I guess you got me on a video kick now and just can’t get enough of me. In the video below I tell a story about me and some of my past adventures.

*disclaimer: some of the information in this post could be considered illegal activity depending on your country, state or city. This is meant for entertainment purposes only and not as a guide to do anything that violates any national, state or local laws.

How’s that for a setup? I bet you’re interested now. Lets roll the tape. Also I noticed the auto gets a little fuzzy in some places. I apologize.

I’m sure by now you have figured out this post is about developing a story around your product. Doing so effectively can make a huge difference in profits and brand loyalty. Why do you think iPod does so well? Its not because iPods are the best made product on the market, actually they fail a lot. But nobody cares because of the emotion that accompanies the product. Everyone knows you are cool when you listen to an iPod.

It’s amazing how people are willing to purchase a sub-par product just because of how the story makes them feel. But I am not advocating for you to go out and develop a story around a crummy product just for the sake of selling more.

Next time you are about ready to go and launch a new product, look at the story you are about to tell and see how you can tell it a little better. Start by telling people how life was before you made your widget and how you thought there could be a better way. So you set out to find that way that could help all of humanity. In your quest to do so you developed your widget. Then out of the kindness of your heart you decided to share that widget with the rest of the world so they would not have to go through the same troubles and termoils you had to endure. Do this in about 30 seconds and you have a winner. What do we give them, Johnny? A shiny new widget for $19.95.

Now see, that wasn’t so hard.

Tell me about products you have purchased that totally sucked but came with a good story…

If you were interested in the knife I was talking about you can find it here for $36. The brand name of the knife was Min Sheng. Not all countries allow such things, so make sure to double check before ordering.

This is a guest post by Michelle A. Rosen (Shelley) the CEO and Founder of Airlift Ideas, Inc. based in Chicago. Airlift offers a unique combination of visionary business strategies, project planning and development as well as innovative marketing ideas. I think branding is taking center stage more and more as people are becoming aware of its full impact on their business and lives. Shelley and her team specialize in bring your brand forward and developing it into a full brand story. Like I always say stories sell. Hope you enjoy.

Ad time during last weekends Superbowl was probably the most expensive 30 or 60 seconds that advertisers will buy this year.  This particular game draws not only avid sports fans – but those who don’t really care – about the sport, about the teams, about who wins.  They’re here to watch the commercials.

Water-cooler talk on Monday morning is peppered with quips from these brilliant commercials.  Some are more memorable than others, but I’ll ask the question: does anyone walk away actually remembering what was advertised?

Creativity has the power to override the brand that is being advertised, if it is not clear what the brand stands for.

Every time I see it, I am mesmerized by the commercial featuring a man with a blank stare, who upon further inspection, has had the back of his head ripped off to reveal a band playing inside of it.  It’s fresh, it’s creative, it’s downright bizarre, but even as I write this I can’t for the life of me think what it is that they are advertising.
People love the commercial featuring the baby talking in a deep, adult voice – but who remembers that it’s an E-trade commercial?  And even if they do, do they walk away from it knowing what E-trade is all about; what they stand for?

That question is what our company revolves around.  Establishing your brands story needs to come before the creativity, before the 60 second spot, before the millions upon millions of dollars that go into it.  Aren’t your employees a better brand ambassador than a 30 second commercial? Every brand must look into itself and ask “what do we stand for, and how can we grow?” And Airlift can help.

Airlift Ideas, Inc. is a Chicago based consulting firm.  At the core of our business is Brand Storytelling.  The story of your brand, told in the right way, can inspire first and foremost your employees.  Employees who take pride in their company will then spread that joy exponentially to consumers until anyone who touches your brand will be changed by it.  This story is built on several factors – your company’s rich heritage, core values, and a solid foundation.  Taking your brand from chaos to that singular focus will ignite brand joy from the inside out.  hen done right, the commercial becomes the icing on the cake, not just the cake.

Airlift comes into your company with energy, exuberance and passion.  We throw these into the brand story that we create for you, resulting in long term brand growth.  When we’re done, you’ll have a single brand direction with a fresh outlook.  Employee morale, sales and profits – everything goes up.  Including consumer recognition. Because at that point, when done right, the commercial becomes the icing on the cake, not just the cake.

With the right brand story, a brand worth believing in won’t be forgotten, no matter when it’s aired, no matter how creative the spot.

If you are interested in learning more about Shelley or airliftideas.com feel free to email her at SRosen@airliftideas.com or visit her site at www.airliftideas.com.

1. Gas stations contain lots of flammable material that will in fact catch fire and burn.
2. It is possible to get severely burned yourself.
3. In a small town, news travels fast, especially when there is a town siren.
4. It takes time for the volunteer fire department to reach the fire, but first they drive past the fire to pick up their trucks to put the fire out.
5. The pumps will stop working until they are reset, adding to the embarrassment as people you know try to fill up.
6. The emergency shut-off switch is never in the spot you think it is when you need to find it the most, or it’s behind the ice freezer.
7. Having to admit you thought it was a great idea to flick a lighter you found on the ground earlier that day while pumping gas.
8. Considering running away from the fire in order not to get blown up while innocent bystanders look on.
9. Washing the car for the second time that day in order to clean off fire retardant from the extinguisher.
10. Telling your grandparents coming to town that you almost blew up the car they gave your mom.

In fact, all of the above is true and happened just like that. I was about 14 and made a bad choice at the wrong time. Fortunately for me, the car was spared and had just a little burnt rubber around the gas cap. The gas station was also spared and never did blow up. I did start to run and got about 3 steps away before I decided to find the shut-off switch, which I never did find. I eventually ran inside and yelled at the attendant to shut off the pumps. At that time, someone who saw what was going on put the fire out with a fire extinguisher. The moral of the story is to listen to the warning signs at the gas station so the same doesn’t happen to you. My poor mom and the things she had to deal with. Now it is a look into my past and a funny story to tell. Not many people I know can say they caught a gas station on fire and lived to tell about it.

Note: I did not get burned at all, and the picture shown is not the gas station I caught on fire.