There has been a lot of talk lately about authenticity and creating a story for your brand that resonates with people and gets them to connect with you on an emotional level. So, last night, my wife and I are talking about something and she says “Just like Wendy’s and Dave Thomas.” I ask her what she means and she goes on to explain that Wendy, the daughter of Dave Thomas (founder of Wendy’s) was adopted. And, furthermore, that Dave Thomas himself was also adopted. And, that the company donates a portion of their proceeds to an orphan/adoption charity, or owns and operates one and that maybe that was the reason that the company was originally started.
Now, I have been way too swamped today to check any of these facts, and frankly I don’t necessarily think that it matters. The point is that Wendy, the adopted red-headed child, is a great marketing story. I knew it was the case based on the emotion in which my wife described it to me and how my suggesting that it might be a marketing gimic seemed to dull her spirits just a bit. She wants to believe that the Wendy’s story is true. Maybe I will go home tonight and tell her that I verified her story 
So, my question is, does authenticity really matter if you have a story that people want to believe?
What other great marketing stories do you know?
