During our daily lunch break, Travis and I settle into the couch to watch sports TV while we eat.

It started out with the noon hour SportsCenter. Then we discovered High Noon (now canceled), Highly Questionable (also canceled 😭), and now Debatable.

Along this TV journey, we got to know and become superfans of sportswriter Bomani Jones.

So when we found out he had just landed a new show on HBO, we were hyped! Which means we jumped at the chance to listen to him tease his new series on his podcast.

What I did not expect that day was to gain insights into protecting the creative process, showing up exactly as you are, and creating content that you can't find anywhere else.

When Bomani and his team were developing the new show, they realized that the show must be authentically Bomani.

If some other talk show host could say it or host it, then it wasn't going to work for his long-time fans.

Bomani's new Executive Producer chimed in,

Talk about an unexpected lesson in branding and the power of knowing your audience!

So let's head back to the world of DTC to see who else is owning authenticity...

Link Diving

Confidence, consistency, and showing up exactly as you are

Yelitsa Jean-Charles, founder of Healthy Roots Dolls, joined Klaviyo's Modern Retail podcast to discuss her brand's approach to marketing:

"Our storytelling is our marketing."

How's that for a simple approach to selling $85 dolls?

If you're not familiar with her brand, Yelitsa's signature product is the Zoe doll. Yelitsa describes Zoe as "a little brown girl with kinky curly hair."

Here's why I think storytelling has been so powerful for Healthy Roots Dolls:

• Yelitsa realized that sharing her story with children could empower them to feel more confident about themselves (and even teach them how to style their own hair)
• Although kids play with her products, it's the parents and grandparents who really see themselves in Yelitsa's story. They remember what it was like as a kid to be stuck playing with dolls that didn't look like them
• She realized early on that her doll "doesn't have to be everything for everyone." So instead she focused on making a unique doll that would be highly relatable
• Healthy Roots has doubled down on storytelling by focusing on channels like community (with the VIP Curlfriends Club) and SMS (which they use to educate and entertain... their texts are actually sent from Zoe!)

But I think the example that best sums it up is the viral tweet that helped Healthy Roots Dolls take off:

Yelitsa Jean-Charles @TheYelitsa The Founder: The Product: pic.twitter.com/o5SNHB368q June 6th 2020 110,470 Retweets 840,083 Likes

This simple side-by-side photo made it clear that her product is authentically her. It's a powerful way to tell a brand story.

There's lots to soak up in this 30-minute episode, so check it out below!

🎙Listen now: Modern Retail >> ‘Our storytelling is our marketing’​

. . .

Let your CX team work their storytelling magic

Storytelling isn't just for marketing departments.

According to CX consultant Jeannie Walters,

If your brand has been all about numbers and metrics, Jeannie offers a few tangible ways to introduce storytelling to your CX team.

Worried about buy-in? Jeannie argues that using storytelling can actually help you get buy-in from leaders. This could be the start of a more robust advocacy approach to CX in which all departments understand how your customers are thinking/feeling/acting.

📰 Read it here: How Storytelling Can Super-Power CX​

Delight Discovery

Let's celebrate brands that are doing things right, raising the ecommerce bar, and delighting their customers. This week’s Delight Discovery comes from Italic (courtesy of Mandi Moshay on Twitter).

Mandi Moshay @MandiMoshay Want your customers to know you’re always striving to improve their experience? Listen, iterate, communicate. Great example from one of my fave brands, @italic 👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/Zkm1P9gJyO December 31st 2021 0 Retweets 23 Likes

Feel free to click over to Twitter for an easier way to read this email.

Sometimes authenticity and transparency go hand-in-hand:

"I believe Italic customers deserve to know the company they're shopping from."

Jeremy goes on to break down things that went right (lower prices, yay!) and things that could be better (slow shipping, what else is new).

But this email really shines at the end when the CEO sets expectations for the year ahead, assuring his customers that he actually cares about their experience.

Buried Treasure

When we listen to customers, we find buried treasure. Here’s this week’s featured product review that’s full of swipe-worthy customer language.

I had a hunch that I could throw a dart at a review for Zoe and find customer language that was fully aligned with the Healthy Roots Dolls brand story.

I love this review that's full of energy (the hugging!! 😭) and checks all the brand messaging boxes:

✅ Makes the customer feel seen
✅ Helps children learn how to care for their natural hair
✅ Inspirational

CX Twitter

I'm working to find the best of CX Twitter. Here are a few Tweets (new and old) that caught my eye this week on the topic of customer language.

Paige Harris @pa1ge Unpopular opinion: I find Shopify’s Twitter account cringey. Imagine if they used their account to actually educate merchants? March 10th 2022 6 Retweets 400 Likes

I almost glossed over this tweet until I read the replies:

• "I'm not here to shame anyone at all but I often feel like the tweets are coming from Frito Lay instead of a huge eCommerce tech company."
• "It’s been painful to watch. The thirst for Gen-Z engagement and taking any moment to try and twist trending memes to include Shopify."
• "10000%. would most merchants on here understand a CTA of 'check it out bbs' like probably not"

Ahhh, there it is. Shopify's Twitter sounds like it's trying to be the next Wendy's. The voice is working so hard to match Gen Z Twitter vibes that it feels forced and inauthentic. In other words, it's giving...

​

Megan Baird 🤿 @atMeganBaird Love this from the VP of marketing @FloydDetroit Q: How would you describe your job? A: I foster Floyd’s relationships with customers by sharing product knowledge and telling meaningful stories Marketing + CX 🥰 #tweet100 morningbrew.com/retail/stories… via @morningbrew Coworking with Racheal Brown She's the VP of marketing at Floyd. morningbrew.com October 28th 2021 0 Retweets 0 Likes

Oops, sneaking my own tweet in here from 5 months ago. I loved this answer from the VP of Marketing at Floyd. Like Yelitsa said, Floyd's marketing is storytelling (ok, with a side of educating!).

Amanda Goetz @AmandaMGoetz Without proper brand strategy, teams spin on pop culture moments and “should we post this or not?” Brand strategy + channel strategy = an autonomous and aligned content strategy March 28th 2022 6 Retweets 107 Likes

Full disclosure: this tweet was about #theslap. But... she has a point! Does your brand have an aligned reason to comment on the latest Twitter drama (slap or no slap)? If not... maybe sit out this round of meme-thirsting and get back to serving your audience.

Let me know what kind of CX, marketing, and customer-focused curiosities you've been exploring lately. I'd love to hear what you've discovered.

- Megan