Creating a Viral Fashion Label Using Stories
Virality is not random, there are mechanics and it can be mapped and planned, to give your product the best chance on going viral
This article is one of a series of principles that are based on the book Contagious by Jonah Berger, The book Contagious studies the science behind why products and ideas are talked about more than others, why certain videos, posts, and ideas go viral and the effect it has on behavior. It’s all supported by word-of-mouth, regardless of the channel, social media, face-to-face, emails. The trick is getting people to talk about it, your brand, your ideas, and your products. So the big question..how do we do that? Using the brand Under Armour as the example I will explain how the brand has created virality through the use of “Stories”
In my humble opinion, the rule of “Story” when used correctly, can be the most beneficial of all viral principles. Vitality is most beneficial when it’s deeply related to the topic or product. The aim should be when the story is retold it doesn’t give justice without mentioning your brand or product.
Check out the other 6 supporting viral principles are:
- Social Currency
- Triggers
- Emotion
- Public
- Practical Value
- Stories [You are here!]
Stories: “Information Travels Under the Guide of Idle Chatter”
Under Armour undersatnds the power of stories and is why they continue to use them heavily throughout their campaigns.
These Campaign stories are powerful because they do not only share the powerful struggles of top athletes but they contain other virality traits such as:
- Remarkability (social currency)
- Evokes motivation, amazement and Passion (emotion)
- Lessons (Practical Value)
Not to mention the story of CEO Kevin Plank, that I first read about in Daymon Johns Book — “The Power Of Broke” which alone shapes what the company represents and stands for.
From humble beginnings. In 1996 Plank launched his athletic apparel line, Under Armour, from the basement of his grandmother’s home. Using the $16,000 in life savings.
The inspiration for the brand came from playing college football for the University of Maryland. Plank hated how his soaked cotton undershirts weighed him down after games, driven by the frustration he set out to design a shirt that would stay as dry as possible. A moisture-wicking compression shirt that remained dry no matter how much you sweat.
After making some sales to his teammates, he partnered with a textile source and manufacturer to get the business going. Plank soon found himself with $3,500 to his name and $6,000 of bills that needed to be paid. In what seemed like a good idea at the time, he took all but $100 out of the bank and headed over to Atlantic City to gamble. He lost every cent.
Plank found himself on his way home to Maryland from Atlantic City, stopped at the toll booth of the Delaware Memorial Bridge, begging for mercy from the toll operator. Because he didn’t have the $2 to pay the entry fee.
The next day, Plank dropped by his mum’s house for dinner, as he had no money to eat. He later went to the post office to check the P.O. box he was using for Under Armour, and inside was a $7,500 check from Georgia Tech University — the athletic director had owed him the payment for a while, but Plank didn’t expect to get it in time to cover his own bills. The company has now grown to over 5.2 billion dollars in revenue.
His story from rags to riches is powerful, because it holds the reader's interest through all the drama, and it teaches an important lesson “Never give up” by encasing the lesson in a story. People tend to think in terms of narratives not in terms of information. But while people focus on the story information comes along for the ride.
Use Stories as a Vessel
Narratives are inherently more engrossing than facts, they have a beginning, middle, and an end. People share good stories for the same reasons they share word of mouth, because it usually carries, social currency, high arousal emotion, and practical value.
When the story of Kevin Plank is told it needs to include the brand and it cannot be retold without referring to Under Armour, This is how a strong brand can be developed. The critical details in a story stick around, while the irrelevant ones drop out. this is why people are less likely to argue against story than advertising claims.
Good stories provide an emotional cover, that allows people to talk about a product or idea without seeming like an advertisement and its virality is most valuable when the brand or product benefit is integral to the story, with Kevin Plank's story of hardship its beneficial for other’s who may be facing similar struggles, which creates shares!
The story needs to have these keys attributes:
- Relates to the brand
- Carries a Lesson
- Provides proof by analogy.
Questions:
- What's your Brands Story?
- Is your product or idea embedded in a broader narrative that people want to share?
- Is the story not only viral but also valuable?
- Is the information you want people to remember critical to the narrative?
- What's the message you're trying to convey?
If you found any of this interesting I highly recommend giving the book Contagious a full read.
