Towards the end of 2023 I received a message via a network that spans the globe.
A personal invitation to a select event where certain…secrets would be shared.
It felt clandestine, at least in my fertile mind because I’d been contacted by the FSB. To some, those initials conjure nothing but to a massive James Bond and spy novel fan, my
Story Senses* were instantly tingling.
Even the name of the venue, the “Peak Edge Hotel” has a romantic vibe to it.
Unless you grew up in Matlock (as I did) and know it as that place on the road from Chessie underneath the wobbly stone perched on the cliff edge. That sounds far less intriguing though because jokes aside, people listen to stories, they rarely pay attention to brands.
That’s one of the reasons why The Federation Of Small Business (FSB) have asked me to pop along to their Branding Brilliance Bootcamp event on the 25th of April.
Along with telling stories, (the Cherie Blaire and Sky News one will get a mention I’m sure) I will be sharing tips on how PR is not just about Profile but also about Positioning and explaining the difference between Publicity and PR. In a nutshell, the former happens to you, like it or not.
PR on the other hand, is planned, strategic and aligns with your branding goals.
If you can’t make it, I will summarise my thoughts post event “Blinkist” style but we all know, given the time, we’d prefer to hear the full story by the fireside.
Granted, opening with a scene overlooking a fog-bound and freezing street at midnight, somewhere in Eastern Europe, might have more story pulling power than the Peaks but with a bit of creativity, anything is possible.
Just ask Emily Bronte!
*not to be confused with Spidey Sense, that’s a more tangled web.