Are you building a brand of excellence or arrogance? Every choice you make tells a story, writes Dr Erin O’Dwyer
Last month, I sought out an integrative doctor who promoted herself as combining Western medicine with traditional modalities, including Ayurvedic diet, yoga and meditation. So far, so good, I thought.
The first thing I noticed at her clinic were two enormous, late model Range Rovers, positioned front and centre in the car park – one for the doctor and the other for her practice director.
It struck me as strange that a holistic doctor would be so eager to showcase a status symbol like this. I didn’t begrudge her wealth, or her choice of car. But for a wellbeing practice built on principles of care, balance and connection, it sent entirely the wrong message.
I gave the doctor the benefit of the doubt and booked two appointments. At my second consult, the doctor advised an urgent medical treatment. But instead of writing me a referral, she sent me away to figure it out myself. When I queried her, she suggested I ask my GP.
“But I’ve come to see you,” I said.
She shrugged. “Try Googling it,” she said, presenting me with her $300 bill and ushering me out the door.
I left the clinic baffled. I’d expected diagnosis and treatment – or at the very least a referral.
As I drove home, I realised I had seen the signs from the outset. The Range Rovers out front were the first clue to a brand that prioritised wealth, not wellbeing. Whether she intended it or not, the message the doctor was sending to her patients was: your fees are funding my lifestyle.
The next day, I phoned the doctor and expressed my disappointment with her service. To her credit, she apologised for failing to write me a referral. But by then she had lost a patient.
This isn’t a ‘beat up wealthy doctors’ story. Or a swipe at Range Rover drivers. (And yes, I love my Volvo!) But it’s a lesson in how to tell better brand stories, and more importantly, how to speak to your audience.
The doctor could have communicated brand excellence. Instead, she communicated brand arrogance. She had the power to order the treatment, to write a referral, to guide me toward a solution. She didn’t. Her actions communicated a lack of care – a ‘time is money’ approach. I wasn’t a person. I was a transaction. The very opposite of the holistic, patient-centred approach she advertised.
Lesson for brands
In brand storytelling, I teach the principle of excellence. Every story – whether personal, business, or brand-driven – has some element of excellence. Think an extraordinary product (Apple) or an extraordinary commitment to the greater good (Patagonia). These standout features are selling points. Authenticity counts too – it draws people in and makes a brand memorable.
Brands, like people, have stories to tell. And every touchpoint – from a logo to a product to your car in the parking lot – communicates something.
When a brand’s external advertising and internal reality don’t match, people notice. And trust, once lost, is hard to regain.
Every brand choice you make tells a story. The question is: Is it the story you want people to hear?
Questions for founders and brands
To improve your brand storytelling ask yourself:
1. Does every aspect of my brand – from how I present myself to how I treat my team and my customers – align with my brand’s values?
2. What aspects of my behaviour are in conflict with my brand values?
3. If someone had no direct experience with my brand and only observed it from the outside, what would they assume I stand for?
Because whether you realise it or not, your audience is already reading the signs.
