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.
so cialm ediat o day.co m http://socialmediatoday.com/derrickdaye/1147846/drivers-brand-storytelling-strategy? utm_so urce=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=So cial+Media+Today+(all+po sts) The Drivers of Brand Storytelling Strategy Customers own the story of the brand now. What brands say is f ar less important than what brands actually do to serve the well being of the f aithf ul. Whereas bef ore, the brand conversation was based on delivery and interruption, successf ul 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. T here must be a deep af f inity between the two or the relationship is just a transaction. The f oundation f or this af f inity 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 conf use the two. In our 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. There are three drivers of brand storytelling strategy - purpose, method and opportunity. T hese 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 powerf ul 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 f rom both the brand and the customer perspective: Purpose The most basic purpose or reason f or brands to tell their story is usually to create or reinf orce the brand’s positioning and competitive advantage. For customers, the motivation or purpose to tell brand stories comes f rom a desire to share ideas and experiences as an af icionado of the brands core purpose. In other words the strategic purpose in the brand story is based in resonance and relevance. Met hod Of course brands have a multitude of methods and media channels to tell their story. T he audience now is hyper-f ragmented and the method f or 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 meaningf ul manner. Opportunit y The opportunity f or brands to tell stories are varied and diverse. Brand storytelling creates awareness to product innovations and important events on one hand, to more dif f icult issues of public relations disasters on the other. Brands can be proactive or reactive in this regard. For customers, the opportunity f or 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 f or inviting customers to share their experiences and tell their stories. If you’re a marketer in the process of inventing or transf orming 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 f or 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. Sponsored by: The Brand Storytelling Workshop Connect: Authored by: Derrick Daye I'm the Managing Partner of The Blake Project, a leading brand consultancy. We help small and large growth oriented companies design, manage and build brands that drive revenue through dif f erentiated customer experiences. Ask me how: 813-842-2260. See complete profile Would you like to contribute to this site? Get started » . cial+Media+Today+(all+po sts) The Drivers of Brand Storytelling Strategy Customers own the story of the brand now. What brands say is f ar less important than what brands actually. storyline of what makes brands matter to people. There are three drivers of brand storytelling strategy - purpose, method and opportunity. T hese drivers work