Why Your Brand Needs A Story

The Importance of Story Telling for Brands

Can you tell the story of your brand?  Chances are, if you have a hard time articulating your brand, it’s because your brand doesn’t have a story.  And if your brand doesn’t have a story, you may have a hard time saying what your brand is no matter what your brand brief says.

The thing about stories is that they are memorable, and they have a takeaway – a moral – that persists beyond the details and facts. Stories, by their very nature and construct, are easy to remember and re-tell . . . and in that re-telling the brand comes to life.   But what do you do when you don’t have a story, or the story you have isn’t meaningful?  I say create one.

The basics of your brand’s story should contain the following:

A character – this could be the founder, a fictitious character, or in some cases the brand itself

A single theme told in a sequence of events.  Ira Glass, of This American Life, calls it an anecdote

“The Power of the anecdote is so great…No matter how boring the material is, if it is in story form…there is suspense in it, it feels like something’s going to happen. The reason why is because literally it’s a sequence of events…you can feel through its form [that it's] inherently like being on a train that has a destination…and that you’re going to find something…” — Ira Glass

A unique style – this is the story-teller’s unique point of view or voice.  Is it the founder’s perspective, an aspiration, a commitment? Is it earnest, fun, rugged?

A “moral” that incorporates the brand’s values and ideals.

• For a tech company it could be that they solve problems
• For a design company it might be that they defy convention
• For a restaurant it could be that they always use fresh ingredients (never frozen or pre-prepared)

When these elements are combined into a single story, they create unique meaning that can be passed along.  They work together with the other critical components that ultimately make a brand tangible.

While any design company may claim that they defy convention, if that design company has a story about a free-spirited founder who stumbled into design when he had a problem with his climbing-gear that nobody else could solve, now they have something that makes them unique and that helps people understand the kind of company they are dealing with.  They’ve got a personality now – something that can be identified with by designers and non-designers alike.

Now you need to apply your story.  Many companies fail at building their brands not because they didn’t work hard to envision them, but because their internal constituents don’t understand the brand and therefore can’t live it and pass it on.  A story can help embody the brand for employees better than any wallet card can.

Now that you have a story, tell your story, and tell it often. Incorporate it into training materials, post it on your website, add it to brochures.  You can expand it or contract it based on the context, but the moral of the story should always be present.

Here’s my story.  What’s yours?  I’d love to hear it.

About Ginger Zumaeta, Founder of ZUMGI:  After 20 years in the media industry in roles ranging from receptionist to researcher . . . marketing executive to executive producer, I realized that I’d accomplished everything I wanted to accomplish in television.  I had created Emmy winning marketing campaigns and even launched a daily show about life in Los Angeles that went head-to-head against Oprah.  I was at the top of my field, yet had started to feel confined because I wanted to work on a wider range of projects, leveraging not just traditional media, but digital media as well.  I wanted to give birth to new brands, in a wider range of industries.  So, in 2009, I took the leap and opened my own company, ZUMGI.  Now I’ve worked with companies ranging from Coca-Cola, to a Chinese fast food restaurant, to a hospital system. For me, ZUMGI is where strategy and marketing intersect.  At ZUMGI, I and my team of super-heros help businesses grow by delivering product and marketing strategies that just work.  I get so excited working on new ways to create relationships between businesses and consumers.  Really!  Call me, and we’ll dish about the possibilities.  I can be reached at 818-564-6656.

If you missed the last newsletter, check out “The Difference Between Marketing & Promoting”