Why Brands Should Double Down on Story

Craig Kind is a creative director at Code and Theory.

Q> What should clients be focusing the most on right now, and how has it changed from last year?

Craig> As a creative director and brand storyteller, my answer is simple: In these times of seismic, overwhelming change, do not forget who you are. Double down on your story - your values, your vision and your mission. Ensure that you, your people (at every level) and your customers can clearly and passionately articulate it. The world is warping at light speed and your story is the most effective technology you have to ensure people make the right decisions. With a lick of the quill, hear ye: The tides of change are crashing against the banks of every brand; your story is the unshakeable rock the world demands. That advice is as relevant for individuals as it is for companies. The next couple of years are going to be bonkers. My two cents: In a world screaming twist'… 'hold.' Hold onto who you are. There’s only one of you.

A top-of-mind example of this at Code and Theory is YETI, a virtual conveyor belt of award-winning, results-driven work created in collaboration with amazing clients (big shoutout to Carlos and crew). One of the main reasons YETI is so successful (especially now) is that everyone understands their mission: “To make the wild more accessible to the world.” It’s more powerful than any cooler they could ever make (shoutout to the best goddamn coolers in the whole freakin’ world, BTW). In an age of perpetual change, YETI’s story is the key that unlocked a powerhouse brand and helped it grow into a $3 billion company. Their story … is wild.

Q> What is unique about having a culture that is a balance of 50% engineers and 50% creatives?

Craig> The 50/50 split is something we talk about a lot at Code and Theory. It is unique to the industry. The brevity with which it’s articulated often makes me question whether it’s interpreted as one group here, one group there. In reality, it’s far closer to a continuum - an unparalleled, agency-wide depth and diversity of expertise. People are empowered to define their roles and what they bring regarding creativity and technology. As a result, I think we have more perspectives across a wider range of touchpoints. There aren’t many fixed points, including tomorrow, which is handy because well, the future ain’t what it used to be.

Q> What’s the best way to keep staff motivated and working at a high level?

Craig> Trust them. Empower them. Give them autonomy. Obvious stuff easily said. Branching off that question, though: How do you keep people motivated at a high level when they’re 5,000 miles apart?’ That’s a little less obvious. I refer back to my first answer: Don’t forget who you are. Make sure your people (all of them) can articulate their shared story. Ask yourself: What higher purpose binds us beyond the performance of any one job, project or piece of work? The answer is your mission, your values, your vision. Craft it. Shout it from the rooftops. Whisper it on Zoom calls. Express it in your own unique ways and in many ways. Keep it consistent. If you do it right, it matters not whether you’re in New York, New Delhi or the newest VR headset you slap across my face. If you want your lead characters to deliver leading roles, give them a great story. If you don’t trust me (and why should you?), take it from an old dead poet and aviator: “If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men (and women) to gather wood. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.” - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (Honestly, with a name and quote like that, no wonder he’s dead … amirite!?!)

Q> What’s your biggest source of inspiration?

Craig> Factoid for ya: The word ‘inspire’ comes from the Latin word ‘inspirare’ which roughly means “breathe into.” Make of that what you will. My long-term inspiration strategy (call our toll-free number for yours today) is an unwavering plan to radically and consistently change my entire life. This is a vision passed onto me by my dad and his genius idea to flee the rainy shores of England when I was nine and raise our family in Lagos, Nigeria. Ten years into my career, I took a sabbatical and moved to Asia. Because I’ve started my own business and worked at world-class agencies on multiple continents, I have a thousand brush strokes of stories, culture and colour to draw from. Change x experience = inspiration. Life’s a story; you’re a story. Make it a good one.

Also, Disney’s Imagineers. Read more of my thoughts on those magic makers here.

Q> What’s a favourite project you’ve worked on in the past couple of years and why?

Craig> Two stick in my mind: ‘Train Your Game,’ an episodic series we shot for Under Armour featuring experts and coaches from the NBA, NFL and Premier League - I’ve got a soft spot for that as I also co-directed the shoots (shoutout, CRON!). The second is “Data Dash,” a project where we turned Twitter’s privacy policy into an 8-bit game so millions of people around the world would actually look at the damn thing. Simple, original, purposeful and impactful. All the ingredients that make work great. The project’s future may have benefitted from Elon Musk not walking into Twitter with a sink a couple of weeks later (but hey, he strikes me as a man who likes games). Other than that … ‘Mwah!”👌👨‍🍳

Q> What is the one thing you’d tell your younger self?

Craig> I tell myself the same thing every day: These are the good old days. Thanks for reading. Hit me up on LinkedIn. It’s a small world in a vast and endless universe.