Does Your Brand Messaging Have 'a Hint of the Wild'?
When it comes to brand narratives, some messages that resonate the most deeply with an audience are those that spark excitement, curiosity, and a glimmer of confidence that an aspiration can be attained.
When those same messages are rooted in truth about a brand’s unique attributes, the effect can not only move an audience to action, but leave an indelible impression that gives way to lasting interest.
I recently had such an experience as a result of reading Sebastian Modak’s outstanding piece for BBC Travel about the Adirondack Park. While this article is not by any means a carefully crafted commercial brand narrative - it’s pure travel writing at its best - I took it in as a sort of brand message, both for brand: nature, and for brand: mindfulness-through-outdoor-movement. From that perspective, the article soars for me, as someone who constantly seeks examples of the kind of storytelling that, in its purity and truth, sparks excitement, curiosity, and a glimmer of confidence that an aspiration can be attained.
I must admit that before reading Mr. Modak’s article, although I had a vague sense of how leisure travel in the United States had some ties to upstate New York, I didn’t realize the extent to which this particular - and massive - part of our country’s map had launched not only the activity, but the word: vacation. I was also fascinated to learn that a priest had been an outspoken advocate for the health benefits of spending time in Adirondack Park’s stunning outdoor tableau. And this priest, Murray, had haters. (O, to imagine a time when calling people ‘fools’ was a piercing barb!)
Murray’s enthusiasm for people “vacating” their daily lives to revel in nature’s grandeur was ahead of his time (although Thoreau and Emerson had already led society to wonder about the power of nature, of self, and of purpose). However, it was also timeless, particularly his point that time spent in nature was not only physically, but also mentally and emotionally, restorative. After all, back in 2019, the Global Wellness Summit cited a movement toward doctors “prescribing” time, and in particular, physical movement, in nature as an alternative, at times, to other forms of treatment. Then, 2020 fell upon us, and nature became even more of a salve, as did the concept of “vacation,” newly luxurious in its unattainability.
I devoured Mr. Modak’s article three times. His description of the little-known Adirondack Park’s valleys and vistas, its crystalline air and the various scents of summer, the communion he felt with the place by pedaling along, truly transported me. Did it make me want to learn more about Adirondack Park, and also believe that I could one day attain a similar peace by spending time there? Absolutely. (So from the perspective of those of us who read travel writing to be transported in the moment and to dream, thank you, Mr. Modak.)
The article also did something else for me as someone who has spent 20+ years identifying, crafting, and sharing brand narratives in order to inspire people to discover new experiences. Through seven words that struck me to my core -- “I felt a hint of the wild…” -- the article reminded me what great brand narratives can do, through the power of words.
“I felt a hint of the wild” leapt off the screen and prised my eyelids open. To feel a hint of the wild is to feel alive. To feel a hint of the wild is to be pulled toward a sense of discovery, of adventure. Here, ‘wild’ is something untamed and new (to him) and wholly irresistible. This definition of ‘wild’ is at the root of what we all crave when we travel, even when actual wilderness isn’t part of the itinerary (but especially when it is).
Mr. Modak’s article goes on from that electrifying phrase to deliver on why one might feel ‘a hint of the wild’ when journeying to the Adirondack Park. The enchantment he writes about is palpable.
That’s what I work to help my clients achieve. To identify what ‘wild’ their brand offers, and to use language to harness that magic into messages that move their audiences to action.