Whiplash Team, 5th November 2021
Why the brand should be the one telling its own story
We all have a story to tell. Brands do too. And it is important that they tell it from their own perspective. If not, it will be the users who, from their perception, will build a narrative for the brand that may or may not be aligned with the values and purpose that it stands for.
Building a solid narrative that transmits the values and the purpose of the brand is becoming increasingly important in a context where there is an excess of information and the overexposure of users to multiple messages from different channels prevails. For brands it is imperative that their story is clear, coherent, and consistent to provoke in current or potential users, an emotional connection that results in loyalty, affection and commitment of these towards the brand.
We must not forget that narrative is part of the essence of the human being. For any organization to master the art of storytelling to build its own story is not only necessary but essential when creating a powerful brand. The human brain processes stories and these connect with underlying emotions and feelings.
Award-winning copywriter Mike Reed notes in a recent Brandingmag article that “if you don’t give your brand meaning, other people will. You can’t stop them, and you can’t control what they decide what your brand means.” Reed adds that everyone thinks they know the history of brand X, “but the brand itself has never clearly articulated what it stands for. So, in fact, everyone has their own idea of what the brand means.”
In short, the brand is what stakeholders think of it. It is the set of emotions, perceptions and thoughts that are summoned in the mind of the person when they meet the brand. They will always think or feel something, even if it is “I don’t care.” For this reason, it is important that it is the brand who defines its history. The one that tells its point of view clearly and explicitly.
To do this, it is essential that the story, the brand narrative, is built from self-knowledge and that it is as concise and direct as possible, or otherwise there is a risk of confusing the user. Some of the questions to ask yourself are: Why does my business exist? What was the motive behind my business idea? What is the mission and objective of my company? How does my company contribute to society?
From there, you can begin to build the history of the brand based on its purpose, its reason for existing, that problem that the brand solves for users and what makes it important. That is the key of the matter, in the brand narrative, the true star is the user, and if it is not the brand who tells its own story, it will be the user who will do it.
