brand story craig harries
DESCRIPTION
An approach to unearthing the magic within your brand through a holistic approach that looks outside and inside the brand, to develop a rich and genuine articulation of it.TRANSCRIPT
A Brand Story gives the brand a point of view
It provides a common belief, direction and understanding of ‘where’ the business wants to get to, and ‘what’ it needs to focus on to get there
A good one can inspire all stakeholders to get behind the brand:
• Employees• Customers• Business partners etc.
Brand Stories have credibility because they are founded on brand truths
They can organise the development of the whole business, not merely communications
Why a Brand Story?
Stories make a brand ‘sticky’
A good story has universal appeal
The stories we learn as children provide lessons for life
Aristotle used stories to sway crowds
A Brand Story can come from a number of places
BRANDSTORY
1. Origins & History
2. Fans
3. Experience
4. Quest
1. Origins & History
e.g. Steve Jobs discovered a love of Calligraphy and that shaped Apple as a creative tool rather than a processing machine
A brand’s origins might have been because of frustration or spotting an untapped opportunity
There are also events in a brands history that have shaped what it is and how people relate to it
Looking here can reveal a brands essence and provide a source of energy
Every business started due to a unique set of circumstances
2. Fans
Fans outside and inside the business are a goldmine of insight and ideas and give you a true reflection of the brand’s strengths and what makes it special
Exploring their relationship with the brand will help define it and generate ideas to help it grow
A brand with a strong fan base has high levels of loyalty and advocacy and can charge a premium
We can learn the most from the people closest to the brand
The things that define people’s experience of the brand
3. Experience
Often this is the only thing that separates brands in a category
What is the journey?
How is the brand experience different? Unique? Or special?
How does the brand make people feel?
What opportunities are there to extend into new channels?
The ambitions and goals of the business
4. Quest What is the brand’s point of view on the world?
What is it fighting for?
How does it seek to make people’s lives better?
The Brand Story approach provides a rich, complete and genuine picture of a brand
Brand Emotions
Brand TruthsBrand Memories
Brand Meaning
BRANDSTORY
1. Origins & History
2. Fans
3. Experience
4. Quest
How to find your brand’s story
Mining the brand’s Origins & History
Fans – social media monitoring, create a community, online and face-to-face workshops
Experience – interviews with users and product and customer services personnel and business partners, trial amongst non-users, and customer journey research
Quest – depth interviews with key stakeholders
Stage 1 – Identifying your brand’s story
Developing the brand story - a vivid expression of the essence of the brand, its positioning and vision
Stage 2 – Activating your brand story
• Workshop with marketing dept & agencies
• Analysis of competition’s comms equities
• War gaming
• Turning objectives into a comms strategy (business, marketing, advertising, behaviour)
• Identifying opportunities
• Develop an activation plan
Activating the story in the most compelling way
Identifying the opportunities for the brand to stand out and connect with its audience