petfood pro 4/2021

editorial
Teaching a New Dog Old Tricks
Sustainability has many forms. More
commonly we think of packaging,
pouches, reducing size and saving
resources. Currently climate change and
carbon reductions are the hot topics.
However there is another side to being
sustainable: retaining the best from the
existing resources, or trying to capture
the experience of people before it is
lost. Many of our older colleagues have
worked for many years, made mistakes
and discovered systems that function
well. However brilliant a new co-worker
may be, he or she still needs to gain the
experience and relationships with peers
and clients.
None of us will be around for ever, so it is
important for the younger generation to
learn things from the older guys before
they move on, which can make their
own path a little straighter. This can be
very simple in the form of storytelling.
Everyone has a different viewpoint and
the more we have lived, the more there is
to say. In this way a company can be made
fit for the future in the traditional way,
which often saw fathers teaching their
sons and mothers their daughters.
Modern TV advertising focusses on people,
often celebrities, who tell their story. The
identification is often with the narrator,
who builds trust so that the relationship
with him or her is more important, than
whatever cream, coffee, kibbles or car,
they are actually trying to sell. How many
of us – as children or even young adults –
have bought something because our hero
has been seen with it? How many football
shirts are sold because they have a certain
number or name? How many chocolate
bars are sold because the lady licking her
lips is our favourite actress?
Storytelling is also part of building
relationships. At a business dinner we
rarely talk about business. But we do relate
the latest adventures of our offspring
or our cats and dogs. There are many
subjects, away from pet food nutrition
where we can find a common interest and
go away saying, “That is a good, honest
person. I could imagine doing business
with them.“
Part of the success at forums at different
conferences, trade shows and other
events, is a discussion group of certain –
experienced – professionals who share
Ian D. Healey, Editor-in-Chief
their opinions on current hot topics.
The audience is sometimes invited to
participate, but again, this has become
a marketing tool where a ‘human library‘
is featured and where the discussion is
beneficial for everyone else.
Stories have power. They can delight,
enchant, touch, teach, inspire, motivate
and challenge. They can confirm what we
already think or send us in a new direction.
Stories live from being told and those who
listen can profit and understand things
from a new perspective.
Sincerely
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Issue 4 2021
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