Last week we hosted our final event of our Strategy School series in partnership with Courier Media. We’ve had 4 weeks of workshops and discussions: a panel event on brand sustainability and impact, a lesson in how to build your brand story, a talk on how to tell your founder’s story and the art of good copywriting. It wasn’t just a great opportunity to meet our community members old and new, but it was a space for nuanced conversations and learnings too. Here are some of our favourite soundbites from our speakers:

Ettie Bailey-King, panellist on How to Communicate Your Brand’s Impact

“[A] danger with inclusion thinking is that we end up working to enlarge the circle of people who are “inside” – expanding it so a few more people get to join the club. But the club, its rules of membership and its social norms, remains racist, sexist, classist, ableist (and more). Instead of inviting a few more people into the club, we should aim to tear it down, and create new spaces that feel radically different. That’s what I think of when I imagine anti-oppression.”
 

Our strategist Lucinda, from How to Tell Your Brand Story

“Stories are our common language. They're how we understand the world and ourselves. How we connect with one another. And they're how customers connect with brands. Good brand building is about telling a story – ones that your customers can not only connect with, but that they can feel part of.”

Our strategist Alex, from How to Tell Your Founder’s Story

“When a founder reveals the lows and difficulties they have tackled while on their mission, it teaches us they will stop at nothing to get where they need to. Customers, teams and investors will start to believe when you show them you're not giving up easily.”

Our writer Rae, from How to Write Like a Human

“Putting yourself in the customer’s shoes isn’t just about what your customer is thinking, but about where they’re interacting with your brand too. Tone applies to all channels and touchpoints. So every word matters. Every word is a chance for us to make a connection – and make our story seem to intertwine with our customers.”

So there you have it. With our Back to School September officially wrapped up, we look ahead to a year of new questions, bigger perspectives and exciting brand adventures. We hope we can meet and work with more of you in the months to come.