Creative writers and marketers have a lot in common: they tell stories that get people emotionally invested in their product, and thus, make a sale. It’s a shared fiction that makes an impact on viewers and keeps their brand top of mind. Sound hard to believe?
“Your brand story is more than what you tell people. It is what they believe about you based on all the signals your brand sends out. The story is a complete picture of the facts, feelings and interpretations, which are shared about your business by you, your customers, your community and the public in general.” (Source: Small Biz Trends, Deborah Shane)
Here’s an example.
If you know you need to create a story, fiction will often provide the best outlet for your needs. Imagine that you want to create a set of marketing materials which highlight a specific product you’ve released. For the sake of the example, let’s say it is a special camping tent that performs well in a rugged environment.
Since the product has just recently been released on the market, you might not have brand testimonials or quotes to pull from. You know the tent performs well, but you want your audience to believe in how well it will perform for their camping trip.
Fiction comes in when you create a vision of how that product will be used in order make an emotional connection to the viewer. If you create a presentation for the tent, you can tell the story of a camp enthusiast who is trapped in a rainstorm but able to stay dry and comfortable throughout. You could also tell the story of a family who abuse their camping supplies on the trail, and even at home in their garage for storage. The “happy ending” will show the tent performing beautifully in spite of these many different scenarios.
Fictional and practical?
A brand story, even when it uses fiction as its conduit, still needs to answer these questions:
1. What problems your product/idea solve
2. How your product/idea adds value
3. How this relates to your specific audience
Telling a story about your product/idea in action can answer each of those questions in a single narrative, without relying on bulky slides filled with statistics, lengthy testimonials from unknown sources, or product feature lists. The trademark of fiction is “show, don’t tell.” This means that rather than telling your audience how angry a character is, you show them by describing the character as they punch a wall or break a glass. Brand storytelling offers you a chance to show your audience the product through photography, written narrative, and more.
Delete your bias!
Creative writers are often grouped in a lump of teachers, far-out poets, or novelists with a hermit streak. But in fact, the creative techniques and narratives they are versed in are well-served within a corporate environment. Marketing is a form of fiction, but it doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Fiction paints an image that inspires, while explanation only ever “inspires” a nap.
Looking for more brand storytelling resources? Check out these related articles from our archives:
The Neuroscience of Storytelling
Beware! Avoid These Presentation Storytelling Mistakes
Storytelling Tactics: Creating “Happily Ever After” Within a Presentation
