Why You Need a Brand Narrative

For thousands of years, humans have utilized stories provide context, meaning, and raison d’être in our lives. Our world is constructed of personal, community, institutional, and political narratives. Think for a moment, about the power narrative has played in your life today. Chances are pretty high that upon arriving at work this morning, you met a colleague and shared with them some small tidbit about your week, evening, or even your morning commute. And in that sharing, you created a narrative and a shared moment, where the listener added to their knowledge about you, and the story itself began to define you – not just for the listener, but for yourself. It may have been funny, sad, tragic, or everyday – but it was a story and it added to the fabric of both your lives. You didn’t mean to have that affect telling about the traffic jam this morning? It’s OK – it’s what humans do – we create narratives, our lives are a series of narratives. And because narratives hold such power, we cannot afford to overlook them as a method for creating common ground when introducing a new idea, product, project, or leveraging our Brand.

The power of a brand narrative

There is considerable power in a brand narrative, as a tool for aligning stakeholders and creating consistent messaging. In our experience, a good brand narrative is the incomparable force multiplier. This is because people naturally want to be part of something bigger, they want to matter, they want their lives to have meaning. Most of all, they want to become part of a gripping narrative. Allowing stakeholders, employees, and even consumers to become part of that brand narrative is the secret to success. With a consistent and compelling brand narrative, employees become ambasadors for your brand and products, stakeholders promote them, earned media becomes easier to earn and, perhaps most importantly, you can create buzz within the industry and target audiences. And it’s as easy as telling a story.

Does your brand have a brand narrative?

• So what’s your brand story?
•  Do you have a brand narrative?
•  Are your employees, stakeholders, and community promoting you?

If not, it’s time to put your storyteller’s hat on and write a brand narrative.

Related Brand Narrative articles

• The Persuasive Power of Story (catherinekaputa.typepad.com)
• Employment Branding, It’s All About The Employees (amplifytalent.com)
• Untold Stories | Narratives in Product Design (phillipqgangan.wordpress.com)
• If You Don’t Like Your Future, Rewrite Your Past (blogs.hbr.org)