What Separates Good and Great Brand Stories
By Levina Kusumadjaja
What makes you recommend a movie to a friend? What makes you recommend a cafe to all your family and friends, even though you had just discovered the cafe earlier that day at lunch? We’ve all been there, when we get so hyped about a certain person, place, or thing, that we couldn’t help to tell every single person we could find about it. We want to make sure they get why we love it, and we want to make sure they fall in love with it too.
It’s the same way with brands. If you feel like the brand speaks to you and taps into the deep part of your soul that describes who you are, you will be convinced that the brand is your perfect match for a long time. In order for a brand to do this, brands need to tell a story. Brands need to tell us what they believe in and what they are all about. They need to speak our language and agree to our worldview. This the power of storytelling for a brand.
Great brand stories aren’t stories that tell the history of the brand, but great brand stories are those that create emotional connections with the customers.
For example, I love buying clothes that are timeless, affordable, and chic. I don’t want to look like I came out from the 90s, but I also don’t need to look fashionable. Even though it sounds standard, but it’s not easy to find a clothing brand like this. Several years ago a Japanese clothing brand opened a store in my city and I’ve been in love with them ever since. They sell basic, staple pieces that will still look good 10 years from now. I’m so ready to “marry” the brand that I’m gradually changing my wardrobe to only have pieces from that Japanese brand. Isn’t that amazing? The brand didn’t change my mind, I’ve always known what I wanted from a clothing brand. But throughout the years, there was only one brand that could tap into my worldview about style and fashion. No other brands succeeded.
Great brand stories are stories that tap into the customer’s worldview.
This is what Seth Godin talked about in his book “All Marketers are Liars”. He talked about how marketers aren’t trying to invent new stories to connect with customers. Customers that fall in love with brands are those that feel like the story connects to another story that the customer is already living out or believing in. These are stories that tap into the customer’s worldview. It can be a belief that they know they believe in and they have, or can be a belief they don’t even know they have.
It’s the reason why storytelling is so powerful for a brand. A brand’s ability to find that gap in the customer’s life that nobody else is serving will help a brand connect with customers like never before. So, it’s not about making up a story, but knowing the perfect angle to articulate the story from. We don’t tell stories because they are true, we tell them because it gets to our hearts. The same with brands; customers commit to brands not because they are famous, but because they feel there’s an emotional connection with the brand that no other brand can create.
Cheers!
Levina
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About the author:
Levina is a writer based in Indonesia. Because of Melinda Livsey, she recognized the power of brand strategy for every creative. She is sharing about her learnings as she goes to help creatives have fun in their growth and journey of building brands. Connect with her on LinkedIn and say hi!