Communication builds brands (and that’s why I’m telling you what a dairy company wrote to a kid in the 90s)
When a brand engages in dialogue with you, something valuable is built. Will companies realize the importance of ongoing communication before it’s too late, or learn the hard way?
According to Viesti ry, the number of unemployed communication professionals in Finland has risen by almost 46 % in just one year. I came across this statistic on LinkedIn, shared by several comms experts in my network. Despite a slight improvement for other highly educated professionals, unemployment in the comms field continues to grow.
Communication and marketing are still the first to be cut when times get tough. It can make sense in a crisis, but it also makes me wonder what the long-term price will be – because I believe that communication is far more fundamental to brand-building than many realize. How a company speaks determines how it’s remembered – or forgotten.
I worked in communications for several years before moving toward conceptual advertising. Comms still has such a special place in my heart. Luckily, at Drama Queen, it’s an essential part of what we do, and as a creative lead I get to collaborate closely with our brilliant comms consultants in many different contexts.
So what happens when a brand truly loves communication? Magic happens. It can take the form of building an expert profile, a campaign designed with earned media in mind, a well-thought-out social media presence, strong media relations, or simply a message that strikes exactly the right tone for a customer or stakeholder.
When people feel seen and heard, it creates a memory that can last for decades. One such memory was created for me back in the late 90s – and it involved something as thrilling as a milk carton.
Communication is presence
I was in primary school, an eager drawer and, apparently, already an ad woman in the making. Around that time, Ingman-Arla’s new milk cartons had appeared on store shelves (or at least in my local shop). Every morning at breakfast, the carton stood on the table, minimalist in design. To me, too minimalist. I wanted cows.
So, encouraged by my dad, I wrote the company a letter. In it, I declared the cartons too boring, demanded change, and – in true ten-year-old confidence – included my own illustrations of “better” designs. Stamp on, envelope to the post!
It didn’t take long before a letter addressed to me by name arrived. Inside, the company’s comms team warmly thanked me for my feedback, told me how important consumer opinions are when it comes to packaging, and promised to take my views into account in future redesigns. The letter was hand-signed. There were also stickers and a reflector inside the envelope.
Today, the letter itself is long gone, but here I am quoting it from memory 30 years later. Even though I was just a child, someone in that communications department had read my letter, chosen to take it seriously, spent their time replying – and did so like one human speaking to another. And remember: this was before social media, before the real internet age, so there was zero viral potential in doing this. I no longer remember who signed it, but that person was building the brand – from the top down, one small person at a time.
What could you communicate today that someone might still remember in 2055?
And who in your organization will write that message?
P.S. The nominees for the Finnish Comms Awards will be announced soon. Drama Queen is in the jury – and hopefully on the shortlist too!
Annika Ohtonen
The author is a Creative Lead who occasionally cries on buses and is currently obsessed with Dänkki Briha, an ethno-futuristic anti-folk band singing in Finnish, Ingrian and Karelian.
