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Sell me a story

Guest post by: Frances Davidson

Article Overview: One of the valuable roles of 'brands' is to act as a shortcut for regular and repetitive consumer purchasing. The well established meanings associated with brand leaders and their products allows consumers to move quickly through their shopping routines and represents a valuable intersection of loyalty and time-pressured necessity. An in a world where the cry of 'less is more' gains currency, particularly in response to information and message overload, the temptation might be to provide consumers with less of your brand story rather than more. However, a moment of reflection is salutary. Below, Kevin Luscombe provides us with a timely reminder of the persuasiveness and value of a more expansive brand story. Peter Cudlipp, Director of Communication Services, Growth Solutions Group

Sell me a story

Once upon a time there was a story.

It was the story about a young man from a migrant family, in Pennsylvania USA, who took to the streets selling home-preserved pickles.

He had a story about the pickles. He sold lots of pickles.

He then baked some beans. The same beans everybody else baked.

But he had a story about the pork he added to some, the ones he labelled vegetarian, the ones he made Kosher, and the ones he produced Boston Style.

All his baked beans had a story.

He created a story around how many varieties of food he might be able to make. He liked the sound of 57. There was a story about how he chose that number.

His name was Henry John Heinz.

His business was H J Heinz Company.

His brand became, simply, Heinz. His brand mark was 57. It became a global brand.

It had a story.

It became Iconic.

There was another family company that took the breakfast cereals that people preferred and made them ready to eat.

They had a story about flakes of corn. How they were specially cooked to stay crunchy in milk.

They made little bubbles out of rice. They told a story of how you should listen closely after pouring on the milk to hear them go snap, crackle and pop.

These two cereals lead the Kellogg's story.

The Kellogg brand led the market. Still does.

People like stories. And great stories pass the test of time.

There have been many stores about companies that become brands.

Henry Ford had lots of stores about affordable vehicles, and production lines and cars for all sorts of different people and needs: aspirational stories.

In more recent years, McDonald's grew on a story - of millions of burgers in buns from 'Hamburger Colleges'. They told a story about looking for the Golden Arches and young Ronald, and how you would always find the same menu, at known prices, delivered quickly... with a smile. A story for the hearts and tummies of the young and the budget satisfaction of their Mums and Dads.

Today, they have another story. A story for the times, about 'good' foods and how they care about their new menu.

Their brand has earned the right to tell a new story and to have their story listened to.

Penfolds Grange is built on a classical story.

A product with a story of human endeavours and timeless investment in grape growing and winemakers' skill.

A product you pay a globally recognised premium for and then trust that when opened, it will deliver on its proise. And when it does, you can't wait to tell the story.

Bill Gates built a global superbrand and his mammoth personal wealth as a story of need for the time that went beyond the wizardry of the technology.

Nike told a captivating story. A comtemporary, involving story, told graphically.

Richard Branson tells a challenging story. His Virgin brand of irreverence and 'cut to the chase' offers is an ever-evolving story.

A bit like Gerry Harvey and his Harvey Norman brand.

The same tongue-in-cheek irreverence coloured the 'good for you' story of Nudie.

Aldi arrived in town to challenge the Big Two supermarketings. With a gutsy price-philosophy story that flowed into the word of mouth of local shoppers.

You could go on forever adding to the list of brands built on stories, here and in every country across the world.

Why?

Because the power base of every great brand is built on a story.

Stories live at the centre of all persuasive communication.

Great leaders have always known about stories.

Martin Luther King said, "I have a dream..." and a nation stopped and listened.

The Christian churches of every denomination hold up the Bible as a focal point for followers. The most read and longest-lasting stories of all time. In fact, books of stories are central to all forms of religion.

The greatest songs are stories.

Poetry is steeped in story telling.

The great movies are stories.

And the threats to the book industry from every form of new technology communication fad always fade away as people keep buying and reading... stories.

So it should be no surprise or mystery that great brands are also about stories.

Similarly, it should be difficult to understand why 'could be' brands remain simply labels when they are born with 'me too' offerings and when 30-second grabs of graphic-based technology overpower any hope of an idea-based story.

"I know there's no story, but it's about image..." Pardon?

Great brands have a story. A persuasive, enduring story.

Told well, the story of the brand is central to the position and the competitive advantage of the brand. Managed well, the story holds consistently to its truth, but regularly refreshes its telling.

Over time, the story can be retold and its interest kept contemporary in shorthand. A page in a magazine, or a billboard, or a 15-second TVC can capture the essence of an established brand's story, without even a word of copy.

Sadly, the real story is that this axiom of brand supremacy seems to be either not widely or totally understood, or is undervalued, or ignored.

Check the evidence around you in the 'could-a-been brands' following the leaders.

Next time you stop and ponder the commercial health of your brand, ask the old but telling question... "What's the story?"

Kevin Luscombe


------------------

Are you telling a great story?

Your story is not the facts of your company - how many employees, when you started, etc. It is the sould and the why of your company.

A few key points to consider:
1. Do you know your story and your audiences?
2. Are you telling the same story to your employees?
3. Are they telling the same story to your customers?
4. Is your story authentic?
5. Is your story engaging your audience?
6. Do your actions deliver on your message?

In the end, there are three things about a great story:
1. People want to hear it
2. People want to tell it
3. People want to participate in it

David Polinchock, The Last Word, Entertainment Management Online

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Related Forum Posts
Your advantage over others - Sell using your USP - unique selling proposition. Why should people buy from you, instead of your competitors? Think about it, why are you so great? It may be a hard question, but finding the answer can multiply the effectiveness of any advertising or marketing activities you undertake.
Re: New Site Facelift - Hi Zac - love the story about Paul Harvey - I have heard some of the "the rest of the story" broadcasts but didn't know it was him and didn't know the story about the advertising. You might want to make that link clickable and tell readers about Paul Harvey and why you're modeling his philosophy - if they don't know much about him you can still educate them and build trust and credibility with your audience.
Re: Become a Leader? It scared the hell out of me! - Paula thank you for sharing your story, it is so nice to read of someone becoming successful and you have done it by reading and learning and following your dream in spite of your fear. Well done your story is an inspiration to all. MichelleJ
Re: Getting Press Coverage - Hi Evan, Thanks for this great thread and informative tips. Very useful... I have not yet issued any press releases but one tip I picked up recently was that it is better to tell a story than to write a hyped-up infomercial, and if your story is about something your business is doing FIRST, all the better...
Re: Franchise Surveys - [quote="drdony":3s95hx1a]Assume you mean sharing ideas with other franchisee's? I tend to find people will support their own decision; so I have a franchise am I likely to tell you what you want to hear or the real story?? Am I likely to share the problems of the franchise?[/quote:3s95hx1a] The real story? I assume it attaches with a lot of problems of the franchise, then maybe I'd like to hear the real story! The real story where I, we can make it up through sharing ideas!


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