A new human normal

Why brands should take a KonMari approach to their storytelling

The subject line simply read: “Holger and I are alone in the factory.” During those initial days of social distancing and six-feet of separation — when our email inboxes were cluttered with overly-vetted, carefully-composed, “personal notes” from various c-suite representatives from brands large and even larger; less informational and more a reminder of our shopping habits over the past few years — it was that Lynchian subject line that stood out. Who is Holger? What factory? Where? And what events — besides the painfully obvious — had preempted this entrapment? The email — admittedly, one of the few that I received during that time which didn’t go unread and immediately trashed — was from Daniel Lantz, co-founder of Graf Lantz: a Los Angeles-based lifestyle brand specializing in handbags, accessories and home goods crafted with a variety of sustainable materials. I won’t go beat-by-beat here, but suffice it to say, Daniel’s email resonated. It read in an approachable, measured tone, avoiding the pitfalls of overly-familiar — dare I say, “cutesy” — missives I’d received from similar upstart brands during that time. Daniel wrote from the heart: how he missed the noise and imagination of the Graf Lantz factory (a key character itself within the brand), and how he and co-founder Holger Graf had adapted to this new normal: promoting themselves to co-heads of the shipping department...with varying degrees of success.

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By Casey Seijas

Director, Brand Communication, Siegel+Gale. Along every step of his professional life, and by way of a variety of roles, Casey has established a truly unique perspective on the essential fusion of art and science, particularly when it comes to brand communication.