Our Story
Building a business can be both exciting and daunting. Almost like scaling a mountain.
As two young brothers from New Zealand who had always wanted to venture into business, we dedicated ourselves to the climb and built eco-friendly home and pet care brands for 7 years. Not knowing much about consumer branding at the time, we did it anyway because something kept telling us to. It gave us meaning.
We developed all-natural, affordable products that worked well and excitedly launched them. Our philosophy was simple - “If you build it, they will come.” Bracing ourselves for success, we were in for a rude awakening.Early marketing campaigns trended…in the wrong direction - a quick uptick in sales followed by an even faster descent to baseline.
Like many budding entrepreneurs we realised quickly that no one cared about what we were doing. Was it our products? It couldn’t be! Customers were happy when we followed up. Were our budgets too small? Or did we just suck? WHY DON’T PEOPLE CARE?!?! Somewhere along the way self doubt turned into self-reflection. And then it dawned on us….
Why Should People Care?
Why does anyone care about anything?
As entrepreneurs, we thought we could succeed simply by selling a product and its benefits. But as humans, there is so much more to it. People crave meaning in almost everything they do - We did when we launched our brand. Why should it be any different when a customer chooses to support a business?
We sought out our “few” hyper-loyal customers and set about telling their stories through a series of unscripted videos. Sure, they liked our products and their benefits but that wasn’t WHY they used them. It had never been about the odourless litter box they had always dreamed of or the fact they could bathe their pets without using water. No, caring for their pets wasn’t an act of service but an act of love and our brand was what allowed them to be the best pet parent possible. The posts were an instant hit. We went from no views to viral videos with over a million in a matter of weeks.
We stopped selling products and started telling stories, connecting with customers on an emotional and philosophical level. When we committed to this, everything changed. The best brands already know this and make every effort to fit into the stories of their customer’s lives.
This simple idea helped us develop, launch & market over 60 products across 3 consumer brands. Eventually we sold these brands (but that’s a story for another day).
At Digital Scribe, we help guide you on your climb and connect your brand with customers using the most powerful medium known to man - storytelling.