Brand Story
2 minute read
Brand story is more than just the history of a brand. A brand story is a cohesive narrative that encompasses the facts and feelings that are created by your brand (or business, if you prefer) (Hope, 2018)
Brand story matters because you can get a lot of things wrong in marketing but if you have a story you can still do amazingly well. Apple, Nike, Coca Cola, IKEA, to name just a few, all have amazing stories.
Studies have found that people spend more when products or promos are paired with a story. A character-driven story can even cause people to donate up to 56% more money to charity than they might otherwise have done (French, 2019).
“Marketing is no longer about the stuff that you sell but about the stories you tell” Very true, Seth Godin. Very true. #FindLoveKeep #brandstory #branding #digitalmarketing #storytime @consolefomi @KateEfomi pic.twitter.com/bFhlKTUCC6
— Efomi (@efomihq) March 5, 2019
A brand story must inspire an emotional reaction. Things like your product, price, history, quality and marketing are certainly important for your brand story. However, more importantly, your brand story is articulated around your purpose, authenticity, your unique set of values, the experience people have with your brand (on social media, in your store, over the phone, etc) and these should be centered on your customers. So brand story is not about telling your company story. Customer’s usually don’t care about your story, they care more about their own… You should therefore ask yourself the question: ‘why do customers need my product in their lives?’ (Hope, 2018).
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A brand story is also and most crucially what other people say about you (Hope, 2018).
You are not the only author of your brand story, other people are too. In fact what others say about your brand actually has more effect on consumer purchase decisions than what you have to say about it. This narrative exists whether you like it or not.
Nowadays, a brand sits in conversation with those who experience it. Authorship of your brand story doesn’t sit in the Chief Marketing Officer’s office. It sits in the hands of your social media followers, your customers, your intern, your shop clerk (Hope, 2018).
REFERENCES:
- French, 2019 (2019)The 5 Ingredients You Need to Tell a Brand Story That Resonates [Online] Available: https://www.columnfivemedia.com/how-to-tell-a-brand-story [Accessed: 10 March 2019].
- Hope, J. (2018) What’s a brand story, and why does my company need one? [Online] Available: https://www.echostories.com/whats-a-brand-story-and-why-does-my-company-need-one/ [Accessed: 10 March 2019].
