For the last twenty-four months, or so, storytelling has become more important to Account Planners and Brand Strategists alike. Stories are memorable; stories get shared; stories deliver meaning and answer the innate why and how questions: How did you come to be? Why are you talking to me? Why should I buy your product?
Our analysis team has been working to understand product anecdotes for some of our clients recently. This has involved reading some of the everyday product stories that are embedded within social media.
Their findings have been fascinating and they have stimulated conversations that question the direction of the brand, its segmentation preferences and marketing activities. The key takeaway for us: Before you start to tell your story, read the stories that have already been written about your brand and understand their contexts and implications.
Understanding what’s already out there will better place us, brand people, to define our own stories, make them culturally relevant and ensure they effectively answer the aforementioned, innate questions.
I’m sitting here with my bottle of essential Waitrose “Stretton Hills” carbonated natural mineral water, whose label begins “bottled at source in Shropshire’s Stretton Valley…” and goes on to tell the story of the rolling hillside that surround the ancient spring from which the water flows.
Even supermarket brands have picked up on this story-telling business, but you point out an interesting bit that many brands overlook: a story is useless unless it resonates with the consumer on an emotional level. And social media is a great way to find out which contexts have that emotional pull.
I’ve noticed that my organic box provider, Riverford Farms, is doing this very well by interacting with its customers through Twitter and their online forum, asking questions like “what cookbooks do you own?” and “what recipes have you made from your box?” They’re taking care to understand their customers and and use that understanding to develop their own story. They get that marketing is not about them, but about their customers, and the stories they want to hear.