Nike has always excelled at brand storytelling. One of their best campaigns is equality. He makes a strong statement about the company as a force for positive social change and offers today`s athletes something more than just a pair of sneakers and branded training equipment. It`s an example of how to use brand storytelling to connect with the audience and invite them to be part of a collective movement by wearing Nike products, or at least engaging on social media, like sharing one of the brand`s always inspiring videos. Most people think of TV ads and viral social media posts for B2C brands when they think of storytelling in marketing. However, there are many ways for B2B brands to incorporate storytelling into their written content as well. Just practice writing stories and learn how to create and release tension. The company is urging consumers to provide their melanoma-related photos and stories to «join Watson in the battle.» They set up hashtags #outthinkmelanoma to help people share information. To date, people from all over Australia have submitted data.
On IBM`s website, you can also find real-life stories of people participating in the project. You can cultivate the right culture at work using storytelling. This goes beyond sharing a successful vision, but sharing stories about the company`s history, struggles, values, goals, etc. Tell your employees what`s important and explain what it means to them. This will give them something to believe in, and therefore they will believe in the company and their motivation to work will increase. Here are some examples of the power of corporate storytelling that will help you understand how corporate storytelling can help you establish yourself successfully. Brand storytelling is defined as the art of shaping a company`s identity through the use of narratives and storytelling techniques that facilitate an emotional response and create meaningful connections. Check out the other five principles below and stay tuned for more branding and marketing examples! In November, for example, the site featured profiles of employees with military affiliations as part of National Military Veterans and Family Month. People have always told stories and they are an important part of our daily communication, but stories have a meaning that goes beyond the value of entertainment. In fact, storytelling is a strong business capability, and when implemented effectively, it can boost a business in a variety of ways, for example, to improve customer loyalty, develop a solid marketing strategy, increase profits, and more. Thanks to social media, people can now interact directly with brands by asking questions and sharing their thoughts and feelings as if the brand were a person. Tell a good story to show off the personality and humanity of your business – don`t just become a faceless company that consumers don`t feel connected to and aren`t inspired to interact and buy with.
Storytelling is a subjective art form. What makes a story a good story depends on the opinion of the audience (i.e. your target audience). While your brand storytelling isn`t always for every taste, there are several ways for a storyteller to give their content the best chance of success. Today, it`s hard to find a successful brand that doesn`t have a good history behind it. Stories give meaning, create context and evoke a sense of determination. Most people are more receptive to stories than to facts or data because stories help us identify, empathize, and remember. For this reason, more and more companies are recognizing the importance of storytelling. We remember stories better than other types of information, such as data and facts, because stories are more engaging. Before paper and computers, knowledge and information traveled primarily in the form of stories told orally, and more than half of human conversations take place through storytelling, making it a natural part of our thinking and communication.
If you`re selling a B2C brand, a popular way to connect with the audience is to tell fictional stories. These stories can be sweet, funny, or humorous as long as they are a compelling narrative. For example, most of the anecdotes in his emails are about his own trials and challenges early in his writing career and how he managed to overcome them. To discover the best customer stories, our best advice is to invest in getting to know your customers. Whether it`s inviting customers to share their stories and memories with your business or products via social media or email campaigns, or running contests to promote stories, the best companies create a culture of sharing and storytelling. Want more? Other examples of brand storytelling can be found here. There`s a magic spark that happens when consumers really connect to a brand`s story, but how do companies relate to those unique unicorn stories? Inspired by our book The Laws of Brand Storytelling, here are three brilliant examples of brand storytelling that you may have missed. When it came to standing out, Thinx stood on a pedestal with its «MENstruation» campaign.
The idea behind the video is that if everyone, men and women, received a period every month, then we would talk about it much more openly. The narration video follows men who find themselves in various embarrassing situations (which shouldn`t be embarrassing) that are felt exclusively by IRL women. The stories give the audience meaning and a motive to act. For example, the Wharton School of Business (2007) found that when participants were asked to raise funds in a call centre, those who were told how money would improve the lives of others earned more than twice as much as the group said how the money they earned would improve their own lives. The sense of purpose led the first group to earn more, so if you want to trigger an action, tell stories. It`s one thing to tell an amazing story, but the reality is that the story is just the beginning. For example, when we tell stories to our friends and family, it triggers a reaction and conversation between the storyteller and the recipient. Why would we not want the same thing as businesses? As you develop your brand stories, be sure to consider engagement activities to further strengthen and activate your community around them.
Make sure your employees in direct contact with customers know the «story,» from the inspiration, the basic messages, and the importance of the story so they can continue the conversation. Warby Parker`s mission is to offer high-quality bespoke eyewear at an affordable price. Their website includes an in-depth «About Us» section where the founders explained how they realized glasses are often too expensive and how they decided to start a socially responsible business that makes glasses accessible to everyone. We`ve discussed why storytelling is important below. On a not so respectful number 9 is the British bank Lloyds with Running of the Horses. In this example of visual storytelling, we find the clichéd image of a team of horses walking along a beach, with a crowd of people watching from a cliff. Finally, people and horses meet to share tender and comforting muzzles. For example, this video and social media post is about a singer who suffered a heart attack: Although One Rand Man wasn`t a true story, it was very visual to see a large pile of One Rand coins spent quickly in a month, allowing South Africans to empathize with the expenses of their daily lives.
Comedic scenarios such as trying to pay bills in hundreds of coins kept the content interesting, while using the plot to get expert advice and tips that increased credibility. It also demonstrates the power of brand storytelling, combined with personalized content and thought leaders that can increase web traffic, sales, demo requests, and more. The product specifications are dead; No one wants to scroll through the lines and lines of sizes, materials, colors and the like. Warby Parker, an American eyewear manufacturer, sells his glasses with a «rebellious spirit and a high purpose.» This example of visual storytelling expresses all the necessary information in an aesthetic, clear and concise video that describes the journey of each pair of glasses, from raw materials to the face.