A Peek Behind the Curtain

In 2009, Harvard Business School (HBS) released a video titled Inside the Case Method. It’s fascinating to watch today because you’ll likely recognize the storytelling technique from the popular TV series 24, starring Kiefer Sutherland (2001-2010). Facing competition from other top business schools touting their use of the case method, I can imagine someone at HBS finally saying, “Wait a minute. We brought the case method to business school education in 1921. No one does it like we do.”

The first part of this outrage is indisputable, as it was adapted from the casebook method used since the 1890s at Harvard Law School. Harvard Business School’s Wallace B. Donham, the school’s second dean, recognized its potential for business education and spearheaded its adoption. HBS realized that the second half of its claim needed to be demonstrated. The only practical way to do that was to create a video that offered an inside view, if you will, of what the case method looks like at HBS.

It’s truly impressive, and its effectiveness is evident in the fact that subsequent versions were produced over the years, none of which were as strong as the first (in my opinion), largely because of the obvious need to meet internal political demands for people who didn’t appear in the initial version to be featured in subsequent videos, which only watered down the message. That said, the power of a behind-the-scenes look at the HBS delivery of the case method is undeniable. I suspect other organizations noticed this as well. I’m sure there were many CEOs saying, “How could a peek behind the curtain help our stakeholders more clearly understand the difference between what we do and how we do it versus our competitors?

Nice to See You.

Enter Warby Parker. While I have no evidence that Warby Parker’s brand print was influenced by what HBS did in 2009, it was equally compelling, although their respective challenges were very different. Warby Parker was an upstart, not an institution with centuries of history. They were the disruptor, not the disrupted. At that time, the retail eyewear market was dominated by the likes of Pearle Vision and LensCrafters, selling expensive glasses that, between the designer frames and lenses, cost consumers hundreds of dollars per pair.

Warby Parker arrived on the scene with a value proposition that claimed, we’ll sell you stylish, quality eyewear, manufactured in the US, for $95 (including single vision lenses), and for every pair of glasses purchased, Warby Parker will donate a pair to someone in need. Too good to be true? Warby Parker understood this all too well. To make their value proposition credible, they created a video (brand print) that gave the consumer an inside view of how they deliver on something that, on its face, appeared implausible. Today, its market value is nearly $2 billion.

Born in a Small Town

When I first entered the advertising agency business in the late 1980s, I joined a small firm in Providence, Rhode Island called Jason Grant Associates. Gant was one of its major clients, which I recall owned Eagle Shirts, a high-end men’s dress shirt company. One of my favorite experiences was viewing a video produced by the creative team about the town and the people who made these quality dress shirts. Set to the music of John Cougar Mellencamp’s Born in a Small Town, it offered an emotional tribute to the Pennsylvania town and its people, who poured their hearts and souls into making a product for which they were so proud. It was my earliest recollection of getting the backstory and seeing the people behind the retail packaging used for every other brand of shirt in the store. The story behind the product made the shirts special. You could actually feel it when you put it on your back.

Summary 

If you could offer your stakeholders a peek behind the curtain and show them what you do and have them see the love and care that your employees bring to whatever product or service you provide, what would it look like? What story could you tell? Whether you’re a nearly 400-year-old institution, a company aiming to disrupt, or a small manufacturer wanting to put faces behind your commitment to excellence, it may be time to share your backstory.

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