I’ve been reading Bear Grylls’ autobiography, “The Kid Who Climbed Everest.”.  Bear, of course, is the host of Discovery Channel’s TV series Man vs Wild.  This book is specifically about Bear’s successful attempt to climb Mount Everest, the world tallest mountain at just over 29,035 feet.  It is said that 1 in 6 who attempt to climb the mountain die- either by physical accident or altitude-related illnesses.

I’m still early in the book, reading about how Bear raised the $20,000 through corporate sponsors to obtain a spot on the Everest team.  After hundreds of rejections (including a rather humorous episode with Richard Branson) and failed attempts to convince corporate CEO’s to foot the bill for his adventure, he stumbled across a firm called David, Landon and Everest.  Simply because of the name of that firm, he decided to go in and leave his brochure.

This time, he got called back for an interview.  As it turned out, the “Everest” in the company name was descended from George Everest, the Surveyor General of India in the 1830’s.  George Everest had been the first man to accurately measure the height of the great mountain, and the one for whom the colossal peak is named.  So, yes, the company was interested in sponsoring Bear’s trip.  But not for the reasons you might think.

From the book:

They were interested, friendly, and had a vision for how this expedition might work for them.  Rather than purely wanting the PR from any media coverage, what they saw in it was entirely different.

They wanted a unifying focus for their company.  They recognized that a successful company becomes successful from the inside out, rather than the other way around.  What they wanted was a project to focus and excite all who worked for DLE, something everyone would feel a part of.  It seemed that I was fast becoming that “something.”

This, my friends, is what good branding is all about.  The suits at DLE had a connection with their story.  And, as anyone who has spent any time at all in our office knows, a company’s story can be a very powerful organization driver.  They wanted to help their employees connect with that story, and then use it as a motivational force to move forward.

Their founder’s ancestor measured the height of Mount Everest, the highest point on the face of the earth.  And now, this young, ambitious fellow wanted to climb it, conquer it, and stand on it’s peak…so, of course they would sponsor, and they would discover a piece of their own corporate heritage in the process.  What a fantastic way to reconnect with the ambitions that made their company a success!

This is integrated branding at its best.

“People do not decide to become extraordinary. They decide to accomplish extraordinary things.”  - Sir Edmund Hillary, first man to climb Mt. Everest.