Book Excerpt | 'Pitch Perfect': "For anyone to communicate on behalf of the brand, they have to understand its soul"

Good Earth founder Anita Lal (Image: The Good Earth Story/YouTube; screen grab)

Content Is Not Just a Word

Whenever I think of storytelling, I immediately think  of Good Earth. The brand, which turned twenty-five in 2021, has perfected the art of telling stories seamlessly across platforms, both online and ofline. What is particularly impressive to me is how they have successfully created a brand language and are able to offer the same experience whether you are at their stores or on their Instagram account. To understand how they approach storytelling, I requested Shagun Singh, head of marketing and communications, Good Earth, to write a little note about it.

‘At Good Earth, storytelling is not something that is done as an afterthought. We weave it into the creation of the product and there is no retro-fitting. In fact, sometimes, the story leads to the product. Because this practice is seamlessly incorporated into the DNA of the brand, our voice and messaging are very authentic. Of course, there are people who follow us on social media because they want to buy our products, but we have a significant audience who are there for the storytelling on its own. In that sense, I suppose you can say that for us, content is a product. And when a brand has clear resonance, creating an online presence is easier. With each post, you set an expectation, so we also like to push the envelope and keep things exciting.

The most important advice I can offer is to make sure that the content creation team is well integrated within the organizational structure of a company. Often, companies place marketing, content and PR at the end of the chain and this is a big mistake. Having them involved from the start ensures that they understand the product journey and can articulate it much better. For anyone to communicate on behalf of the brand, they have to understand its soul. So, we work extremely closely with design and product development.

‘At Good Earth we have always had the content team in house—this is best for us because the way the brand works is very immersive and we like to have complete oversight on all aspects of brand communications. Our founder, Anita Lal, is also a natural storyteller and hence quite involved with this side of things. We don’t follow trends, and nor do we chase perfection.

Good Earth is, at the end of the day, a home-grown, organic brand that embraces a little bit of chaos and uncertainty. We have a very strong sense of provenance, and are India-proud, both of which really work in our favour. This is a very interesting fact because the messaging resonates quite seamlessly even with our NRI audiences.

‘Secondly, please expand the lens on content. It is not just about three daily posts on Instagram. It has to include online customer service and marketing and sales communication. Especially in our new normal, when more people are shopping online. Members of your marketing and sales teams—whether on the shop floor or working on the website—have to know how to sell a product and talk to a luxury customer. Good Earth is very particular about making sure that everyone speaks the brand language.

‘Today’s customer wants authenticity and not a sharp sell. Brand values and ethics are very important decision makers, so they have to be baked into your storytelling. Otherwise, content is just a word and not a real function. At Good Earth, for example, our messaging pillars of hand-crafted, inspired by nature, and Indian luxury, all guide our storytelling. ‘In our online content, we focus a lot on design, colour, nature, history, wellness and lifestyle. Not only are these popular areas of interest, but they also fit into our brand DNA. There is a sharp visual aesthetic, in keeping with the fact that design is sacrosanct at Good Earth.

‘We aim to create a feeling. In fact, our mandate is not to sell rest. Every product needs a context in terms of styling, craft or how it can be used. We never ask people to buy something. We tell them a story of how this product can fit into their homes and lives. And then it’s up to them to buy. Which is also why we are constantly creating a visual escape. There are a lot of quotes we share, and we are frequently nostalgic!

‘During the lockdown necessitated by COVID 19 in 2020, for example, we created a series of artworks showing Delhi’s monuments being taken over by real and mythical creatures. This was rooted in the reality of empty streets but also created a dream state, which felt very real to the brand.’

Excerpted from Pitch Perfect: How to Create a Brand People Cannot Stop Talking About, by Srimoyi Bhattacharya (written with Chinmayee Manjunath), with permission from Penguin Random House India.