Brand history marketing—how a company’s past creates an emotional connection with customers

While the U.S. might not boast of companies such as Japan’s Kongō Gumi—believed to have been founded in 578 A.D.—it has dozens of companies that have been operating for centuries. I think of these rich legacies and drama-soaked histories every time I see an Ancestry.com TV commercial, especially the “Hughes Family Story: Black Cowboys.” The documentary-style storytelling begins with a portrait shot of three generations of African-American cowboys, with a gravelly voice-over: “There’s two things a young man wants to be. A cowboy or a gangster. And a gangster is out of style.” The spot tells the history of a long line of cowboys, featuring vignettes of the speaker’s descendants intercut with immigration documents. The commercial ends with “Discover. Preserve. Represent.” See all of Ad Age’s 2024 Creativity Award winners here The first two injunctions are to sign up for Ancestry—but the final one reminds current generations to live up to their collective histories, to represent them by actions and values. American businesses with their own Hughes Family stories can learn a lot from Ancestry about the marketing of tradition. Not long ago, genealogy was the furthest thing from the lifestyle phenomenon it has become. It was the province of one oddly obsessed family member who rattled around microfilm and old shoe boxes, posing relentless questions to elders. Ancestry has turned the family tree from fossilized to verdant—a journey made possible, of course, by lower cost gene sequencing. The company appeals to multiple emotional layers that include pride, curiosity and anxiety about the fragility of the moment. (Only 21 percent of Americans think the country is going in the right direction.) Most brands fail to bring their histories alive with depth and resonance. A few, including Carhartt and Louis Vuitton, are effective storytellers, but most legacy businesses merely check the tradition box. This conventional model—featuring old white guys with stern miens and self-congratulatory declarations such as “Founded in 1828”—cannot create an emotional connection. There is no better time for brands to bring their past forward in the right way. Americans trust business more than government or the media. At the same time, Americans are committed to sustainability. Businesses that endure also demonstrate sustainability—a powerful double trust kicker. Whether for a 50-year-old company or a long-timer such as Cigna (founded as Insurance Company of North America in 1792), Colgate (founded in 1806) or Stanley Tools (1843), here are three principles for bringing a sustainable legacy to life: Dig deeply and fearlessly All too often, corporate histories are bowdlerized versions of the past, flattering biographies that show up in self-published books that sit on coffee tables in the lobby. The Ancestry brand inspires individuals to look at their past straight in the eye. People are thrilled when they find unexpected success and chuckle at the bandits and mischief makers in their lineage. (Watch Christopher Walken discover his grandfather’s criminal history.) Find the courage in your story In another Ancestry commercial, a woman stands at the water’s edge. “I want my kids to know they come from people who are brave and took risks. Big risks,” she says over pictures of immigrants crossing oceans and prairies. Brands with long histories also must recognize the warts and celebrate the will. No company has survived for decades without challenges, monumental and otherwise. Don’t sweep them under the rug. It’s a temptation that’s hard to resist, because marketing people don’t like to talk about even small defeats. They forget that people love “I was down and then I was up” stories. Make your history part of the cultural conversation Ancestry has both a sponsorship and content integration with the PBS Show “Finding Your Roots,” on which historian Henry Louis Gates illuminates the recesses of their personal histories for dozens of celebrities. Check out the latest Ad Age events and award programs Anyone who watches that show is at least momentarily curious about their own family’s past. That’s the lifestyle journey the company has made, and for brands that have roots of their own, there has been no better time to celebrate them with humor and humility. Create a culture that respects the past in all its complexity I have worked with many companies that have relegated their histories to their “About Us” page, when these should be front and center. Everyone in the organization should be aware of, and have an obligation to live up to, the people who came before who were “brave and took big risks.” That would be a powerful way to challenge internal teams to absorb their shared history and take the mission forward. It is a loss that this is seldom done. Indeed, how ironic it is that while many legacy businesses are not bringing their ancestries alive, the start-ups who are looking to unseat them through creative destruction are celebrating their own origin stories. So, my message to companies with fascinating—if not always glorious—histories, is that your past can help you defend your future. Sign up for Ad Age newsletters From influencer marketing to agencies, get the latest news and analysis delivered to your inbox Click here

Brand history marketing—how a company’s past creates an emotional connection with customers

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