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Brand Strategy
Curate Your Brand Like a Hollywood Movie Story.
An interesting conversation we once had was with a client, the Head of Comms, who went…
"We've invested a lot in getting the branding right. In the past 6 months, we have developed a beautifully designed logo along with the entire brand identity, providing us with excellent consistency across all our platforms…”
She went on for about 4-5 minutes until this was asked of her.
"What is the brand about?" we asked.
"Well, we sell comprehensive travel solutions."
“Yes that’s your offerings. But what does the brand stand for? What’s the story for people?”
"Oh yes, we did build a story around the logo."
They’ve probably put blood, sweat, and tears into building the brand’s identity. But that's just not enough to cut it.
In today’s saturated and cluttered market, it takes more than a clever logo and tagline to appeal to customers and stand out from the competition. (Plus, it's hard to imagine why your customers would get excited about how your logo looks and what it represents...)
A compelling brand story should do a better job.
One that captures the soul and essence of the brand in a simple, memorable way, without compromising the integrity.
One that speaks to your target audience and turns them from passive bystanders into passionate brand advocates.
One that allows room for future interpretation and development of the brand, as well as the community it serves.
To our surprise, brand story telling is very much like writing a story for a movie. There building blocks that are essential for any kind of story, whether it is for a brand or a film.
Ultimately, we all use stories to connect with one another. With the right story, you can transform people into active contributors and help your brand succeed.
What Is The Story About Anyway?
The number one task. If you can't articulate the story's essence to people in simple, concise language, you lose them.
In movie scripting, it's called a logline. In branding, it's called positioning. Same concept. How you articulate what is it about.
It doesn't come out of nowhere. There's work to do.
You will be defining the purpose, vision, mission, and values of the brand to create the logline (or positioning), a.k.a the core essence. Although these concepts may seem highly abstract to many, identifying them is essential for establishing a solid foundation.
Articulating these seemingly abstract ideas is the job of the any great entrepreneurs and leaders. It not only keeps the leaders in check, but also informs every other individual they work with, whether within the organization, working towards the same direction.
The process of discovering these core ideas is not magic. It involves a room of visionaries, brainstorming their thoughts, and coming to a conclusion that best encompasses everyone's ambition.
The below will be some useful prompts to go down with the room as you try to identify the core essence:
- Beyond making money, why do we exist?
- What major problem we are trying to address?
- Who are struggling from the problem?
- What transformation we are promising to them?
- How are we going to fulfill that promise?
Staying true to your core essence is how you earn customer trust over time. People want to support brands aligned with what they care about. Make it clear what you stand for and back it up consistently. This way, even if strategies change, your brand's heart remains the same.
With well-defined core essence, your brand has everything it needs to flex and scale. Make sure your products, service, the marketing of those, operations - everything you do - underscores who you are and what you believe in. Connect with people on a deeper level and you'll create loyal fans.
Take some time to thoughtfully define your brand's why. A solid vision, mission and values lay the groundwork for what your brand stands for and how it makes an impact that ties with the purpose.
Once again, articulating these is the job of the leaders. When done consistently, you build genuine relationships and advocates who will show up for you, unprompted. Now, give me one good reason why you shouldn't think through these core ideas for your brand story.
Do You know the Characters Well Enough?
It's THE most important area you need to tackle as a leader, to know exactly what audience you're trying to reach with your brand and why should they even care? (If you don't know the characters well enough, how are you going to involve them in the story you are about to create.)
Only by defining your target audience can you create messages that are tailored to their specific needs, challenges, and desires. Simply put, make them resonate. You won't react to an ad about cat food if you've never owned a cat in your life. Simple as that.
One familiar exercise is to “profile” them. A.k.a creating the personas. In a profile of the users it should, at the minimum, provides you and your team clarity about the demographics about the target:
- Age & Gender
- Education and occupation
- Location
- Family status
- Income level
- A snapshot of their lifestyle
Apart from capturing the demographics, one level up is to capture the psychographics too. In other words, understanding their priorities, including:
- Top sources of information and news
- How they stay connected
- Their budget allocation
- Preferred brands
- What makes a delightful buying experience for them
- What are their biggest joy and fear
- What motivates and discourages them
To top that, you will be able to craft a user story based on the persona created - a short, concise narrative about the user and their pains and gains.
It's always better to show than tell. Here you go.
By creating a user profile and their story, you will also be able to test your knowledge about who you are really targeting. If you find it difficult, you don't know them well enough.
The great value of this approach lies in the clarity it provides for all subsequent tasks. Your campaign's EDM message, the offer on your social ad, and the user experience of the website can all be tailored to your personas. This allows for engaging them at every touchpoint.
This is not a one-and-done process, though. It's important to stay in tune with your target audience. Conduct ongoing research to validate and update the profiles, ensuring your brand remains relevant as their needs evolve. Adjust your strategy accordingly to keep them engaged and continue to attract new customers that match your ideal buyer profiles.
When you know exactly who you want to reach and have a deep understanding of what makes them tick, you’ll be well on your way to creating a brand story that captures their hearts and minds.
Why Is The Story Worth the Attention?
The logline of the story should tell.
By figuring out the core essence and characters involved in the story, you should have a pretty compelling logline that “hooks” your audience attention. If not, they are probably not the type of people you are seeking. Or, more work is needed. Ultimately, a clear and effective logline of a story should set the right expectations for your audience.
The same applies to an effective positioning; it should inform how the brand experience should be worked out and how your customers perceives you. It shows what makes your brand unique and why customers should choose your products or services over the competition.
Again showing is better than telling.
Between a company that produces high-end sportswear and a brand that empowers everyone to outperform what they were yesterday, which one gives you a little bit more motivation to work out?
Between a company that manufactures motorcycle and a brand that promises you a journey of thrill and freedom, which one sounds more compelling?
Between a global fashion chain that sells canned goods and a small clothing shop around the corner that's been there for a while and knows exactly what fits you, which one feels more personal and memorable to you?
Nailing effective positioning is both an art and a science. When done correctly, most of the other alternatives in the market become irrelevant. And if they follow what you do and tell the story that you are already telling, they simply become knock-offs.
A Story Won't Write Itself.
One thing a brand story is different from a movie, there's no end to it.
To curate a successful, long-term brand story, you need to actively and consistently put it out there. The brand promise should be integrated into everything you do: your website, social media profiles, advertising, product packaging, customer service, sponsorships, and even the people you work with.
When the same story is told enough times and it delivers the same feeling to people for a long enough period, you establish yourself with credibility and authority. When consumers start to recognize you and the story without having to look at the logo, you've established a solid brand.
Crafting your brand story isn't just about marketing. It's about digging deep, understanding who you are at your core, and sharing that truth with who you intend to serve. It's about getting to know your audience intimately, like old friends, and consistently delivering on the promises you make to them.
This isn't a quick fix. It's a journey, a labor of love. It's about weaving a narrative that's as engaging as a well-told tale around a campfire, a story that leaves a lasting impression and inspires action.
If you play the long game with a carefully curated brand story, you might just find yourself surprised at the heights you can reach when you stay true to your brand's heart.
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