Here’s our elevator pitch—Star Trek on a pirate ship. 

Same cast. Same plotlines… but instead of the outer reaches of Deep Space Nine, everyone’s cruisin’ around the Caribbean. 

Or suppose Star Wars took place on an elementary school playground. Or Jane Austin’s Pride and Prejudice in the middle of a zombie apocalypse? 

Apparently, some have tried it. But setting informs a story as much as the characters do, and changing a setting obviously changes the entire story. 

The where of a story gives off a certain personality, just as much as the who and the what. The elements of a location, an environment, or a unique time and place shape how characters relate to each other, navigate the world, and compose the stories we watch, read, and listen to. 

The same is true of your brand’s story, culture, and overall identity.

Trust us… locations shape a brand’s story in ways you wouldn’t expect. That includes our own story as a Tempe, Arizona-based branding agency—and that’s something you can about in our new book ‘You are Remarkable’ authored by our founders.

Back to you and the simple, overarching question: ‘where are you from?’

https://youtu.be/xr0KW1Fe30c
Not Forgetting Setting
While everyone’s got a distinct nature, nurture (i.e. setting) still makes its mark. 

Of course, it helps to know your core purpose, what you value, and your organization’s vision for making a small corner of the world a little better. And while you’re at it, you need to know your character archetype. 

But knowing, and owning your setting is non-negotiable. The environment all around you, not to mention the values, history, and customs of the place where you set up shop matters more to your brand’s identity than you might think. 

Forget setting, and you ignore a huge chunk of what makes your organization remarkable. 
Having Roots in Two Locations 
So what’s the setting for your brand’s story? 

Is your location local? Regional? Global? 

Where, and just as importantly, when does it begin?

One thing you often find out when you’re getting to know someone is where they’re from. Sometimes, it’s straightforward, but other times, not so much. In fact, if you think about it, many people are from at least two places. 

First, the place where they grew up—the locale or community where their formative years were spent. The place that, to a large degree, probably influenced what they see as “normal” in the world. Somebody who grew up in the Midwest has a different “normal” than someone who grew up in Los Angeles.  

Second, the place where they currently live, which influences and constrains their current choices. Somebody living in rural Kansas has to adapt to a different physical, cultural, and economic environment than somebody living under the clear, hot skies of suburban Phoenix. 

The same is true for a brand or an organization. 

When your customers are getting to know your brand story, part of learning that story is knowing where you and your brand come from. 
Location Influences All the Details 
Directly or indirectly, people will get a feel for the values, culture and customs of the place where your business started. They’ll also get a feel for where it is currently located or headquartered. 

This may be overt, in the way that Portillo’s Hot Dogs are explicitly from Chicago (even when they’re in Arizona), and Alaska Airlines explicitly serves Alaska (even if their hub is in Seattle). It can also be unconscious or implicit, such as when people get an intuitive feeling that a brand is southern, western, urban, rural, European, or even Canadian. 

Speaking with a customer service agent on the phone, it’s not too difficult to detect the politeness of Missouri, the gruffness of Philadelphia, or even the clipped, British pronunciation of someone in Mumbai or Bangalore.  

You probably know a ton about where you come from. But if it’s not that clear how setting influences the day-to-day life of yo...

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