The Brand Story and Why Your Business Should Care to Tell One
This is the first article by our lovely writer Ralitsa Golemanova.
A warm hello from me, the newest person in love with Edgar. My super secret special mission will be to help show and tell the story of Edgar, the storyteller. So sit down, sip up and enjoy. And twist your moustache, if you can!
I’d like to start from… where it all starts, when a story finds its way into the world and into and out of people’s minds. That’s why the next few pieces you will get from me will revolve around the basics about storytelling in history, storytelling for brands and how the brand narrative engages and delights more than any other way of communicating. So let’s delve straight into it.
Storytelling in perspective
Shaping experiences into words is as old as human communities are. Storytelling has been crucial for the formation of group belonging, historical accounts and collective memories. You can even link it to Jung’s collective unconscious that we all share by default and which often manifests through our storytelling. As humans, we’ve developed an addiction to language through the ages in order to make sense of it all and put all incoming information in orderly bubbles of… well, mind content.
That’s where storytelling fits nicely into the picture. The narrative spins off from real events and puts them in a perspective that takes the reader or listener by the hand and guides them through the debris of a story. Ultimately, it engages them intensely, often leaving them breathless by the end. And that’s where you can tune in.
The brand story
While doing advertising and marketing through storytelling has been around since these methods exist, it is ever more loved and applied these days. From budding to grand, companies across industries realize that people do not enjoy simply being sold stuff anymore. Instead, they would like to be engaged and enticed with a story that enriches them and scratches their minds. And that’s how storytelling has become de rigueur for brands wishing to stand out.
Brand stories, unlike many an ad, relate to people emotionally and fire up their curiosity and personal engagement by simply plugging them in the flow of the brand. Such branded storytelling directly links to personal brand experiences, thus strengthening the relationship between the brand and people.
Naturally, there is effective storytelling and there is… uneffective, too. Authenticity is the key here. As rules of thumb, keep in mind that a brand story should be truthful and (at least slightly) quirky, have engaging characters, have a digestible structure and a lasting mysterious hook.
Your brand narrative, a hidden marketing gem
Maybe it’s apparent, or maybe it’s subtle and you don’t even realize it, but your brand has a unique and curious story that can win hearts. It’s just a matter of recognizing it and shining the light on it.
Employing a storytelling mechanism to enhance people’s memories and associations with your brand is a wonderful trick that simply does the job. That’s because it directly taps into human interpretations of experiences. Telling people a compelling story about your company’s history, heritage, achievements and culture lets people add their own meaning and understanding, thus complementing and co-creating the narrative.
In this way, your brand’s values can easily trigger a deep and truthful emotional response, which makes advertising and persuading unnecessary. Ultimately, a brand story allows you to move closer to people’s hearts.
Once upon a… today
Don’t forget that here with Edgar, we breathe and dream stories. Join us and let your brand story unfold — seamlessly and beautifully — out of our lovely visual and writing talents’ hands.
