The endless cycle of idea and action, Endless invention, endless experiment, Brings knowledge of motion, but not of stillness; Knowledge of speech, but not of silence; Knowledge of words, and ignorance of the Word.
-T.S. Eliot, Choruses From the Rock, 1934
Before I could earn my high school diploma, I had to memorize the beginning of Choruses from the Rock and the end of Little Gidding. You better believe, the years I taught high school English, my students were asked to do the same.
Even now, more than any song lyrics, these are the words I will wake up with stuck in my head. Perhaps I should set them to music just so I can at least feign to be a little more hipster and a little less librarian.
There are many great sacred texts, songs and speeches to anchor us on this same mantra as literary citizens of our world. No matter our point of reference, though, this call to think deeply about the language we use and digest, to see what is true through the clutter, to bring order from chaos, to find the story in all the noise, to bring sense to the flood of meaningless texts — this is how words shape worlds.
In corporate speak, we call this a story-first approach. And at KWI, this is what sets us apart.
We passionately seek the knowledge of who you are, why you exist, what differentiates you. We write from a place of deeply nuanced, cultural understanding of who you are communicating to and when and how they need to receive your message. We get to the heart of your story, and then amplify that through the appropriate channels — because we know the channels will – and must – keep changing and your story is your Rock.
The first section of Choruses from the Rock concludes with questions:
Where is the Life we have lost in living? Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge? Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?
We are now living in what has become defined as the Information Age. Just as the Industrial Revolution catalyzed the Industrial Age, the Digital Revolution has sparked a new environment characterized by Big Data and digital communications where information is hitting consumers at a constant and overwhelming clip.
This becomes a pressure cooker to just say something, even if it is not fully vetted or to suddenly have a vocal place in your industry when you really just wanted to build something and not have to talk about why.
We understand that pressure. And we also understand the importance to have a voice now more than ever – but finding and defining that is also more critical than ever. Your story is your DNA; it is what defines and sets you apart from your competitors and connects you with your customers.
How you tell your story is the difference today between being a bit or a byte – or a name.
