The power of brand stories
By Adwright, 24 February 2022
Every brand has a story. At the heart of every business lies a reason why it is founded. This applies to multinational companies with millions in annual turnover and even small, quaint cafés tucked away at a corner of a bustling street. The raison d’être — reason of existence— of a business has grown to be of unprecedented importance in today’s world where the everyday consumer is surfeited, and hence no longer moved by the barrage of advertising and marketing efforts.
Precisely because consumers are finding it increasingly difficult to pledge their loyalty to one single brand is why it is crucial for brands to set a differentiation from their competitors. Advertising can increase brand awareness and recall, create talking points and improve following. Even at its best, however, it is still unable to capture the hearts of its consumers wholeheartedly like a good brand story.
Why are brand stories powerful?
Brand stories exist to serve a purpose — to allow consumers to resonate with the brand’s identity. It is not to display the company’s capabilities, showcase its prowess in comparison to competitors or brag about its products and services. Leave that to the work of advertising and marketing. Good brand stories seldom put their brands on a pedestal. Conversely, they show that they understand and relate to their target audience. What this does is create a strong connection and affinity between the brand and the consumers who share the same ideals as them. Donald Miller, puts it nicely with the quote from his book Building A Story Brand, “Your customer should be the hero of your story, not your brand.”
There are many ways to write a brand story, but most revolve around how the business can serve the needs of its target consumers and why it was founded. The story would then develop to include certain key milestones that shaped the business transformation if any, and lastly, end off by reinforcing that the brand still stays true to its founding belief. Although brand stories seem straightforward, the power they wield cannot be underestimated.
What makes a brand story powerful?
A good brand story can resonate with consumers when it successfully captures the art of emotional storytelling. Branding is about building a deeper emotional connection between business and consumer. By utilising evocative language and words that convey feelings, brand stories are able to tug at the heartstrings of readers and build their understanding of the brand. Brand stories should never be written mechanically or in an overly formal and corporate tone; this rids it of the crucial emotional touch.
Apart from emotions, a good brand story should also be authentic. In this world, there are different companies across different countries in different industries specialising in different businesses. To that end, even competitors seldom share an entirely similar identity let alone history and background. This unique background is the crux that should be highlighted and magnified in the brand story. If interesting enough, it could even serve as a talking point, making the brand more memorable. Some sceptics believe that it is better to emulate others when their own story may not seem that glamourous or exciting. However, they fail to realise that the true intention of a brand story is never to flaunt but rather to tell a pure, sincere and simple story. Hence, the rule of thumb for authenticity is to never write something you are not; a story of humble beginnings will go further than a flawless but made-up narrative.
What does a powerful brand story look like?
Let us take a look below at an example of a brand story that is authentic and emotional.
This is the brand story for the award-winning Love, Afare retail brand Adwright helped curate. As you would have read, it is in essence a heartwarming story sharing of what the brand aims to serve to its consumers. Love, Afare is a new sub-brand under JUMBO Group of Restaurants targeting the FMCG products line and the story starts with an authentic introduction to said restaurants. This is the unique history and background special to the brand which is a powerful storytelling tool as mentioned above.
The brand story is punctuated with expressive words and phrases which aid in eliciting strong feelings and memories, bridging the connection between reader and brand. Yet, there is nothing too boastful, gimmicky or too fanciful about the story either. To sum everything up, like the sentence “Our fans can now, not only relish the signature flavours from our restaurants, but also bring home our treasured taste and lifestyle collection to recreate the same experiences and relive the fond memories forged at JUMBO.”, it truly is a brand story centred on the customers of JUMBO.
The brand story of Love, Afare is just one out of the many others that Adwright has helped develop. We believe that every brand has a story. To write your own story, a thorough understanding of your brand is necessary. This can be achieved by a brand audit, which we have amassed a wealth of experience conducting. For over 20 years, Adwright has collaborated with clients ranging from local SMEs to global corporations, spanning across many industries. We provide integrated solutions in branding, design, communications and beyond. Partner with us and embark on your unique brand journey today. To find out more about the services that Adwright provides, call us today at +65 6227 7227 or email enquiry@adwright.com.
