Brand storytelling has been around for quite a while, back in 1995 which was like 25 years ago. At this stage, Nike ran an ad with a runner by the name of Ric Munoz. Ric Munoz was hiv positive and what this ad did was it signaled Nike’s support for hiv sufferers and it also resonated with their audience through their humanity. That is what storytelling is all about. But in the last 10 years, storytelling has definitely become more relevant and consumers are rejecting push marketing more and more. They don’t really have time for they are continuously scrolling past ads all the time and they tend to award their business now to brands that they feel more connected to.
What is Brand Storytelling?
Well contrary to popular belief, it’s not about the founder of the brand, who they are and their journey to success, but it’s about the customers, it’s about who the customers are, the journey that they’re on, what they believe, what they feel, what challenges they have, and what emotions they’re going through. The brand’s role in storytelling is not the centerpiece, it’s not the lead role, but it’s the supporting role. Brands are able to provide supporting role through story by supporting beliefs, by celebrating values, by showing them the way, guiding them the way forward, showing empathy to the challenges and the pain points that they have and just resonating with them through understanding and showing a familiar path that their audience can resonate with.
Why Brand Storytelling Works?
The reason storytelling is so effective is because it’s in our DNA. For millions of year that is how humans transferred knowledge from one generation to the next through story. We instinctively gravitate towards it because our DNA tells us that stories are a source of useful information that can help us to survive and thrive in the world. We also look for ourselves within stories, within the characters in the stories and we resonate and we feel what they’re going through. Brands that are able to tell stories that align with who their audience is and the journey that their audience is on are going to be able to strike a chord with that audience. Brands using storytelling effectively within their marketing are leveraging a human instinct that has been forged over millions of years.
Is Push Marketing Dead?
Well no. Push marketing is always going to have its place but it has certainly changed and it doesn’t drive action the way it used to. Push marketing is all about getting that attention and once a brand gets that attention, what they do next is absolutely critical. If they decide to continue to push their message onto the audience and say look at this, look at how great this is (product or service) then it’s likely to have the opposite effect.
On the other hand, if they take the opportunity to nurture that relationship and tell a story of a journey that their audience can resonate with then they’re going to make a human connection. This is the trend that we’ve seen brands on for the last 20 years and this is the trend that’s continuing and that’s why storytelling is the future of marketing. Brands have evolved into human entities because consumers have demanded it, they don’t want to do business with a corporate entity that feels like there’s no humans with that business at all. They want to do business with brands who feel human, who’ve make a human connection with them and modern brands today that understand this are connecting with their audience through human characteristics. They’re making connections through emotion, through storytelling; they’re telling stories that their audience can resonate with, that they can see themselves in and that they can feel a connection to.
If you are building a brand today then that is what you need to do. You need to understand the journey that your audience is on and tell a story that will resonate with them, with who they are, with the journey they’re on and where they want to go, and what is their idea of success. If you’re able to tell stories that your audience can resonate with and weave your brand throughout that story, throughout that journey then that is when they will make a connection or feel connected to your brand and that is what influences decisions.
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Amazing