What's Your Story?

What's the one thing that differentiates your brand from the next company doing or making the same thing? Your story! Notice how many brands now feature their story prominently in their packaging.
Today's example: Old Mill Kettle Corn
It's perfect in every way (gluten free, non-gma, zero trans fat) and it's delicious. But when I turned the bag over to find that their flagship store was just a few counties away in Chickamauga, Georgia, I was immediately invested.    

Locally sourced and trackable with emphasis on story.

We have guests this week, friends from Boulder, who thoughtfully thanked us with a produce tote filled with coffee, preserves and chocolates, all Boulder-labels. From my community to yours, it suggested, with the emphasis all local. Among my favorite in the mix: MMLocal's paonia pears. A sticker on top of the lid allowed me to track the source of the fruit inside.

Pig Roast

The Four Coursemen, Athens, GA self-taught gourmets and rising food stars, hosted their annual pig roast this past weekend. The babies, the band, the high gravity local brews and well-behave pups made this family reunion-style potluck an entire afternoon affair of community cool.

Capman: the story of stuff....is about survival.

While walking the dog today I happened upon a sighting of this mobile piece of identifiable art in Athens: the cap man's truck.  Read his inspiring story here.

Story sells

Tonight I picked up up a "mess of greens" at the farmer's market, then rode my bike to the wine shop to fetch a bottle of red. I reached for it because the price was right and I wanted something simple, straightforward.......like the label. POW! Just like that I was another casualty of marketing. Only the $7 bottle of wine was good. Like the label.