Omsom payments itself as a “loud and proud Asian meals” model however on this case, loud doesn’t simply imply vivid model colours. It means having one thing to say.
Founder Vanessa Pham explains that the corporate was impressed by her and her sister Kim]’s lived experiences as first era Asian People. “Having lived a lifetime of being constrained by this mannequin minority delusion, we felt like embodying this noisy, loud, and proud vitality was so true to us and is the way in which that we wished to point out up on the earth by way of our firm,” Vanessa says.
Vanessa attributes Omsom’s success to nice storytelling, which has led to tons of press protection, promoting out of their merchandise at launch, and finally securing retail companions. Listed below are Vanessa’s ideas for profitable model storytelling.
Do not miss an episode! Subscribe to Shopify Masters.
1. Slim your focus
Vanessa believes many manufacturers dilute their message after they attempt to attraction to everybody. As an alternative, she recommends narrowing your viewers, which makes it simpler to create extra significant content material.
“We actually centered the first- and second-generation Asian American group at a time the place many manufacturers have been overlooking this viewers,” Vanessa explains.
Current meals manufacturers usually used both the identical packaging because the merchandise in Asia or they have been geared toward non-Asian shoppers with slogans like “journey the world by way of meals.”
2. Make storytelling a day by day behavior
“If you’re not dedicating time and vitality to storytelling, then the media would not have a narrative to inform,” Vanessa says. Omsom has made it a precedence to create a day by day behavior round creating content material, whether or not that’s sharing what’s happening behind the scenes or commenting on present occasions. That’s helped them develop good relationships with journalists and extra impactful press protection.
3. Be a part of the nationwide dialog
The founding story isn’t sufficient anymore. Vanessa says taking part in bigger discussions is essential to staying related. For instance, when Silicon Valley Financial institution failed, Vanessa and her sister have been always speaking to the press in regards to the growing scenario.
“If you’re speaking about issues that journalists are already serious about and already care about, you are more likely to type of be part of their subsequent piece,” Vanessa says.
4. Make your merchandise mirror your story
Posting on social media and speaking to press aren’t the one methods to inform a narrative. Omsom took it a step additional, and truly made a product round considered one of their campaigns to demystify the misconceptions round MSG. They made an MSG shaker, in order that MSG might have a spot on the desk with salt and pepper.
“This was actually dangerous as a result of as a premium meals model, the standard of our components is type of what you reside and die by,” Vanessa explains. “And we wished to take that threat and inform that story as a result of we believed that folks might hearken to us and would perhaps study one thing.”
5. Introduce the folks behind the model
Vanessa says an early studying was that customers care in regards to the folks behind the model, notably for meals manufacturers which are tied to sure cultures.
“Kim and I made a decision to be part of our Omsom story in a really significant approach as a result of we wished folks to know that these have been the faces behind the model, these are the values we stand for, and this is how we’re making an attempt to stay them out day-after-day as greatest we are able to, even when it is imperfect,” she says.
To study extra about how Vanessa and Kim stay out their loud and proud values, developed recipes and merchandise, and demonstrated grit to finally land a retail partnership, hearken to Vanessa’s full interview on Shopify Masters.