“Great stories happen to people who can tell them.” – Ira Glass
Stories make people feel something. They create powerful emotional connections. The great ones are told and retold and remembered.
In his book The Storytelling Animal, Jonathan Gottschall asserts that humans are wired for stories and that stories help us navigate and understand the complexity of the world around us.
In today’s crowded and cluttered marketplace, your brand has little chance of rising above the noise without a compelling story. People are overwhelmed by the proliferation of choices, and their eyes glaze over when confronted with boring and shallow “selling” messages.
Instead of “selling,” great brands are “telling” stories. They don’t behave like commodities. They tell stories that create emotional connections with their audiences – stories that inspire, enchant, motivate, challenge and help them stand out.
The best brand stories help define the reason your brand exists. TOMS is rooted in the idea of improving lives and the spirit of giving. Southwest Airlines tells the story of obsessive customer care. Apple goes beyond beautiful products and creates legions of loyalists by fueling the creative spirit within. Harley-Davidson taps the spirit of freedom and independence and creates a community of true believers.
Great brand stories reflect the emotional needs of customers and are grounded in the soul of the organization. These stories are invitations for people to feel something deeper and to join something bigger – to move your brand from one-of-many to one-of-a-kind.
Looking for a competitive advantage? Take the time to discover your brand’s story, define it emotionally, and then…tell it to the world.