Why you should critique your own story
A company’s story evolves and should be reviewed periodically. Avoid letting this task overwhelm to the point that bad content in marketing materials becomes familiar and accepted.
Our kitchen has a horrible faux-marble tile floor.
Each piece of tile is set in the same direction, creating a repeating pattern of gray swirl that I swear looks like a seagull in flight. My husband sees the outline of the United States.
I hate the tile. I hate it so much that I considered not purchasing the house. But because the rest of the house worked, and because my husband and I decided we would redo the floor immediately after purchase, we went ahead with the deal.
That was four years ago. And the tile is still here.
Why? We felt overwhelmed by the project, and then we became familiar with the look.
We had every intention of getting rid of that tile right away, but what seemed like a small project quickly escalated.
The tile runs under the cabinets. If we want a new floor, do we install it under the cabinets? If we’re taking out the cabinets, should we just get new ones? Should we just redo the entire kitchen?
The project becomes overwhelming. The decision is put off.
And so we lived with it, and I got used to it. Now I don’t even notice the seagull. It’s something that has become so familiar, it’s difficult for me to feel strong emotions about it.
Feeling overwhelmed, followed by familiarity, also happens in marketing and storytelling.
Become a Ragan Insider member to read this article and all other archived content.
Sign up today
Already a member? Log in here.
Learn more about Ragan Insider.
