One of the critical components of successful brand stewardship and promotion is authenticity. Brands that attempt to take advantage of social circumstances or popular trends are rarely successful as the plays simply don’t align with past performance and overall purpose. The recent actions of Schmidt Old Tyme bakery and the public response is a great story not just about bread shared with people stranded by a sudden winter storm, but about a brand standing on their principles and serving their community as they have for decades.
If you are not familiar with the story, we’ll summarize.
A winter storm starting on January 3rd dropped over a foot of snow and ice in Virginia, quickly overwhelming snow-removal crews, causing trucks to jack-knife and other vehicles to skid off the road or into other motorists, stranding hundreds of drivers on Interstate 95 for upwards of 24 hours.
A married couple were among hundreds stranded on I-95 and when they spotted a Schmidt delivery truck stopped by the storm as well and had a thought. They placed a call to the company via their customer service number and asked if the bread on the truck could be shared with the unfortunate motorists. A bit to their surprise, the couple received a call back from not just anyone, but owner Chuck Paterakis, who thanked them for their idea and pledged to help. He then called the truck’s driver, Ron, and asked him to open the back of the truck. Loaves of bread were then passed out to stranded motorists down a two-mile stretch of the icy highway. The story went viral with both traditional and social media, delivering literally hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of PR and media exposure touting the good deed.
Yes… it’s a great story of corporate citizenship and people helping people. However, from a brand perspective, a few interesting elements of the story caught our attention.
- Authenticity matters
This wasn’t an opportunistic idea hatched by the marketing and PR team or their agency, it was an authentic response from the company (all the way up to the company owner) that found itself in a position to help and did just that. A great story unfolded and inspired either new or existing advocates to share it.
- Brand culture matters
Clearly the brand positioning and values are understood within the company. Not only did the customer service representative who answered the phone know this wasn’t a call they should dismiss but understood the call should be attended to quickly. Within minutes the issue was brought to the attention of the owner, and he made a decision he would later refer to as a “no brainer”.
- Brand alignment matters
This was clearly articulated by people within the organization once the media started looking more deeply into the story. When asked about the circumstances and resulting actions, Shawn Paterakis, an account manager at the parent company H&S Bakery stated, “Part of our mission statement is to continuously improve the communities that we serve. It’s amazing how this blew up from what we considered to be a small gesture.” When mission and brand align, good brand experiences follow.
- Good stories matter
The story didn’t spread due to the social strategy and actions of the company. In fact, prior to the new attention, the organization didn’t have a social media presence at all. The story spread due to the advocacy of the recipients of the bread. Those people who had sat in the freezing cold for literally hours, some without food, water, or heat, and were simply thankful for the bread and the gesture. Good stories almost always find a way to be told.
These are a few of the lessons we as marketing, creative and brand professionals can take from watching this story develop and the viral response that helped to tell it. You can try and outsmart the algorithms, rework the SEO strategy, and put together killer ad campaigns… all great pursuits. But, in the end, if we can tell authentic, relevant stories that capture the hearts and minds of consumers, we’ve done our job well.
If you have any additional thoughts on the Bread and the Brand, let us know. We would love to hear your take on this story and any additional insights you may have.