Join the one-on-one interview with Ken Schmidt, former Director of Communications for Harley-Davidson Motor Company. This episode was filmed at the Shot Show in Las Vegas.

Schmidt sat down with host Jeffrey Hayzlett to discuss how in order to create demand while restoring a brand’s image, you have to be not just different but original. They also discussed how companies need to be at the forefront of the marketplace and how they can achieve that by controlling the narrative, especially when looking to restore their image.

Schmidt tells Hayzlett, “Creating demand is what business is for.” As a former communications director for a well-known brand, he discovered the hard way how brands and companies alike need to be original. He added that if people don’t see something inherently different from a product or service, they take their business elsewhere. In order for a brand to be successful, customers need to see a significant effort being made to gain their loyalty, because at the end of the day, people have a choice about who they do business with. Schmidt says, “We’re going to seek out and do business with people we like.”

Brands and companies walk a thin line when it comes to changing their image, especially when it’s a recognizable brand. Schmidt says people tend to listen to what a brand says when they recognize it. However, the narrative might be a bit harder to control. He tells Hayzlett of two ways he views narrative as: 1) when the marketplace controls the narrative and people can say whatever they want, and 2) when the business owns the narrative, which helps them drive it and define it more strategically. Companies should always strive to help define what they want the public to say about them.