Going back from whence we came. The compelling narrative of the sea and how to harness the power of storytelling for marine brands; a lesson in authenticity from JFK.
President John F. Kennedy was never a man short of something profound to say. When invited to speak to a room full of America’s most experienced sailors, he didn’t didn’t let anyone down; neatly distilling the unique place the sea holds in the human psyche.
“it is an interesting biological fact that all of us have, in our veins the exact same percentage of salt in our blood that exists in the ocean, and, therefore, we have salt in our blood, in our sweat, in our tears. We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail or to watch it, we are going back from whence we came. “ JFK, Americas Cup dinner 1962
Authenticity is a powerful drug and Kennedy was the doyen of delivering a well timed dose to an audience. Sharing a curious nugget of wisdom they perhaps hadn’t heard before, the lifelong East-coast yachtsman seamlessly tapped into the mythical relationship with the ocean that sailors share. A few lines into his after-dinner speech, he had their full attention.
In an age of bright lights vying for our attention in every waking minute it can be all too easy to forget the value of an authentic narrative. If your message resonates, strikes at what the audience feels, you win a customer for life. Furthermore, they are likely to be the kind of customer you actually want long term. Someone that connects with your offering precicely because it is a reflection of themselves, and, though they might not realise it; their own personal narative.
Simon Sinek explains in his hugely popular TED talk Start With Why, ‘people don’t buy what you do; they buy WHY you do what you do.’ Apple, Patagonia and Tesla all clearly articulate their why; we buy into that sense of brand purpose and want to associate ourselves with it. In relation to the sea, the importnace of why is only amplified.
As a yachting journalist exposed to the good, bad and the ugly of the marine industry, brands that actually manage to stand out are a rarity. Those that excel possess a grounded and self-assured understanding of why that runs through everything they make or do. Like sailing with an old salt that’s seen it all before; they instill confidence in their audience naturally.
Marine industry customers are an increasingly discerning bunch. Reading more deeply than they did into what they are buying. In short, they read into the why of their favoured brands much more. What’s behind the brand? What’s their story? And, the clincher, what does buying into that brand say about me?
The yacht, the waterproof jacket and the new iPhone app are part of the conduit that links the marine industry customer to the sea. The mechanisms to their own adventures. Brands that lose track of this strong thread of connection to the environment are missing the fundamentals that drew their customers onto the water in the first place.
Storytelling starts at the core of a business and works outwards. Shaping a narrative demands hard work at the beginning, laying a solid foundation and reference point for the rest of the build; the varnish of social media comes last.
The effect can be profound, acting as an exercise in self-realisation in a competitive and volatile market where it can be easy to loose track of what’s so great about our role in a still unusual industry. Good stories, well told, immediately differentiate a business from the competition.
As the first boat show of 2019, BOOT Düsseldorf, kicks off this week, who will stand out in a veritable sea of chrome and polish? Almost certainly those with a story to tell.