The Drivers Of Brand Storytelling Strategy

Thomson DawsonJanuary 8, 20134 min

Customers own the story of the brand now. What brands say is far less important than what brands actually do to serve the well being of the faithful. Whereas before, the brand conversation was based on delivery and interruption, successful brand conversations are now participatory in ever more technology driven channels.

Storytelling is at the very heart of how we humans share and connect what we value about our heritage, our communities and ourselves. Brand storytelling is about connecting the outer value the brand provides to the inner values of the customer. There must be a deep affinity between the two or the relationship is just a transaction.

The foundation for this affinity is built on the shared stories between brands to consumers, customers to brands, and consumers to consumers. Like all relationships, there has to be chemistry. Brands have it or they don’t. How well these collective stories line up with the experience customers have is what creates “insistence without substitutes” in the minds of customers.

Brand storytelling is a strategic imperative not a promotional tactic.

Many marketers confuse the two. In The Blake Project’s brand consulting work, I’ve heard many marketers complain, “We just don’t know what our brand story is about”. Or worse, “no one seems to get what our brand story is about”. Seemingly ubiquitous marketing obscures the transcendent storyline of what makes brands matter to people.

Brand Storytelling Strategy Drivers

There are three drivers of brand storytelling strategy – purpose, method and opportunity. These drivers work in parallel with stories customers tell to the tribe and stories brands tell to the tribe. For enlightened brand marketers, storytelling is a powerful means to build enduring connections as we now live in a culture characterized by participation, interaction and dialogue. Brands must have a storyline anchored in a human purpose rather than a commercial one. Let’s explore how these drivers work from both the brand and the customer perspective:

Purpose
The most basic purpose or reason for brands to tell their story is usually to create or reinforce the brand’s positioning and competitive advantage. For customers, the motivation or purpose to tell brand stories comes from a desire to share ideas and experiences as an aficionado of the brands core purpose. In other words the strategic purpose in the brand story is based in resonance and relevance.

Method
Of course brands have a multitude of methods and media channels to tell their story. The audience now is hyper-fragmented and the method for storytelling is less about media and more about real engagement. Customers too, have more methods available through social media channels to
share their brand stories. What this means is the brand’s story is now a shared experience, with both brand and customer contributing to each other in a more real and meaningful manner.

Opportunity
The opportunity for brands to tell stories are varied and diverse. Brand storytelling creates awareness to product innovations and important events on one hand, to more difficult issues of public relations disasters on the other. Brands can be proactive or reactive in this regard. For customers, the opportunity for storytelling, by their own initiative, is also driven by good or bad news about a brand experience. Transparency is the order of the day now. Enlightened marketers now realize they must provide the venue for inviting customers to share their experiences and tell their stories.

If you’re a marketer in the process of inventing or transforming your brand’s positioning, brand storytelling will be a critical component to building an enduring connection with those of like mind. All legendary brands have legendary stories told though generations.

Your strategy for creating a compelling brand story will be driven by your brand’s purpose, the level of engagement, and the ability to leverage events and circumstances around customer experience.

The Blake Project Can Help: The Strategic Brand Storytelling Workshop

Branding Strategy Insider is a service of The Blake Project: A strategic brand consultancy specializing in Brand Research, Brand Strategy, Brand Licensing and Brand Education

FREE Publications And Resources For Marketers

Thomson Dawson

3 comments

  • Mark D Hogan

    January 9, 2013 at 7:49 am

    This is an excellent post and guide for leveraging brand stories. Keep up the good work. I believe a brand purpose is a fundamental building block for brand storytelling. The purpose is not about what you sell its the unique value that you bring to the world and sets you apart. It can serve as a powerful motivator to internal associates and consumers. Purpose can become the engine of the brand and the source and inspiration for storytelling. If you get the purpose right everything flows.

  • Tata joseph

    January 11, 2013 at 1:58 am

    Customers easily remember nice stories especially when the story has some connection with their lifetime. In my opinion brand storytelling is pretty much the best way to communicate your brand to consumers. This is because the message easily locks in the minds of customers and thus serve as a unique selling proposition.

  • Dan White

    January 11, 2013 at 9:29 am

    I think Mark really nailed it when he said that it is not about what you sell but the unique value it brings to the world. I think a purposeful brand mission that customers can buy into is without a doubt key to success.

Comments are closed.

Connect With Us