5 Reasons Why Brands Do Better By Showing, Not Telling

Showing People Is More Authentic

Today’s environment demands brands do better than just “tell” people who they are: brand values need to be aligned with everything a company does. It doesn’t matter how many times you advertise your values if your actions don’t align with them. If you want people to perceive your brand values as authentic, then prove you care about them by showing your commitment. If you want people to think your brand is about more than just making a profit, you need to show people through your actions.

Brands Help Consumers Choose

In a world with too many choices, consumers are gravitating toward the brands that create meaning for them. People know companies need to make a profit, and that’s okay with them. But they want to know the profit is going toward something they believe in. People want to buy from brands that align with their own values, because the companies we buy from communicate our personal values to the world.

Where Marketers Fall Short

Many marketers understand this concept. It’s easy enough to grasp. Unfortunately, the hard part isn’t having brand values, it’s living your brand values. Companies have to figure out how to integrate their brand values into everything they do, or they risk making them meaningless. No one cares about a company that uses their marketing channels to tell people who they are. Anyone can tell consumers who they are. The companies who truly live out their values are the ones people believe in. When a company lives out their values, they can show their values, instead of needing to tell people about them. This is far more powerful.

5 Reasons Why Brands Do Better By Showing, Not Telling:

1. Actions speak louder than words. We aren’t likely to believe what someone says unless they show us it’s true. We’re even less likely to believe a company has a higher purpose that’s bigger than itself unless they show us it’s true. Any brand can say they’re committed to sustainability, but what matters are the brands who go above and beyond to see that sustainability isn’t compromised even when it would be easier to forgo. Method could have easily said they believed in sustainability but then fed the public the excuse that recycled plastic wasn’t as aesthetically pleasing as new plastic, and instead told people to please recycle. Instead, they proved their commitment. All of method’s 1-PET plastic bottles are made from 100% post-consumer resin (PCR). They’ve gone even further, to create the world’s first bottles made with a blend of recovered ocean plastic and post-consumer recycled plastic, proof of their ongoing commitment.
2. Telling equates to interruption advertising, while showing your brand values means actively doing something. Be honest, when you’re trying to tell people what your brand values are for the sake of hoping they like you, you’re ultimately just trying to sell. Customers see right through this, and it’s not super attractive, either. When brands go to the effort of not only living by their values, but trying to make a difference on a larger scale, then they naturally attract people who share those values. A good example of this is Chipotle’s short video, “The Scarecrow,” which aims to raise awareness about how we source our food. They even have a landing page that describes why they made it, informing consumers: ““The Scarecrow” is another chapter in our commitment to Food With Integrity, and represents what we aspire to accomplish through this mission. Our goal for “The Scarecrow” is to bring awareness of important issues to a broader audience, and we hope it entertains you as much as it makes you think.” This video was not created so Chipotle could tell people they believe in food with integrity. It was created to actually do something about it! Most restaurants will tell you they care about food quality. We know Chipotle cares about food quality, because they care about it beyond the context of selling burritos: they want everyone to have better food, regardless of where they get it.
3. Telling comes from the egocentric need to talk about yourself. Showing can be collaborative. When you talk about yourself, it’s clear you have a personal agenda. Showing allows brands to communicate their values in a way that doesn’t require forcing marketing garble down people’s throats. When you’re authentically living out your brand’s values, you can let your audience be part of the process. For example, think about the difference between a company that says they care about the ocean and a company that invites customers to take part in a beach clean up day with them. When everyone from the retail salespeople to the marketing director to the company president show up to pick up trash at the beach, then people know the company cares. On top of that, people who also care about the ocean get to take part in the cause too. Now, you’re creating a community of people with common values, bonded by shared experiences.
4. Telling is asking consumers to believe you. Showing can use social proof. A brand that actively listens on social media and then responds to its customers has the chance to be retweeted or shared by a happy customer. Word of mouth marketing about a brand’s commitment to its values is far more powerful because of social proof. People take what they hear from their peers more seriously than promotional messaging from a company who just wants to sell stuff. For example, when I dropped and broke my glass water bottle from Full Circle and tweeted about how sad I was, the company tweeted me back and direct messaged me, offering to send a free replacement. The difference between bragging about your own products and retweeting happy customers even makes a big difference. A tweet from a happy customer is far more effective than a brand that’s simply tooting its own horn.
5. No one cares unless there’s something in it for them. At the end of the day, consumers have unlimited choice as to how they spend their time. They’re not going to give up precious time electing to listen to brands talk about themselves. You have to earn their attention. Whenever you feel tempted to do digital marketing that’s essentially just talking about yourself, remember that you’re competing with funny YouTube videos, interaction with family and friends, online shopping, pictures of cute puppies, the news, and a million other things people can devote their attention to online. Choose wisely, or you won’t get the chance to get consumers’ attention again, because they’ll learn to tune you out.

Often, the most effective way to “show” your brand values is just to live by them and embrace transparency. So the next time you think about a marketing initiative for the sake of “telling” others about your brand values, brainstorm ways your company can actively do something about them instead.