PAVLO’S PERSPECTIVE: Selling products by creating stories
by Pavlo Phitidis,
2015-04-21 05:50:49.0
DEBATES about left-and right-brain functionality rage on, especially late into the evening after another bottle of wine has been opened.
The hemispheres of the brain apparently function differently. One half generates emotional and creative outputs and the other half rational, logical outputs. We all have both hemispheres; even men.
It’s no wonder then that story is such a powerful force. A good story draws on both sides of the brain and introduces rational and emotional elements to resonate with audiences.
Each on its own is always somewhat lacking and unconvincing. Put people into a classroom and deliver a lecture on a topic. Put another group into a room and read a story about the same topic. The differences in recall are amazing.
It’s no different to how we buy products or services. Our two minds work together.
Logic helps us justify the emotional needs we are subjected to in the do/don’t buy decisions we take. For this reason, products that carry a story win all the time.
This idea is perfectly illustrated in our featured businesses.
As a third generation, family-owned winery, Van Loveren Family Vineyards engaged both sides of the brain to build a formidable capability in an industry they understand intimately.
The logic of their business sees a well-honed production capability, knowledge-rich manufacturing processes and a rock-solid distribution platform built over many years of servicing the nation’s retailers.
All the logical building blocks of a great business are in play. Creatively, the family is equally active. Recognising the power of story, identified consumer segments have been matched to resonating brand stories.
Their brands include Christina Van Loveren (heritage), Four Cousins (family), Five’s Reserve (Fairtrade Foundation) and Tangled Tree (eco), to name a few. The brands align to the emotional characteristics of well-defined and understood market segments.
This is important because Van Loveren competes locally and internationally in overtraded markets. The biggest wine show globally normally has 5,000 wineries representing close on 20,000 brands.
Buyers listen carefully for a great story against which to have a buying conversation. No story, no conversation. No conversation, no business.
To set themselves apart, Van Loveren looked in the market place for a point of difference. They found it in a remarkable woman.
Antoinette Vermooten wanted to do something different. A natural marketer, she met King Goodwill Zwelithini who offered his marque for use in job creation. And so Bayede!, which means hail the king, was born.
Antoinette immediately set to work identifying and developing a range of South African heritage products, wines included.
Within three years more than 600,000 bottles of wine bearing the marque of the king with beaded bottle necks produced by groups of formerly unemployed women have been sold.
The natural symbiosis between Bayede! and Van Loveren was struck.
The collaboration sees Bayede! leveraging the logical business capabilities of the Van Loveren winery — production, manufacture, distribution — with Van Loveren adding another, unique story to its brand portfolio, something sure to catch the eye and ear of the wine buyer.
Think about it; no other winery in the world offers the combined effort of these two entrepreneurs. In a very competitive world, crowded out by the sheer noise of oversupply, the Van Loveren Bayede! range stands apart from the crowd.
Innovations that create new markets offer tremendous commercial benefits to the originators. They are also what we need to lead our economy through excellence.
• Phitidis is CEO of Aurik Business Incubator, director of Aurik Enterprise & Supplier Development, entrepreneurship commentator on Talk Radio 702 & 567 Cape Talk and presenter of The Growth Engines.
Pavlo Phitidis. Picture: SUPPLIED
DEBATES about left-and right-brain functionality rage on, especially late into the evening after another bottle of wine has been opened.
The hemispheres of the brain apparently function differently. One half generates emotional and creative outputs and the other half rational, logical outputs. We all have both hemispheres; even men.
It’s no wonder then that story is such a powerful force. A good story draws on both sides of the brain and introduces rational and emotional elements to resonate with audiences.
Each on its own is always somewhat lacking and unconvincing. Put people into a classroom and deliver a lecture on a topic. Put another group into a room and read a story about the same topic. The differences in recall are amazing.
It’s no different to how we buy products or services. Our two minds work together.
Logic helps us justify the emotional needs we are subjected to in the do/don’t buy decisions we take. For this reason, products that carry a story win all the time.
This idea is perfectly illustrated in our featured businesses.
As a third generation, family-owned winery, Van Loveren Family Vineyards engaged both sides of the brain to build a formidable capability in an industry they understand intimately.
The logic of their business sees a well-honed production capability, knowledge-rich manufacturing processes and a rock-solid distribution platform built over many years of servicing the nation’s retailers.
All the logical building blocks of a great business are in play. Creatively, the family is equally active. Recognising the power of story, identified consumer segments have been matched to resonating brand stories.
Their brands include Christina Van Loveren (heritage), Four Cousins (family), Five’s Reserve (Fairtrade Foundation) and Tangled Tree (eco), to name a few. The brands align to the emotional characteristics of well-defined and understood market segments.
This is important because Van Loveren competes locally and internationally in overtraded markets. The biggest wine show globally normally has 5,000 wineries representing close on 20,000 brands.
Buyers listen carefully for a great story against which to have a buying conversation. No story, no conversation. No conversation, no business.
To set themselves apart, Van Loveren looked in the market place for a point of difference. They found it in a remarkable woman.
Antoinette Vermooten wanted to do something different. A natural marketer, she met King Goodwill Zwelithini who offered his marque for use in job creation. And so Bayede!, which means hail the king, was born.
Antoinette immediately set to work identifying and developing a range of South African heritage products, wines included.
Within three years more than 600,000 bottles of wine bearing the marque of the king with beaded bottle necks produced by groups of formerly unemployed women have been sold.
The natural symbiosis between Bayede! and Van Loveren was struck.
The collaboration sees Bayede! leveraging the logical business capabilities of the Van Loveren winery — production, manufacture, distribution — with Van Loveren adding another, unique story to its brand portfolio, something sure to catch the eye and ear of the wine buyer.
Think about it; no other winery in the world offers the combined effort of these two entrepreneurs. In a very competitive world, crowded out by the sheer noise of oversupply, the Van Loveren Bayede! range stands apart from the crowd.
Innovations that create new markets offer tremendous commercial benefits to the originators. They are also what we need to lead our economy through excellence.
• Phitidis is CEO of Aurik Business Incubator, director of Aurik Enterprise & Supplier Development, entrepreneurship commentator on Talk Radio 702 & 567 Cape Talk and presenter of The Growth Engines.
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