What's a brand story – and why does your business need one?
A couple of weeks ago, I got an interesting client request: to "manufacture a brand story." I was asked to propose a process, too.
I suggested a workshop with the team to define the core value that would help establish a base for the company's story and a brand bible to support future communications initiatives.
"You don't quite understand,” they said. “We don't have a great founding story. We saw an opportunity in the market and decided to make the production vegan and sustainable. We need someone to create a story for us. You won’t find anything 'exciting' within our team."
Now, a brand story is not necessarily a romantic fairy tale of the founder's past. Nor is it an explanation of their hero's journey and how they came up with the idea. A brand story is an easily digestible explanation of the company's foundation. Your company can have a great founding story. You might just not realize that yet.
Why does your business need a brand story?
A brand story helps communicate a company's beliefs and the deep meaning of their existence. It's an understandable summary of your values and why you believe they’re important.
A brand story sets the tone for your relationship with customers and your employees. For customers, having a brand story makes it easier to understand why they should buy into your brand. For employees, it helps them understand why they should care about the work you pay them to do.
Often, a brand story is told through the hero's journey.
What's a hero's journey?
The hero's journey is a format that's been used in books, plays, and movies for centuries, and it's a form that's found success in marketing, too.
The reason we tend to tell brand stories by highlighting the hero's journey – and, thus, the founder – is because, for customers, it's often much more relatable to follow a person's vision and their struggle, and feel emotional about their success.
The story goes something like this:
The founder is doing things as everyone else. (The Conventional Market)
But they want something or dislike something. (The Challenge)
They hesitate, refuse the calling at first. (Rejection of the Challenge)
But then, they enter an unfamiliar situation and try to solve their need or combat what they dislike. (Appointment of the Sage)
You learn about their first attempts. (Cross into Unfamiliar Situation)
Then, you hear about their struggles and learn more about their values. You hear about the price they pay to succeed. You essentially connect with them on a human level. You begin to like (or dislike) them. (Map the Road of Challenges)
Something happens that gives them a confirmation or a breakthrough. (The Final Challenge)
They reflect on their journey and look into the future. (Looking Back)
With some brands, the customer – not the founder – becomes the hero of the story. That, however, depends on the context.
How do you use your brand story?
A brand story is as much a marketing tool as it is a branding tool. On one hand, you might want to publish your brand story on your website and in your company's flyers and catalogs. On the other hand, having your brand's story properly articulated helps when onboarding new employees and reminds existing employees of your company's heritage in an easily understandable form (a story) as a part of the brand bible.
