We all know that a brand that has a great brand story and creates authentic content, wins! A purposeful, passionate brand story can be a fantastic call to action to win over hearts and minds. Telling stories, us humans have done it for centuries. Stories are crafted with a beginning that tells your audience what the challenge or adversity is; using the middle to tell how you’ll overcome it or solve the problem and an ending to show the new, better position or result. It’s a simple formula that we know and almost expect.
Invoke passion in your brand story with a hero
The topic I want to talk about today is passion. How do you invoke passion into your brand story so people connect with it, rally up the emotions that you intend for the audience and create a focal point so they’ll go onto retell the story? One of the ways to do this is to create a hero.
If that sounds challenging, you’d be right. We’re not all marketing movies with ‘The Rock’ as our hero in the story, running Presidential campaigns or have Elon Musk as our CEO. So it’s a challenge. No hiding it. Here are some ways every day businesses and brands can create a hero in their brand story…
Make your customer the hero of your brand story
Like I said, we don’t have Superman on our side but you can tell a story in reverse to make your customer the hero. Start by understanding your customers’ goals, what position they’re trying to move closer to, what problem they are trying to solve. Whatever it is, they can get there with your brand/product/service and tell them how it will feel. I have always been a fan of Lego since I was little, they do this brilliantly by showcasing what people have made with their products. Beautiful.
Example of customer as the brand story hero
We recently redesigned the website for Clearabee, the nationwide rubbish removal company. As a business, their customers’ needs drives their service and business model. Getting rid of clutter and rubbish is a relief, our promotional video for the brand puts the customer at the heart of their process and that story.
Clearabee Rubbish Removal from Sixth Story on Vimeo.
Brand story hero could be the product
Within products, whether it’s the manufacturing process, the ingredients or something unique – you can tell a compelling story. When a brand gets this just right, people will buy-in and want to have a little piece of that story (hopefully) by owning the product. I’m a sucker for this and so is my dad as I hear him proudly tell me about his Motto Guzzi v7! Motto Guzzi is the oldest motorcycle manufacturer in Europe and they invented rear suspension. There’s heritage, innovation and so much that they tell in their stories, even I want to be a part of it.
Example of the product as the hero
Every dog owner has a little nagging fear in the back of their mind about odour in the home. Snouts & Pouts partnered with Micro-Fresh® to make their dog beds anti-odour. The true hero of the brand story is the product creating peace of mind for pet owners.
Is your location the hero of the story?
Maybe it’s not just the product, not just your team or the customer. Could your location be the hero of your brand story? You might not be the MGM Grand on Las Vegas Strip or the Wafi Mall in Dubai (yet) but your location could hold the ingredients to a grand story. Whether it’s the city, the decor or the way things have been designed to give your customers an experience from the moment they arrive, your location can be the hero.
Example of location as the brand story hero
Location, location, location. That’s what comes to find for the independent restaurant The Smoke Haus who we were fortunate to work with recently on their website design. This brand works hard to create an experience for guests, from their arrival to the quirky decor and allowing guests to write on the walls… We made sure to capture that atmosphere in the promotional video for The Smoke Haus.
Smoke Haus from Sixth Story on Vimeo.
So, who’s the hero of your brand story?
Your brand story may have other heroes too. It could be your CEO, the culture or the team. It may be a mixture of all the customer, product, location and team put together. That’s great and whatever you do, ensure that you align the hero of your story to your goal and your call to action. That will be the icing on your cake.