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My Brother the Archaeologist

When we began this practice, almost a decade ago, I was quite impatient with what I saw as the “pretence of science” that seemed to inform a lot of poor decision making in the world of marketing. But over the years I came to realize that some quantitative tools were essential if you were going to run a business on a large scale. In an attempt to square this circle I consulted my brother Jay, a PhD archaeologist who has built and run a contract archeology company in Tucson for twenty-five years.

I began by asking Jay about the proper role of quantitative analysis in the social sciences (because if marketing does resemble some variety of science, it sure ain’t physics). He told me that in the social sciences any question that can be answered yes or no by quantitative analysis alone is probably a trivial question. I told him I understood that only too well, thinking of the misuse of science by a lot of my clients. But then, I said, what are you doing out there with your surveying equipment, measuring the distance from the fire pit to the various pot shards and mapping all the data on your computer?
    
Ah, he said, here’s the point: if you do the quantitative analysis well then the numbers reveal patterns that are not visible to the naked eye. Based on those patterns you develop a hypothesis about how things go together, which can then be tested with new data. The hypothesis is a story, a way of attributing meaning to the numbers, and the virtuous cycle of data-story-data-story is the way we explore and slowly accumulate a better and deeper understanding of the world.

I like this explanation because it helps me understand the relationship between the science metaphor and the story metaphor as applied to marketing. At a superficial level, the two approaches seem antagonistic. Marketers committed to the “scientific” approach believe that research can be used to understand consumers in order to directly influence their behavior. Brands built on story focus instead on finding the meaning in a brand in order to develop an authentic relationship around common values. Superficial attempts to graft the two together often feel like manipulation. But if you understand the virtuous cycle of story and science you can use your insight to develop a brand that commands deep and enthusiastic loyalty.

The question is, are you using your research primarily to find levers that drive traffic or are you using the insight you gain from research in order to connect a brand that really means something to a group of consumers who value what it means? In other words, are you giving your consumers something to buy into or just something to buy?

I would love to hear examples of either kind, if you can think of any.

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“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