Typical..just as we are skint at the start of January and all the bills are flying in our Dyson vacuum cleaner decides to pack up. I guess its not too bad as the previous one served us well for over 10 years so we can’t complain too much. Having said that the timing could be better!
Off we headed on a Saturday afternoon (I can think of a lot better things to be doing!) to buy a new one and for me there was a simple choice to be made – what model of Dyson would we buy and at which store?
For me I had no intention of even considering a different brand of vacuum cleaner (I have to try hard to not say ‘Hoover’) simply because I believe in the ‘story‘ of Dyson, the spirit, the innovation, the person and I believe that this story will deliver a superior product.
While we were browsing the selection of Dyson’s on display at Harvey Norman’s a helpful shopper (another guy as it turns out – is it the men that do the hoovering I’m wondering?! …I used the hoover word didn’t I!) whispered in my ear:
“I’d buy a Miele if I were you. The suction is much better. I’ve had Dyson’s down through the years and they are only ok“.
Despite this sound impartial advice and my own experience I still wanted a Dyson. Even though we were surrounded by a wide selection of vacuum brands with lots of different features and price points I didn’t once consider even looking at them. I just wanted a Dyson. One of the Dyson models had a good offer on it, which simplified the task even further and before we knew it we were on the way home.
Opening and assembling the Dyson was a pleasure (relatively speaking!) with all of the parts cleverly clicking into place and inside the box I found a little booklet called ‘The Story of Dyson’.
It tells us that James Dyson is a curious inventor and shared some of his early designs including a Sea Truck (a high speed landing craft), a ballbarrow (a wheelbarrow with a clever ball that stops it sinking into the mud) a trolleyball boat launcher and an amphibious wheel boat.
Observing a sawmill he watched how a cyclone spun sawdust in the air and collected it in a chamber and wondered if the same principle could apply to vacuum cleaners that were using cleaner bags that constantly clogged the machines. After 5,127 prototypes he cracked it!
Since then he launched his range of vacuum cleaners, built a successful company and has constantly improved his products as well as introducing new ones.
Today Dyson machines are exhibited in museums in London, New York, Zurich,Sydney and Paris and the James Dyson Foundation runs workshops around the globe where young people solve engineering challenges in a practical fun way.
Dyson know they have a great story and they understand the power of this story so much that they include in it every box. This story is an integral part of their brand, so powerful that it had me not even entertaining a competitor product.
What you do, the products you sell and the services you offer are important – your story is what makes you unique.
Time to start storytelling ….
Check out another blog post: “Branding and Storytelling“
Tags: Fuzion, Graphic Design, Greg Canty, James Dyson, Marketing, PR
Greg Canty Fuzion Blog 
January 18, 2015 at 8:55 pm |
I was laughing reading this. I always had negative connotations towards Dyson because the “story” on the building sites was that they were over-priced and failed to meet the expectations set by their marketing. It shows the power of a story – be it good or bad.
January 19, 2015 at 5:15 pm |
The builders are probably right but I am a sucker for a good story!
January 19, 2015 at 9:32 pm |
I, too, love a good story – to wit, I am still using the Filter Queen vacuum I bought [albeit VERY reluctantly due to the price] from a door-to-door salesman with a great presentation in 1977. The date is not a typo – almost 38 years ago. Except for a burned out light on the floor attachment, it still runs like new! Apparently the parent company has been around since 1928.
January 20, 2015 at 8:40 am |
Wow Elizabeth …that could be a museum piece. I wonder is the salesman still with us ?!
January 20, 2015 at 9:34 am |
Well, you’ve done it again Greg…sucked me in – excuse the pun – with your story about hoovering and storytelling…
January 20, 2015 at 11:30 am |
thanks Eleanor – appreciate the positive feedback .. Hope you are well
January 23, 2015 at 6:11 am |
Nice story, Greg. And I can see why you want to support the company by putting your money where you mouth is.
p.s. I had a Miele and it was brilliant!
January 23, 2015 at 7:42 am |
Maybe I should have listened to the guy in the shop !! ..thanks Fergal, hope you are keeping well
January 26, 2015 at 4:23 am
There’s always a ‘guy in the shop’!
I’m doing fine – hope the New Year’s started well.
January 26, 2015 at 12:52 pm
Up the walls so far Fergal !
January 27, 2015 at 12:00 am
Fantastic – I’m delighted to hear that.
October 4, 2015 at 6:02 pm |
[…] Back in January our Dyson vacuum cleaner packed up and we were more than happy to replace it with another one. It’s a brand I really believe in, so much so that I wrote a blog about it called ‘Hoovering and Storytelling‘. […]