Why are you here ? Not metaphysically .
But , why is your business located in THIS city ? Why have you chosen to build your business in THIS town ?
Your “ About Us ” Page
I am willing to bet that the most underserved and un-interesting page on your website is your “ About Us ” page . Core values that don ’ t mean anything litter these pages . Your “ About Us ” page is a repository for vague mission statements and boring bios that do little to differentiate your business . It ’ s time to use this page to tell a story .
The Origin Story We love a good origin story .
Why Are You Here ?
The Simple Story That is Missing From Your Marketing
BY : ANDREW DAVIS , CO-FOUNDER , TIPPINGPOINT LABS
An origin story is the back-story of a person , place or thing . It is the legend behind a comic book character , a corporation , a product or even a sport .
When it comes to corporate origin stories , it would seem that a garage or a dorm room is one of the best places to build a successful business . Hewlett-Packard , Apple Computer , Google , Amazon , Disney , Yankee Candle , Harley Davidson , Mattel , Maglite , and Lotus all tell origin stories that start in someone ’ s garage and end with success . Facebook , Dell , and Microsoft are all purported to have started in dorm rooms . Read enough of these origin stories and you might think your business would be more successful if you move into a garage or find yourself a dorm room .
These kinds of stories are powerful . They are told and re-told .
Great origin stories become legends . They become a piece of pop ( or even corporate ) folklore .
What ’ s your orgin story ? WHY are you here ?
We live in a global economy . We can choose to buy from anyone anywhere in the world . So why should I buy from you ?
The Price of a Pen
There are two pens in front of you . They look the same : a $ 5 pen made in China and a $ 10 pen made in the USA . Which one would you buy ?
If you are like most consumers , you ’ ll purchase the Chinese-made pen .
So , how could I inspire you to buy an American-made pen for three times the price of its Chinese-made look-a-like ?
One self-made billionaire , Tom Kartsotis , has figured this out , and the answer is elegantly simple : imbue your product with a powerful sense of place . Before I tell you Tom ’ s story , let me help you embrace a new sense of place .
The Paradox of Place
Sense of place is a way of describing the emotional relationship that an individual has with a particular area . It is a valueladen concept that encapsulates a person ’ s feelings , perceptions , attitudes and behavior towards a specific location .
Ironically , the more global our economy , the less we leverage the marketing value found in the sense of place . In a digitallydriven world , the products and services we buy aren ’ t from anywhere . They are from the web .
Unfortunately , the more global our economy has become , the less we believe our origin story – and the place we ’ ve built our business – matters .
The Power of Location-Envy
Location-envy is the emotional belief that one ’ s success is defined by the location of one ’ s work .
We ’ ve been taught that envy is bad ( it is one of the seven deadly sins .) But location-envy is benign . The envy we ’ ve been encouraged to avoid is destructive . Location-envy is constructive . It ’ s a unifying force , an amazing source of pride , a tremendous motivator , and — most importantly — a powerful emotion .
Location-envy creates a connection between the place we ’ ve built our businesses and the success we ’ ve seen . It creates a connotation , a feeling about our town , that connects our desire for success with a specific place in the world . These kinds of emotional connections and connotations are sticky . Not only do they appeal to those in the industry , they ’ re easy to remember .
So , who is the billionaire venture capitalist who ’ s figured out how to inspire consumers to spend $ 15 on a pen just by marketing the place it is made ?
The Power of Place
In 2011 , billionaire venture capitalist Tom Kartsotis ( the founder of Fossil ) set out to launch a new luxury watch brand . Rumor has it that before Mr . Kartsotis decided to set up shop in Detroit , he commissioned a study to find out if the Detroit brand alone added value to the products he planned to produce .
The study asked participants “ if they preferred pens made in China , the USA , or Detroit at price points of $ 5 , $ 10 and $ 15 respectively .” The result ? Given a choice between a pen made in China or the USA , participants consistently chose the Chinese pen . As soon as they added the option to buy the $ 15 , Detroit-made pen to the mix , subjects immediately decided
12 SPRING 2016