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Brand Storytelling

Brand Story Hero: Lidl: Empowering Women’s GAA

Ever since 2016, Lidl have been the biggest corporate supporter of women’s sport in Ireland, investing €4 million into Ladies’ Gaelic Football. From 2011 to 2015 Tesco held the sponsorship for four years, an endorsement which largely went unnoticed. Lidl wanted to avoid their rival’s fate and put this sponsorship to good use by using it to build their brand story.

Within a year of this campaign, they had generated an awareness of their sponsorship that was higher than that of AIB with Gaelic Football and Heineken with Irish rugby. We at All Good Tales, have compiled a list of three reasons why Lidl’s campaign with Ladies Gaelic Football was a success.

They weren’t condescending to women

Many marketing campaigns aimed at women have been incredibly condescending, cosmetic and simplistic. For example, in 2012, BIC (the pen company) launched a “For Her” pen. Costing twice as much as their regular products, the only change was that they came in pink. Ridiculed by comedians such as Ellen DeGeneres, it became the benchmark for terrible marketing campaigns aimed at women. Seeking to remind their customers of these campaigns, Lidl created a spoof product called “Ladyball”. It was advertised as being built for “a woman’s grip”, a woman’s ability and fashion-driven for a woman’s style. To top it off, it was painted a bright, blinding pink. The product’s launch video generated huge amounts of negative feedback online, which was exactly Lidl’s intention. After the dust of outrage had settled, they revealed that it was a marketing stunt, and revealed their brand new campaign working alongside the Ladies Gaelic Football Association (LGFA).

It completely changed their brand perception

When Lidl opened their first store in Ireland in 2000, they were seen as a multi-national megacorporation who offered discount shopping with no frills. It was a stark contrast to the neighbourly supermarket culture which had been so successfully cultivated by Superquinn’s Feargal Quinn in the 80s and 90s. After the 2008 financial crisis, Lidl’s market share grew significantly, but they failed to shake that image of the “German food warehouse”. One of Lidl’s goals with this campaign was to get more people to associate their brand with local activity, by using the links that local LGFA clubs have with their communities. Their aim was to double people’s perception of Lidl as a local supermarket, and according to Spark Research, they tripled their original number. This was done by focusing much of their funding on local institutions. For example, they bought €250,000 worth of equipment for 147 schools, rejuvenating the sport amongst young girls.

Not only did it help Lidl, it helped the sport

Often with PR campaigns, they only have soundbites and vague statements to back up the impact that their marketing campaigns have had. However, when it comes to Lidl’s partnership with the LGFA, there is one set of statistics which seem to back up the success of their campaign. In 2016, the year Lidl’s partnership began, attendance at the LGFA All-Ireland final was 34,445. Two years later, attendance was 50,141. With the 2019 final coming up on September 15, we in the PR industry are anxious to see how much more Lidl’s campaign with the LGFA can help that sport grow.

Here at All Good Tales, our CEO delivers inspirational keynote addresses to audiences, teaching them how to tell powerful stories. To find out more or to arrange a consultation you can call us on (01) 454 0090. For more information click here.

 

 

 

 

 

Brand Story Hero: Lil Portie Caribbean Kitchen

In our Brand Story Hero series, we shine a regular spotlight on different brands that we think tell their story well. Here we take a look at Lil Portie Caribbean Kitchen, a pop-up restaurant based in Dublin.

 

Brand: Lil Portie Carribbean Kitchen

Industry: Food

Product: Caribbean Food with a Latin twist

Founder: Nick Reynolds

Year Founded: 2018

Mission: To bring the flavours of Port Antonio, Jamaica, to the people of Ireland through pop-ups across Dublin.

Their Story

Lil Portie Caribbean Kitchen is a new pop-up restaurant which has taken Dublin by storm in the few short months it has been operational. It’s foundations are firmly planted within the West Indies with influences branching off far and wide, including the likes of Spain, China, Syria, Germany and even Ireland.

Nick Reynolds, the man behind the mission, aims to highlight the cultural melting pot which is West Indies. He does this through his cooking and delivering a traditional ‘family’ atmosphere throughout his restaurant. Using his pop-up, he laments the idea of ‘togetherness’ at the dinner table.

Nick explains in previous interviews that his love for Jamaican cuisine comes from his grandmother who originally comes from Jamaica. This, plus an extended stay in Argentina where he ran communal dining experiences and events, eventually built the foundations for the Lil Portie brand today.

 

Their storytelling lessons

 

Lesson #1: Share your story simply

The story behind Lil Portie is simple, but effective. There are no extravagant frills or hyped up details. All is explained in a few short lines but within those lines there is a sense of place which sets the tone of the brand. Embedded within the few paragraphs presented on their website is a story which digs deep into the historical and cultural significance of immigrants who found shelter in the West Indies many years ago.

There are no Hollywood special effects, no in-your-face campaigns. It’s a brand with a good story which tells itself and needs no added extravagance.

 

Lesson #2: New information which relates to the brand

Did you know that there once was Irish people residing in the West Indies? Well neither did we!

Montserrat is a prime example of this. During Cromwell’s conquest of Ireland, many people from places such as Cork were sent to Montserrat. This influence of Irish culture led to Montserrat later becoming known as the ‘Emerald Isle of the Caribbean’. It is even said that some of the locals who live on the island are known to have a slight Cork-twang to their accent!

This information was what hooked us here at All Good Tales to the Lil Portie brand, as it was shared on their social channels. It was a story none of us had heard before but could easily latch on to. This is an effective storytelling weapon for brands as you’re providing a hook for new customers to attach themselves to before they can get into the nitty-gritty of your business.

 

 

Lesson #3: Put people at the heart of what you do

On the surface, Lil Portie can look like any other pop-up food brand. But once you look beyond their colourful displays and warming imagery, their is a wonderful sense of personality behind their set-up. Lil Portie’s wonderful palette of flavours comes from recipes inspired by the founder’s grandmother, who originally hails from the West Indies.

The cuisine also reflects the region’s history of immigration. It puts those who found their new home within the West Indies all those years ago, at the heart of their brand story. A story needs characters. Characters shape the narrative of your story in a way which can help create meaningful connections with your audience. This is the basis for brand storytelling and explains why it is so effective at engaging your customer base.

 

 

Their storytelling tools

 

#1 Visual Storytelling

When you dine at Lil Portie’s you are surrounded by homely settings, covered in candles and fairy lights and greeted with a warm, welcoming atmosphere. The experience aims to reflect the traditional value of community. Stories should be exchanged with good people, accompanied by even better food. This is an aesthetic which works well for Lil Portie and helps its story in a way which words can’t achieve on their own. It’s a sensory experience which goes beyond what you taste. Even the menus, emblazoned with traditional Caribbean dialect and a noticeable yellow colour scheme, help convey this.

 

 

#2 Social Media

Social media should be in every brand’s wheelhouse. It’s one of the most common ways of engaging with your audience and potentially reaching out to new business. Lil Portie are no stranger to social media and is the channel through which we discovered it. Telling a story doesn’t have to mean writing a feature-length script or a novel…it can all be done in 280 characters!

Platforms like Twitter and Facebook are used by the Lil Portie brand to help promote future dates for their pop-ups and to tell their start-up story as a homegrown business. This helps to spread the great cultural aspects of Jamaica which is present on their plates!

 

 

All of these traits are what made Lil Portie’s Caribbean Kitchen stand out amongst others, which is important for such a competitive industry. Their gripping story makes the experience feel more personal than your standard, run-of-the-mill pop-up restaurant which tend to saturate the sector. Stories such as this one are the reason why All Good Tales exists today. Great stories always get more and need to be told far and wide.

 

Here at All Good Tales, we believe that every brand has a story worth telling. Not yet sure how to tell yours? We’d love to help you out with a free consultation. You can call Gaye on (01) 254 1845 to organise yours today. We also run courses that give you practical information on connecting with customers. For more information or to book your place, click here. 

 

 

How to incorporate storytelling into your SaaS brand

Great stories get more.

This is our mantra here at All Good Tales. It encompasses everything we believe when it comes to good PR and content marketing.

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We believe each brand has a great story to tell and that story should be at the heart of everything you do, especially your sales tactics. A good story has the power to hook in any audience and keep them focused on what you have to say. From that point, you are in control. You can lead the conversation in any direction and get across any information you want to impart on your listeners. This is why tonnes of sales gurus all over the world employ storytelling methods in their pitches. It just works!

SaaS brands are different to other brands as they typically have a quirky start-up story. These stories often shape the way in which these brands do business and create the basis of their culture, which can be a useful selling point for those on the fence. However, if you are a SaaS brand who have yet to embody their own story…then you’re kind of missing out.

Your story is worth much more to you than you think and should be utilised in all aspects of your work ethic. But how does one harness the power of storytelling and instil it into their brand ethos? Well, we here at All Good Tales know quote a bit about effective Storytelling for Business and can give some good pointers on how to incorporate storytelling into your SaaS brand.

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Strength in unity

When it comes to your story, everyone should know it. From your marketers and sales reps to your coders and copywriters, the whole team should understand your story.

How you teach it to them is a different story. An essay long email with highlighted key points and a nice graphic isn’t going to cut it. It needs to be personal. Even it takes you going from cubicle-to-cubicle, get out and tell your story.

Get them to understand what your brand is; what the vision is; your preferred client types; and most importantly,  where they fit into all of it.

Tell them their role in this particular story and allow them to feel like they’re a part of your brand. Like characters in a book, your employees all play a vital role in this tale your telling. And as we know from some of the more popular stories, working as a team can get you far. Get your team on the same page before you go to battle…with customers that is.

Make your customers the ‘Hero’

 

Once your team knows the story inside and out, it’s time to apply that to your brand’s message. As you are a brand which sells a service, you normally deal with customer queries on a daily basis right? Storytelling can actually help deal with these with a better chance of conversion than by just reciting a script.

Get your leads t0 explain how they found your company, let their pain points or problems become the ‘villain’ and explain how your service can become their knight in shining armour! Sales teams can sometimes have a tough time meeting targets.

Storytelling could be the ideal up-skilling opportunity for your sales team in order for them to achieve their potential and boost their conversion rates.

Become the Herald of your own story

This point also goes beyond your sales team.

As a CEO/Founder, it should be up to you to get out and spread your message far and wide. Use your story at as many speaking opportunities as possible. These include conferences, creative meet-ups, tech events, etc. Create a staple slide-deck and carry it wherever you go. Your story should be mobile, ready to be told in any situation. Soon enough, your brand will be known not only for its impeccable service, but for its engaging backstory and development.

Here at All Good Tales we are doing great work for brands like Kingspan, Ancestry.com, and the DAA, to name just a few. We are building brand newsrooms, executing exciting PR strategies, and training key staff how to source, structure and tell great stories. For more information please click here or call Gaye on (01) 254 1845.