Many of the world’s leading organizations know just where to turn when they need content that is authentic to their brands, resonates with multiple audiences, inspires trust and motivates action: their heritage.
Going beyond historical dates and founding figures, heritage includes the values and cultural elements of a company’s story. Think of heritage as the “why” and “how” to the “who,” “what,” “when” and “where.” It has the power to connect audiences to a brand not just through substance but also through emotion. Simply put, heritage drives results.
That’s why stories from a company’s heritage can be used to address all sorts of business issues: brand loyalty, recruitment, innovation, revenue and more.
Let’s take a look at how top brands are creatively using their heritage to address challenges all organizations face.
The Challenge
Your organization has a new strategy or vision. How do you make sure it sticks and doesn’t feel like the flavor of the month?
The Solution
Share stories from your past that support this shift.
Heritage can boost internalization and buy-in as an organization makes changes to support its future. You may be surprised how quickly a new mission, set of values or strategy becomes familiar when it’s grounded in the firm foundation of your past.
Verizon did just that.
Technology is all about what’s next—and when you’ve always been at the forefront of innovation, your past is an incredibly validating and valuable resource. While Verizon is a 21st-century enterprise, the tech giant’s history stretches back to the dawn of the telephone through its legacy companies.
When you’ve always been at the forefront of innovation, your past is an incredibly validating and valuable resource.
Verizon partnered with us to create an in-person and digital storytelling experience to root employees in the company’s new purpose, “We build the networks that move the world forward,” and showcase its impact in the context of telecommunications history. Its heritage content brings Verizon’s purpose to life by showcasing connections between the company’s past innovations and what it is doing today to move the world forward. Learn more about the story behind this award-winning campaign.
What can your organization’s heritage do for its future?
Up Next: See how Novo Nordisk and Salesforce are using heritage to differentiate themselves in their industries.