiv Corporation

“Character gets to the heart of what good storytelling is all about. They’ve helped Wendy’s focus on what makes us unique, different and special and that’s helped us to get people’s attention, keep their interest and keep the business growing. We compete with much larger brands, but by being overt about how we want to attack those differences, we’ve been able to have a lot of tension and conflict in the story that we are telling. That allows us to keep the story fresh and to fuel it. The more we do that the more positive attention we get as a brand and the more the brand continues to grow, which, in turn, builds our confidence in our storytelling and keeps the courage level high.”

—Kurt  Kane, President U.S. & Chief Commercial Officer, Wendy’s Corporation

“I’ve been through Character’s story framework process four times in my career, and it has always added extraordinary value. It was a central piece of Walmart’s rebranding effort in 2006, as we sought a new articulation of our brand narrative and our purpose. It’s an equally powerful tool for us now, as Walmart defines its place in a rapidly transforming retail environment. And we are currently using it to do the same for Sam’s Club.”

—Tony Rogers, Chief Marketing Officer, Walmart

“Character’s approach to brand building is unlike any other in the business. Jim and his team use the timeless truths of human storytelling to unlock story potential and connect deeply with brand audiences. I’ve worked with Character throughout my career, and my experience with Tabasco was as fascinating, inspiring, and productive as ever. 

Character worked with our team not only to help us re-examine and re-articulate the elemental truths of our iconic global brand but also to develop and apply practical tools that make the brand story framework user-friendly for our entire organization. 

I whole-heartedly recommend Character to any brand marketer who is looking to make intuitive and durable connections with their consumer.”

Lee Susen, Chief Sales & Marketing Officer, Tabasco / McIlhenny Company