Creating talking points around your brand (here are 15 examples)

Developing conversation around your brand has long been an effective marketing communications strategy.

However, in today’s super-connected environment where ‘white noise’ is at a peak, as is the public’s ability to screen out advertising messages, it’s incredibly important for brands to spark discussion by giving people interesting and relevant things to talk about.

That said, it’s not exactly an easy strategy – it takes time, effort and considerable thought to consistently develop and surround your brand with interesting talking points that resonate with the people that matter to your business or cause.

Here are 15 examples of brands large and small that know how to start a conversation:

1. Johnny Earle, the founder of US t-shirt retailer Johnny Cupcakes, uses a university lecture series to tell the story of how he turned a simple idea into a multi-million dollar business
2. John Butler Trio supports the music community via its grassroots The Seed Art Grants Fund, which helps Australian artists from any background, creating art and music across any genre, to establish themselves as self-sustained, professional artists.
3. Moleskine passionately extols the virtues of jotting down notes, sketches, thoughts, ideas and stories and celebrates the creativity of the likes of Hemingway, Picasso, van Gogh et al.
4. Web-based software company 37 Signals sparks discussion with its ‘fresh take on business’ – how to start one, build one, and grow a brand.
5. Grasshopper Group – a US-based brand of virtual phone systems for small business – promotes and supports the entrepreneurial cause, including helping create a ‘National Entrepreneurs’ Day’.
6. Inbound marketing software company Hubspot provides a lot of free stuff to businesses using the web to market their brands; resources include internet marketing, whitepapers and ebooks, videos and podcasts, studies and reports, plus marketing tools such as grader.com.
7. Digital collaborative outfit ThoughtLead stimulates discussions around the future of marketing and building brand influence online – one of its cool initiatives is ‘The Influencer Project’, which was billed as “The Shortest Marketing Conference Ever – 60 Speakers in 60 Minutes”.
8. LOVE146 uses emotional stories to rally a movement behind its cause – the abolition of child sex slavery and exploitation.
9. UK apparel manufacturer Howies shares its brand philosophy with the world.

Meanwhile at the ‘big end of town’, some major brands that have succeeded in getting people to talk include:

1. The original Bodyshop was a perfect example of a brand that ignited debate and took part in a broader conversation about social and environmental causes dear to the heart of its late founder, Anita Roddick.
2. Dove too is a good example, with its long-running ‘Real Beauty’ campaign (below, which has morphed into a ‘movement for self-esteem’).
3. SouthWest Airlines is a genius brand that talks about everything from green issues to music to the inside workings of the popular airline.
4. Check out Puma and its ‘Clever Little Bag’ project (part of a broader campaign to offset carbon emissions), plus its PUMAvision program.
5. Zappos.com gets people talking about corporate culture and customer service and freely shares its ideas and management philosophies.
6. Whole Foods Market provides information and shares ideas, not only about fresh food, but also sustainability and the environment.

What are some other examples of companies that are good at creating ‘talking points’ around their brand?