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WODEN ANNUAL 2018 WODEN ANNUAL - 2018 - 1 WODEN ANNUAL 2018 PARTNERS Edward Lynes & Dan McDonough, Jr. WODEN CREATIVE TEAM 2018 Hannah Landers, Lindsay Cottman, Zach Kliger, Zachary Vickers, Kelly Sarabyn, Erin Mullikin, E.M. Ricchini, Dante Pannell, Rachel Fox, Kenly Craighill, Mike Dea, Fred Osu, Justin St. Louis 1520 Locust Street | Fifth Floor | Philadelphia, PA 19102 1.844.469.6336 www.wodenworks.com 2 - WODEN ANNUAL - 2018 WODEN ANNUAL 2018 CONSUMERS HAVE THE BEST BULL$#!* METERS 7 ZACHARY VICKERS #RELATIONSHIPGOALS: CONNECTING BEYOND THE BROWSER 13 HANNAH LANDERS BEYOND THE BROWSER: HOW DIGITAL BRANDS BECOME TACTILE 17 KELLY SARABYN WHERE ARE ALL THE TOYS “R” US KIDS? 23 ZACHARY VICKERS BULL NOT BEAR: THE ECONOMY OF SIX SECOND BRAND STORIES 26 ZACHARY VICKERS COACHELLA AND THE ART OF CRAFTING A TIMELESS STORY 29 EM RICCHINI COLLABORATIVE CULTURES CULTIVATE THE CHEESIEST CONCEPTS 33 EM RICCHINI WEWORK & STARBUCKS AGREE: FATHER KNOWS BEST 36 ED LYNES IT’S MALL ABOUT EXPERIENCE 39 HANNAH LANDERS GOOGLE IT, XEROX IT, FEDEX IT, POST IT 42 ZACHARY VICKERS FIND YOUR CONSTANT AND PIVOT WITH PURPOSE 45 HANNAH LANDERS FINTECH, DISRUPTED 48 LINDSAY COTTMAN THE KEY TO MONETIZING CUSTOMER DATA? TRUST 51 KELLY SARABYN THE VALUE OF A GOOD INFLUENCE(R) 54 LINDSAY COTTMAN FCK ‘EM IF THEY CAN’T TAKE A JOKE: THE ART OF BRAND APOLOGY 58 HANNAH LANDERS SELLING A STORY YOU’RE NOT TELLING 62 LINDSAY COTTMAN YOUR COMPANY ISN’T THE UBER OR AIRBNB OF ANYTHING 65 ZACHARY VICKERS WHY XEROX DIED 68 KELLY SARABYN Cover design and cartoons by Terry LaBan. 2 - WODEN ANNUAL - 2018 WODEN ANNUAL - 2018 - 3 AUTHENTIC CONNECTIONS HOW TO TURN YOUR AUDIENCE INTO NOT JUST CUSTOMERS, BUT EVANGELISTS. Leverage your story to develop an authentic connection he most powerful Crafting those well-developed by Zachary Vickers on page T movements in human stories is what Woden does 9 that looks at how Weight history did not begin with for brands, organizations, and Watchers, Radio Shack, and bullet points or a PowerPoint movements. This publication is Dunkin Donuts have attempted deck. Features and benefits may the second Woden Annual—a to connect with their audiences. allow people to understand how collection highlighting some It’s evident that authentic something works, but they don’t of the most powerful writing connections are the tissue that utter a syllable on why someone over the last year in relation to bind people to ideas or brands. should give a damn. Only a well- how purposeful storytelling has It empowers the development developed story can deliver the made its mark and advanced of enthusiasm—not just an kind of authentic connection brands and ideas. In 2018, acceptance—for a brand. That that gets an audience to crave Wodenworkers focused a great enthusiasm is seen in the link more and become excited to deal on the notion of authentic between the world’s fastest- embrace an idea or a brand. connection, kicked off in a piece growing brands and their 4 - WODEN ANNUAL - 2018 adherents. Just as a strong If a brand can connect with its a relatively small sum of money, connection can fasten a brand potential audience by leveraging Woden is worth hiring to guide to its audience, though, those shared values and purpose—the you through the architecture of brands inevitably suffer when brand’s “why”—customers will crafting a strategic narrative. the authentic connection slips consider features and benefits But, if cash is a brand’s most away—as illustrated in the secondarily. They become more precious resource and that brand following pages, most notably accepting of additional services can take the time to do this alone, in a piece by Ed Lynes on page and more likely to embrace their consider this Annual a help to 44 that tackles how the leaders role as the hero in the brand’s get started on a journey of self- of companies such as Tesla and story. discovery. In fact, feel free to Starbucks can get in the way of Brands like Tom’s Shoes, reach out, too, for a conversation their brands’ connections. Warby Parker, and Airbnb have on how you can dive into this. As you make your way grown on their ability to align “Storytelling is the most through this publication, keep customers and partners with underrated skill,” Ben in mind that when story is their purpose. Most essentially, Horowitz told Forbes magazine discussed, it’s much more than all of these organizations have in an interview back in 2014. its application to marketing or authentic purposes that create Horowitz’s main task in sales or advertising. The story of authentic connections; for life—as a founding partner an organization is the strategy of Airbnb, it’s as simple as making in Andreessen-Horowitz, an that organization in the holistic people “around the world feel influential titan in the Silicon sense. It has a direct impact on like they can ‘belong anywhere.’” Valley venture capital world— not only customers, but also These authentic connections are is assessing skill and potential employees, vendors, investors, best developed through stories. for businesses to transcend even and anybody else who touches a Stories are memorable because significant growth trajectories. brand in any way. And the most they are emotionally resonant “Companies that don’t have a successful story strategy is to and easy to take ownership of. clearly articulated story don’t ensure that a brand’s narrative is The storyteller adopts the story have a clear and well-thought- less about its “what” or “how”— in their own image, modifying out strategy,” Horowitz told and all about its “why”. it slightly before passing it on. Forbes. “The company story is Brand narratives must have a Storytelling arose not as a form the company strategy.” higher purpose if they are going of entertainment, but rather as The year 2018 was one of to truly engage audiences. Ample a mechanism for communicating developing powerful brand research confirms that human deeply held truths across stories on behalf of dozens decision-making is based in the societies. People don’t tell of clients around the globe. limbic system, the oldest part stories because they want to— Everyone at Woden hopes of the brain that is distinct from people tell stories because they this year’s Annual is full of the part of a brain controlling are essential. experiences that will help rational thought. That’s why The science is patently clear sharpen the storytelling skills connection starts and ends with that strategic storytelling is needed to thrive in today’s communicating purpose, and not only the best, but also the marketplace. And that each has little do with even the most only way to deliberately build reader will put down this edition compelling features and benefits. authentic connections with a empowered to apply its collected Emotions are different and prospective audience for any idea wisdom toward making their distinct from rational thoughts. or brand. For organizations that organization fulfill its purpose in People make gut decisions value time and the expertise of ways never dreamed of before. because those decisions feel good. specialists more than they value 4 - WODEN ANNUAL - 2018 6 - WODEN ANNUAL - 2018 AUTHENTICITY CONSUMERS HAVE THE BEST BULL$#!* METERS: AUTHENTICITY AND STORY IN BRAND NAMES BY ZACHARY VICKERS ecently, Weight Watchers the cure” — must transform in needed to start from scratch. R announced they would be order to survive. The only way However, by rooting a rebrand known as “WW.” Armed with to do it is to tell a brand story and renaming in a compelling a new tagline, “Wellness that that authentically speaks to new story that puts the customer Works,” the 65 year-old company purpose in the company, and all — the story’s hero — first, made a bold and strategic pivot that starts with the name: the companies can authentically to become a wellness-focused title of said story. align with popular trends while organization that aligns with the Weight Watchers or WW did investing in the future. modern embrace of self-care and just that — they transformed WW didn’t merely slim body positivity. In the process, their name, their culture, down their name and opt for they’ve scrubbed their messaging and their message through a a superficial acronym to deter of terms like “dieting,” which compelling story. from the “diet” negativity; has garnered a more negative Critics were initially skeptical they invested their purpose connotation in recent years. of the move, calling Weight in an emotional narrative arc. The decision comes from a shift Watchers’ transition nothing No longer do they pitch quick in perspective. A 2016 Gallup more than “diet culture in weight-loss solutions, or market poll showed that fewer people disguise.” Such a change could with Before/After photographs actively want to lose weight easily be considered facetious of members, which sent a — and while the obesity rate is and inauthentic if purely message that equated thinness among its highest ever, fewer cosmetic — a blatant attempt to healthiness. people describe themselves as to capitalize on the latest trend. Now, WW has revised their “overweight.” Companies have fallen prey signature points system to With more companies like again and again to this rushed account for each individual’s Dove pushing back against and ill-considered approach. At height, weight, sex, and activity; dated definitions of beauty and first glance, WW just seemed they’ve partnered with the wellness, consumers today don’t like one more to add to that list. meditation app Headspace and necessarily see their weight as a Changing a household name launched “Connect Groups” to superficial problem, but rather is riskier, as there is potential of connect like-minded and like- proudly celebrate it as one of the increasingly diminished brand needed members, like those many parts of their individuality.

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