Every business has an epic yarn, fairy tale – or even a sequel. Everyone you meet has a story. They have experiences, strong values, personal insights, people in their lives who influence them, history that has helped shape their perspectives – and of course, interesting quirks that make them who they are. Strong brands are really no different. You can immediately tell the brands that have paid attention to their stories, crafted them into a real narrative – and put it out in the world for people to identify with – or not.
These brands often elicit a kind of tribal following from customers who relate to their story. Harley Davidson, for example, doesn’t only sell motorcycles. They sell a rebellious adventure. Starbucks doesn’t only sell coffee. They sell a tale about taking a break, communing with friends over a hot drink, or settling in for some delicious solo time with your laptop.
Your brand has a story as well. After all, your brand is the magnet that draws customers to your service or product. It should have a personality! It should be authentic, true to your company’s fundamental beliefs – and charismatic.
Not sure what it is? Finally figuring it out can be a little like winning the lottery. This knowledge can take much of the guesswork out of your strategy and lead to original marketing solutions, compelling advertising and maybe best of all, more customers. If you’ve ever struggled to convey the amazing qualities and benefits of your brand to consumers in your marketing or advertising, you know that it just isn’t as easy as it sounds. Understanding your story – and how to tell it – takes much of the pain out of that process.
How to do it? There are many different ways to uncover brand insight, but I think none is as fast, efficient and collaborative as a brand workshop. Workshops can take many forms, depending upon the brand in need. For example, maybe you are just starting out, maybe you’ve been in business for a while, or maybe you’re a brand who has weathered a lot but could use a fresh perspective. Some workshop sessions can revisit an existing brand, digging to find that authentic “magic” that can help to bring it back to life.
Other sessions bring stakeholders together to birth a new brand, exploring emotions, values and tangible benefits to come up with a compelling story. Yet others might include research with customers or like-minded community partners to search for unique ideas and lay groundwork for revitalized advertising strategy. The information learned from these workshops sets the stage for innovative strategies and tactics needed to meet the challenges of today’s economic realities – and overwhelmed consumers. Sound scary? The process is faster and usually far more enjoyable than you would think.
Think about your story. You can tell it through your business. And you can put your company on the path to becoming everything you – and the right customers – love. You can figure out how to work your way into customers’ hearts, minds and wallets. Just tell your story.
Georell Bracelin is a strategist and creative director for the Gb2 Agency, a branding and marketing firm that specializes in uncovering authentic brand stories for businesses. Gb2 collaborates with clients through brand workshops and also offers full-service design, copywriting, planning, ideas, conversations and results.
For more information and brand story examples,
contact georell.bracelin@gmail.com; 541- 410-6965.
