Linkedin Sophisticated Marketer
Linkedin Sophisticated marketer write-up
Can marketers train themselves as storytellers? Minter Dial found a remarkable family story and then devoted himself to telling it right
All marketers tell stories, as Seth Godin puts it in the title of his classic 2012 book. However, not all marketers have the passion and dedication to a story that’s the hallmark of a great storyteller. Minter Dial, a former Senior VP at L’Oréal and the founder of the Myndset consultancy, is one that does. The commitment involved in telling a family story of heroism and tragedy has shaped him as a thinker and a marketer, and given him an insight on building brands through purposeful stories that few have.
The Last Ring Home is the story of Minter’s namesake and grandfather, and the Annapolis Naval Academy ring that he wore, and which miraculously made its way home 17 years after he was killed as a POW of the Japanese in WWII. Minter spent 27 years telling it. He first began digging into his family history when starting out as a marketer for an equities analyst. He kept digging, researching and piecing together the strands of this tragic and remarkable tale during 16 years working in the cosmetics industry. He finished it off while launching Myndset and building a reputation as a unique marketing thinker. The result is a critically acclaimed book and documentary film that has been winning awards at festivals across America. It’s a superb example of how committing to a story doesn’t just engage audiences, it changes the storyteller themselves.
The Last Ring Home is available as a book and documentary film on iTunes and Amazon (a great example of multi-format storytelling in action)