If you still remember how former Apple CEO Steve Jobs presented the first iPhone, the world was still reeling from the magic that was iPod touch. The former was a device that was revolutionary. It had lots of storage and a screen that responds to your fingers.
The iPhone was something Apple knew would change the world. Steve Jobs made sure everyone listened. Everyone was kept in the dark about the device. Only the core development team knew what was happening. After it was revealed, everyone applauded at the majesty of the revolutionary, elegant, and useful phone-in-one .
The iPhone is symbolic of Apple’s investment in innovation, quality products, and brand storytelling. Being able to create suspense around their product involves developing a narrative. One way Apple did this was to be give hints during interviews about their new product. In turn, this created suspense. The climax of the narrative was the revelation of the product itself.
If you want your brand to tell a compelling story, here are five basic points you should achieve to craft one excellently.
Emotional Content
Aside from Apple, modern brands have also been using the emotional side of narratives to their advantage. Airbnb did this by allowing their clients and partners to tell stories about their positive experiences shared through their eyes. The user-generated narratives urged more clients and partners to sign up.
The emotional content of your narrative is broken up into three parts: the characters, respective struggles, and resolution. Airbnb stories were narrated by normal people. Each of them had unique struggles. They were not sure what to expect after signing up for the service. The plot resolution was to gain new insight or new friendships between client and partner.
A brand’s products and services focus on one thing: resolving a difficulty. You think your first video attempt is probably awkward. But if it had made the audience feel something, then it is effective.
Personality
However, it is imperative that brands inject the business’ personality into the narrative.
Going back to Apple’s narrative style, Steve Jobs inserted his personality as part of the advertising campaign. Jobs is as mysterious as the iPhone during its marketing phase.
In your story, identify the personality of your brand. Then, maintain this inclination on being fun, intelligent or witty, charitable, or others throughout the campaign.
One other example is the beauty brand Dove. Its “Real Beauty” campaign focused on helping women understand their inner beauty and that they are their own worst critic by allowing everyday women share their insecurities and how they cope or resolve these to reveal their natural confidence.
Quirky campaigns, such as Old Spice’s use of bodybuilder and actor Terry Crews, introduce an idea of fun and silliness that also makes a mark. The deodorant brand, one of the oldest in the world, successfully re-branded itself through the help of a few funny lines and a man who can control every muscle in this body.
Fun, Dramatized Lectures
There is time for play and time to get serious. If you want to know whether a dramatic, emotional advertisement or a fact-based, fun lecture is timely for your Internet marketing campaign, then take a look at your competition’s activities.
In the past, businesses will use similar “Brand X vs. Y” tests to highlight the unique and helpful features of their products or business. They would indicate a few hints about the identity of Brand X, such as including the color scheme and other details of these products.
Nowadays, facts and efficacy outweigh these former campaigns. If your competitor inserts data that proves their efficiency in a fun lecture-style advertisement, then your business can create a counterpoint lecture that must both “out-fun” and “out-fact” your competition.
In this example, the goal is to ensure your advertisement garners attention by using emotions or a faux dramatization that inserts facts about your product or service. In truth, the more quirky or even bizarre (to a point) your campaign video or commercial looks, the more it can take away viewers from your competition.
Showcase Core Values
Lego’s short animated film during its 80th birthday helped propel to viewers its core value of valuing consumer trust by ensuring the quality of their products during one scene between founder Ole Kirk Christiansen and his son. The latter had used less lacquer on their prototype toys to save money, which made Christiansen furious and had his son apply the last layer.
Your campaigns, no matter how silly, emotionally packed, factual, or unique they get, must always showcase your brand’s core values. You expose these in media not just through verbal or through the facts presented, but also through the quality of the video, image, content, and other items you produce.
Highlight your core values in the narrative. You can also show that you have also invested in the production for the enjoyment of your audiences. A positive experience from any media or content related to your company helps build your brand’s identity, no matter how big or small.
Be Relevant
In business, being trendy can work to your advantage if used carefully. Aligning your brand to the freshest topics unrelated to it can be damaging. The best way to remain relevant is to research on these topics with care.
One example of bad relevance is donuts and cake brand Entenmann’s attempt to ride with a trending Twitter hashtag “#NotGuilty.” The topic circles around Casey Anthony’s case, which the public deemed the real killer despite being granted her not-guilty plea. The confectionery business tweeted “Who’s #notguilty about eating all the tasty treats they want?!”, and the entire social media network melted down.
Using holiday topics is a safe bet for any business. However, to avoid cases similar to Entenmann’s, make sure to check on the topic first and see if its narrative aligns with your brand’s values, products, and services.
Bonus: Take the More-Helpful Step
Customer service is an important high-converting aspect of your sales funnel. However, the helpfulness and attitude of your department contributes to your brand identity and customer retention. By being extra helpful by resolving the issues as soon as possible, making them feel valued by sending alternative offers, or even using the competition’s services to give what your customers need, definitely builds your brand’s identity effectively.
Always be helpful to customers. If a company purchased an item from their rival because they have no stock of the same item the competition sells just for you, then wouldn’t you feel amazing? Definitely, you would.
Wrapping-Up
Brand storytelling gives your corporate-looking business a friendly smile and a warm attitude similar to a person. Audiences resonate towards business who appear and feel “human,” are entertaining and sensitive, and relevant.
Data can also be helpful when it comes to formulating the best business personality. You may need specialists to analyze this information to help you shape the perfect narrative for your company.