The power of a biscuit

Show what matters. Don’t tell.

Many of us would have heard the phrase "Show, don't tell" in English class when the teacher assigned a nonfiction assignment or piece of homework.

"Show the reader what's happening," they would say, often emphasising their point with a hand flourish. "Don't tell them. Let them feel it."

These three little words often cause confusion about how to use them. Before we dive into this topic, here is an example of exactly what showing versus telling means in words.

Telling: "It was the middle of winter."

Showing: "Frost clung to the edges of the windowpane, and the breath from their mouths formed tiny clouds in the chilly air."

Telling: "Robert was excited about the news."

Showing: "Robert's eyes widened, and he clapped his hands together, barely able to contain the grin spreading across his face."

Don't worry if you've only recently grasped this concept; it took me a while to fully understand it. Every day is still a school day. ??

Show, don't tell, in branding.

The "show, don't tell "advice is most commonly heard when putting pen to paper, but it's equally relevant in branding—and here's why.

"Show, don't tell" is a saying used when writing stories and fiction to urge us to vividly depict what's happening rather than describe it.

This advice encourages writers to depict scenes and actions in vivid detail so that the reader can construct the world in their mind's eye, imagining the characters and feeling the action as it unfolds rather than being told it.

This immersive technique fosters a deeper emotional connection, making the story resonate deeper with the reader. You feel it more. The goal is for a reader to engage with the text emotionally, to absorb and experience the story through the words, rather than just scanning the sentences, void of any feeling.

It's what every writer aspires to achieve.

In this aspect, branding is very similar to writing in that the priority and emphasis is connecting with your customer, much like a reader.

Just like a writer aspires to engage readers by creating a vivid, emotionally charged narrative, a brand must do the same thing and engage its customers (both old and new) through its actions, visuals, and experiences.

For example, rather than merely stating brand values or promises, a brand that knows exactly what it stands for and why demonstrates its values through tangible, impactful experiences. It shows a customer what it values through an action rather than merely listing it in a paragraph on the About section of its website.

A powerful showing, not telling example:

For example:

The Biskery, a brand run by @lisa-shepherd-leeds and Saskia Roskam ?? , specialises in branded & personalised biscuits.

Their ethos is "kindness," and what better way to show that kindness than by giving away (yes, for free) biscuits to customers?

Every Tuesday at 10 a.m., The Biskery gives away a limited amount of its signature 'Thank You' Jam Biscuits without restrictions or requirements. The Biskery gives away biscuits to customers old and new every Tuesday, no questions asked.

On their website is a page describing their values, one of which is Kindness:

"We spread kindness in biscuit form. Everything we do is built on kindness; it is the foundation for why The Biskery exists and is installed in everything we do and how we do it, right through to the sentiment that our product delivers."

Through their weekly "gratitude sale" of thank-you biscuits, they focus on spreading the value and brand gem of kindness and passing the baton onto others to do the same. This is an amazing example of showing, not telling, in branding, where the actions speak louder than the words.

(As a side note, having received one of these biscuits, I can confirm they are scrumptious ??and are a truly magical way to spread kindness, appreciation, and gratitude.)

Why it matters:

Actions speak louder than words, another proverbial nugget of good advice, but one that rings true in this situation. You can build a stronger, more meaningful connection with your customers by showing (and showcasing) what your brand stands for rather than just verbalising it.

As we all have experienced at some point in our lives, feeling something through an experience you can hold, smell, hear, taste or see is more powerful than being told it.

It resonates.

It creates emotion.

It makes you feel, and feeling is the emotion that unlocks connection.

Building a brand that creates connection is all about infusing it with small touches that make a big impact. While brainstorming a Brand Value or gem that makes you different is quite easy, it's harder to do in practice and show it. However, the benefits far outweigh the effort.

Showing is the way to create an emotional echo with your audience, a resonance that allows them to experience and relate to your brand on an emotional level, much like how a well-crafted story deeply engages the person reading it.

Showing creates connection. Telling creates distance.

Showing is all about feeling, and in branding, that's what it's about. Emotion.