A successful brand is not an overnight phenomenon. It is built, nurtured and the purpose behind it is crafted meticulously with strategy and one more important ingredient – the fine art of brand storytelling.
This does not mean we can dismiss it as a fantastic narrative that aims to temporally engage the target audience. The art of emotional brands is backed by strategy, roadmaps, a deep study of the target audience and their needs and of business with a purpose.
This blog explores the crafting of successful brands and how to build a brand narrative that sticks.
Storytelling Builds Connection, Not Just Awareness- How To Build an Emotional Brand
Great brands understand one aspect perfectly – that the end customer who is buying their product, service or technology is a human being. It’s the reason why brand storytelling is built keeping in mind the “customer experience”. What do we mean by that? It has a strategic move on several levels
Great brands do not merely push products, they consider the customer’s needs. Brand narrative is all about answering the questions – “What is the customers” problem I wish to solve” or “How can I make my customer’s life better, convenient or elevate it to the next level” is the moot point.
Consumers remember how a brand made them feel, more than what features were sold. This is the mantra for brand storytelling. While remaining true to the product promise, great brands are sensitive about their customer’s emotions. They create an emotional connection that draws brand engagement, brand loyalty and brand recall. Nike does not sell shoes, it talks to people who try everyday to be better; Coke does not sell a soft drink, it sells togetherness and happiness; Jeep does not sell the vehicle, it appeals to the spirit of adventure in all of us. Apple does not seel a phone, laptop or desktop. It sells creativity, innovation and a sense of pride in owning something that was created with purpose and genius.
There Is A Story Behind Every Brand
Every brand has a mission and purpose linked to the business idea and vision. Communicating this in the format of storytelling makes all the difference. Research backed by the challenges and gaps in the market, consumer mindset, demographics and psychographics, geographic targeting all contribute to how you tell your brand story. The best brand stories are authentic, relatable and repeatable and generate great traction and traffic at the time of your GTM strategy.
So why “emotional branding? For one, emotional branding gets you two major things the ultimately contribute to the ROI – High Recall + Loyalty. Recall means your brand stays top-of-mind with your consumer; Loyalty implies your consumer will come back to engage and buy your brand again and again. This reflects well for your marketing and performance marketing strategy with all the funnels converging to drive your business goals.
“The most powerful person in the world is the storyteller.”
– Steve Jobs
In addition, storytelling humanizes your brand. It makes it trustworthy, integral and approachable. One example of emotional branding is McDonalds. If McDonals were only to sell a quick snack or meal without a brand story, it would be seen as something to pick up and get going. The McDonald’s mascot ,Ronald McDonald, a clown character. He is the primary icon of the brand and is known for his red hair, big smile, and yellow and red striped attire – point of engagement not only with children but with adults too.
McDonald’s invests heavily into outdoor media where their logo is creatively crafted to ensure high recall and make sure their brand story resonates with their target audience.
Research shows that emotionally connected customers are more loyal to the brand and less price-sensitive. In other words, if a brand occupies a person’s feelings and emotions, they are more likely to pay a higher price for that product or service than those that do not have an emotional connection.
Content is the Vehicle — Story is the Fuel
One very important aspect is to keep brand hygiene and synergies in mind during the entire cycle of the brand narrative. The focus is storytelling for business growth ultimately. Whether you are making ads, reels, blog posts, packaging, OOH or engaging video content, everything should have synergy and contribute equally to a cohesive brand narrative. In other words, your brand cannot change the storytelling completely for various platforms.
Of course, it needs to adapt to the dynamics of the target audience in that particular location, but the fundamental brand narrative and value proposition has to be intact and not tampered with in any manner.
Pro tip: Allow customers to see themselves in your brand’s story.
The Most Successful Stories Drive Action – How to Create A Brand Story That Sticks
Let’s face it – A brand story however well narrated will mean nothing if it does not drive your consumer to action. Brand building is an entirely different exercise altogether. Inspiring action through brand narrative is not as simple as it looks and has to be aligned with the brand marketing strategy at all times. It involves fitting into the emotional arc of the story
(why your brand exists in the first place; what is the problem it’s going to solve; and how it
will make life better). Putting the product and service proposition out there with a CTA “Buy Now” will not have your consumers engaging or buying your brand. CTAs, PPCs and value propositions should be well crafted to fit into your brand’s emotions and storytelling.
Conclusion
The power of storytelling in marketing cannot be ignored or over emphasised. How to build an emotional brand is almost a science – it involves strategic thinking, a deep understand of the target audience’s behaviour and preferences and is research backed- both primary and secondary. Connecting with customers through storytelling is a unique skill and top brands have demonstrated the power of this phenomenon.
It does not matter whether you are a startup, a medium-scale business, brick and mortar or a new wave tech company. By only telling people what you sell will not cut it. Show your customers why it matters to buy, engage and be loyal to your brand. Great brands do not only sell. They elevate a product or service from a commodity to a brand. So next time you think of your marketing strategy, make a special place for brand storytelling. The difference to how it drives your business may well be mind-blowing!