Marketing Needs a Story to Tell
The third and final step is determining the formats in which the stories will be told. “This needs to be done in a way that maximizes the efficacy of transmission,” Chatterjee says. Furthermore, the elements used in a story can vary based on the medium used—for example, a tweet would be more text-heavy while an Instagram post would focus more on imagery.
Businesses also need to develop an awareness of their customers’ “aspired self,” according to Bergman. “When we think about ourselves—our looks, personality, skills, talents, etc.—we typically see ourselves in a more positive light than we actually are. This is our aspired self,” he says. “Marketers should focus on how their target markets see themselves rather than on how they actually are.”
He illustrates this concept using the example of Mountain Dew commercials. “If you look at Mountain Dew commercials, you always see energetic, skinny, social, outgoing young adults doing interesting and fun things. The overweight couch potato drinking his Mountain Dew while binge-watching episodes of 24 sees himself in that way, although he is not.” Companies’ marketing efforts should account for this disconnect by engaging with consumers in ways that affirm their aspired selves.
For storytelling to be effective, it needs to be incorporated into all aspects of an organization. This is especially true today, as there has been, as Chatterjee puts it, a “sweeping democratization of information.” While consumer interactions were once carefully orchestrated, the rise of social media has made them spontaneous and prolific. To take advantage of these interactions, companies must shift from a “policing of approved storylines” to a recognition that all members of the organization are brand ambassadors, Chatterjee says. There are two ways to go about this, Bergman says. Businesses can take a top-down approach, where the company culture emphasizes marketing in all areas, or marketing personnel can be assigned to work within each area of the company.
Stone proposes four measures for ensuring that storytelling is prioritized in all areas of the company. First, brand guidelines must be documented. This means going beyond logo usage rules and color palettes to determining the identity of the company and ensuring that all areas have a clear understanding of that identity. “I’m always surprised [at] how frequently this critical element is missed,” Stone says.
Second, everyone in the company should be trained to tell effective, brand-relevant stories. She recommends including a section in new-hire materials on brand persona to ensure that the identity doesn’t dwindle as the company grows.
Third, company offices and culture should reflect the brand identity. This includes everything from interior design to the letterhead to the tone of internal memos. Details such as email signatures and on-hold phone messages should not be overlooked, and employees need to “find ways to live the brand persona every day,” she says.
Finally, materials and employees alike should be audited to make sure the brand persona is being preserved and effectively expressed in all of the various storytelling outlets. Furthermore, customers should be evaluated to ensure that marketing efforts are still aligned with their needs.
Brand storytelling certainly isn’t a new concept. Marketers have been telling brand stories for decades through their company advertising, but with the explosive growth of social media and content marketing, the opportunities and outlets for telling those stories, as part of direct and indirect brand marketing initiatives, have also exploded. Brand stories can be one more way to immerse consumers in brand experiences that build loyalty and brand affinity and make them want to interact with your company. With the right story, delivered in the right way, companies will surely find themselves moving closer to their marketing goals.
Assistant Editor Sam Del Rowe can be reached at sdelrowe@infotoday.com.