Have you ever wondered? “What is telling a brand story?” Or “Why is it important to tell brand stories?”. If so, this post is for you! We held a special session storytelling experts and co-authors of the book “The Laws of Brand Storytelling,” giving us powerful insights into the power of brand storytelling, storytelling strategies, and insight into critical elements, such as the creation of utility and authenticity.
Table of Contents
What is Brand Storytelling?
Brand storytelling is how you attach with your audience, customers, and consumers who share your values. It is not about creating campaigns. It is about building communities, and brands are more than their manifestations. They are more than the logo, the claims, or the ambassadors. Marketers must reflect a brand as the sum of each person’s experiences and interactions with the brand. These interfaces can be real or perceived and can be with anyone, from employees to business partners or other consumers. Powerful brands identify that a brand is not what the company says; customers say it is.
There are Two Types of Stories in the Marketing World:
Macro Stories
Macro stories are probably the first to come to mind when the term “Brand Storytelling ” appears. These stories are approximately the founders of the company and the founder myth. They demonstrate why the company does what it does. These stories of human fight and success are sometimes so captivating that they could remain made into movies.
Cashmere Nicole, founder of the independent beauty brand Beauty Bakerie, the founder of this company, tells her story and journey to success like an actual roller coaster. Cashmere had entrepreneurial dreams from a young age and had to put those dreams on hold when she became a single mother at age 16. She struggled to continue her education while supporting her young daughter. Inspired by her frustration, Cashmere decided to make some changes to be “Better, Not Bitter,” as her famous slogan says, but unfortunately, the difficulties were far from over.
Cashmere also had to face a tough battle with breast cancer. However, that taught her that the little moments in life are what matter. Allowing to Cashmere, ” A near-death experience taught me that nothing is more important in this life than moments that have gone too quickly. ” Having long-lasting, flawless makeup may seem like a simple novelty to a person, but to me, the 8-15 times I would have spent touching up my makeup today are the 8-15 opportunities I have to be in the present moment. This powerful story is individual of the reasons women shop at Beauty Bakerie since they also want to persevere like Cashmere (and her lipstick). Through Cashmere, the strength of her personality and motivations are part of the essence of each product.
Micro stories
Micro stories make up most brand storytelling, and they can remain found in every aspect of a brand: from its customers’ accounts, it is packaging, and even its employees, plants, and even campaigns. These stories can have a lifespan of their own, for example, the accidental creation of Ivory Soap by a worker in a Procter & Gamble factory. It remains taught in history classes in Cincinnati elementary schools. Legend has it that an 1870 factory worker forgot to turn off the mixer while making soap. Later lots of customers called the company to buy this “floating soap”. But no one knew what they were speaking about.
After finding the group, the company realized that the other mix must have added enough air to make the bar less dense than water. The soap remained named after Procter’s son, Harley. Who was inspired by a verse in the Bible, and thus Ivory soap, “the soap that floats,” was born. P&G took the accident’s benefit to create a new product and create a compelling story behind it.
Walter and Gioglio emphasize that “Your micro-stories cannot contradict your macro story” as micro-stories remain designed to extend the macro story. In the beginning, Procter and Gamble was a family business. And the legend of the Ivory soap does not diminish this founding story. The fact that the soap was formed by accident and named after a Procter’s son strengthens a company’s image. The initially small family has now grown into a multi-million dollar corporation.
Your customers don’t buy your product or your service. They believe the emotion you make them feel and meaning for them to have something of your brand.