Storytelling - it has long been regarded as the most powerful way to build a strong brand.. but what exactly is it… although the word is everywhere it can be hard to understand why brands need it and what makes a good brand story.
For as long as people have communicated, storytelling has been one of the oldest aspects of art. We’ve used it to pass down information of generations including how to survive and moral lessons for younger generations. The reason why stories have been so important in our lives is because our brains tend to forget facts but remember narratives.
This is why it is so important to have a story at the centre of your brand - you want people to remember you and recall you when they need your product or service. The best way to do this is through storytelling.
Many businesses fall into the trap of making their brand story all about themselves when it should be about their customers.
They position themselves as the hero instead of the guide, focusing on achievements rather than transformation (“We were founded in 2010…” vs. “You deserve a smarter, simpler way to get this done.”).
Others get stuck in a corporate bio that lists milestones instead of solving real problems (“We started in a garage…” vs. “We saw how frustrating this was, so we built something better.”).
Then there’s the self-congratulatory trap, where businesses talk about how great they are rather than how they make customers’ lives better (“We have world-class trainers…” vs. “You want to feel stronger, here’s how we help.”).
And many ignore emotion, relying on facts instead of feelings (“We use the best ingredients” vs. “Feel radiant in your own skin, without frustration.”).
Great brand storytelling isn’t about you, it’s about the transformation your brand creates for your customer or client.
To explain this, I am going to write up two hypotheticals. One that uses facts and features and another that works purely off a narrative. Both with the same goal. To build a brand in your mind.
Say you are a shoe company, and you're running a TV Commercial. It’s a video of a team of runners jogging along the beach. Suddenly the camera zooms in on the shoe and we see a schematic type thing as the shoe reveals all the technical details. It’s jam packed with all the things that make your shoe ‘unique’. Like featuring a Multi-density midsole, EVA foam cushioning, Beveled heel geometry, Forefoot rock plate, Micro-threaded yarn integration.
Surely the more high tech jargon the better right? Makes it sound flash.
On the other hand, what if you told a story about a young girl whose dream was to become the world's fastest woman.
She trained everyday after school in their farm paddocks deep in the Waikato, wearing old hand-me-down shoes. After watching her week after week, her dad mows an olympic size athletics track in the bottom paddock of the farm and hands her a brand new pair of Ferrari red running shoes.
We follow her journey… As she gets older she starts to give up, she doesn't want to train in the cold mornings and nights, we see all the distractions that a teen would experience but her dad stays calm, always by her side supporting her and giving her the motivation to keep going and achieve her goals.
After the determination, turmoil and emotion. We finally see a shot of her on the starting blocks at the Olympics, with her dad proudly standing in the stands. We don’t even see the race, because our story is the journey. Not the result.
I know it sounds a little like a Nike advert, but that is because Nike uses storytelling so much as part of building their brand. The way to build brands is through connection.
I’m willing to bet you a coffee that without re-reading what I have written, you would struggle to write down those ‘unique features’ from the first story. See how many you can get.
I’m also willing to bet you two coffees that you would easily re-tell the story of the young runner. You may even recall the colour of the shoes her dad bought her?
This is a super simple example of how we remember story telling and it remains the same no matter how big or small your company is. Why? Because it has nothing to do with the company or product itself, it has everything to do with how we take in and process information. It’s about your audience, not you.
In 1949 Joseph Campbell wrote a book called The Hero with a thousand Faces. He identifies a framework that has been in place for thousands of years. It exists in myths, legends and even Pixar movies.
Campbell’s Hero’s Journey framework outlines a recurring pattern in great stories:
This pattern has been used countless times. You will recognise it a lot in famous movies including Star Wars, The Lion King and the most recent movie I watched with my kids Super Mario Brothers.
It is a technique used widely in movie scripts and books, but it can also be used in branding.
This has been explored in Donald Miller’s book called Story Brand. Donald takes Campbell’s story telling technique and applies it to business. It’s an easy framework which does one very important thing, it makes you talk about your audience rather than talking about yourself.
Miller talks about making your customer the hero, and your company the guide. The truth is, people don’t care about how great your company is. They only care about how it is going to guide them to solve a problem they have. This process helps you structure your messaging in that way.
Donald applies the structure of The Hero’s Journey in business like this:
Below is a story I recently wrote for rum brand Best Behaviour. Notice it's all about the drinker, there is a subtle nod to 'handcrafted New Zealand Rum' but this is not the place to list the process and awards. It's telling a story which positions the rum in the minds of the drinker. Notice the way it's written too. The handwriting, crossed out mistakes all feed into they tone of the brand.
I have created a worksheet for you to explore your own narrative based on these ideas and proven story telling techniques. Simply head to my Creative Dept. Join up and download the worksheet.
I’d love to see what you come up with and will happily give you free advice on your story if you send me your filled out worksheet to tom@wearesociety.co.nz
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