Brand Lessons Learned From The Book Danny And The Dinosaur
Are you BRAVE enough to keep it simple?
Branding gets needlessly complex. And costly.
My question is: Are you brave enough to make it simple?
It all begins with story. Here’s a true one:
Just before Covid, I was flying to Denver to give a keynote and was seated beside a friendly executive. His name was Brian. He was en route to a training event for his company’s state-of-the-art microwave launch. And eager to share the product details. Two days earlier, I accidentally set my microwave on fire, and the fire department had to stop by to remove it.
I love listening,
When Brian asked what I do, I answered with this question: “Can you tell me what your brand’s story is? “I think it’s something about customer expectations,” Brian answered. He was stumped and a little embarrassed.
“Good,” I said. “Then can you tell me the first children’s book you remember that was ever read to you?”
Danny and the Dinosaur!” Brian answered in a snap. His face lit up like he was 7 and had just read this Syd Hoff classic yesterday.
Danny, visiting the museum, befriends a 100-million-year-old dinosaur and rides him out the door and around the city to show his friends.
I asked Brian more on-the-spot made-up questions. “This is blowing my mind,” he said.
Why?
Because this simple, memorable, and repeatable story made a wedge into Brian’s memory and understanding of himself even before his brain was fully formed. And it never left him. He was remembering now who he had always been.
This is what a great brand does at any age. It makes a wedge.
Brian never considered that story could have been shaping, guiding, and magically reconnecting him with his best self all along. Helping to clarify his essence and even career path.
By the end of our flight, Brian was typing away new ideas for changes within his team. Jazzed.
Memorable, aspirational, and repeatable. That’s what a classic story is. That’s what a classic brand does, too. It touches your heart fast. And your heart trusts it.
My heart still loves my favorite line from that book:
“It’s good to take an hour or two off after 100 million years,” said the dinosaur.
Give yourself an hour or two off from struggling to figure out what your brand stands for and who you are.
Here’s how to get a first glimpse of how this may work for you: Try to remember the first kids book ever read to you. Then find a copy of your book used or maybe even still on your own bookshelf. Read it out loud. Listen to your voice.
Try not to figure out what it “means.” Better to see how you feel after.
This could be the beginning of everything changing.
This is how I help CEOs, teams, and entrepreneurs. From start-ups to Fortune 100s.
If you want to get to the uncomplicated, powerful, and profound place you need to be, I’d welcome the chance to help you.
Leah
