The Art of Storytelling: how to tell your brand story (Part 2/2)
By Jean-François Major on Wednesday, May 26 2010, 05:00 - Permalink
To read the first part, click here.
Brand storytelling creates value: it’s a subtle form of advertising that creates interest by appealing to your clients’ imagination. Unlike “hard sell” advertising – which shouts and begs for your attention – storytelling makes people want to listen, want to learn more.
Just like there are many great storytellers, from Bob Dylan to Stephen King, there are many ways of telling your brand story.
The Good Old Times
Vineyards, distilleries and brewers sure know how to tell stories of tradition and the golden days. A product’s ancient roots, traditional techniques and archived photographs are all ways of inspiring a distinct flavor into a product. Brand storytelling becomes a window into another era, and makes us dream of simpler, truer times.
Call me a sentimentalist, but the NHL History will be made commercials featuring hockey legends always make cry. They evoke a sense of nostalgia, of a time when it was about winning – no matter the cost – and giving everything you had. They immortalize the Playoffs’ most epic moments, and suggest that you shouldn’t miss this year’s hockey magic.
People behind the brand story
Showing a brand’s positive impact on people’ lives is a great strategy; as long as there’s an interesting story to tell. Nothing sounds as fake as another generic, anonymous testimonial.
The Volvo Saved My Life Club is the perfect example. The website has various American families telling about their terrible car accident – and how driving a Volvo probably saved their lives. Family photos, crashed vehicles, quotes, testimonials recorded over the phone: all these elements highlight these stories’ authenticity. The idea of security, the core of Volvo’s brand message, could never get more dramatic impact than that.
Brand storytelling doesn’t require you to buy every single billboard in town or throw away hundreds of thousands of dollars on a single TV ad. Your brand story can be told through easily accessible means. Open House days, a few pictures to accompany a well-told story on your website, or something as simple as an interesting anecdote while touring the factory. These are opportunities of making a human connection and establishing your brand in people’s imagination.