The biggest and most recognizable brands in the world use storytelling to raise brand awareness and build loyalty and trust. It’s often part of a sophisticated content strategy that involves targeting diverse audiences across disparate platforms and channels. This approach often involves big teams and even bigger budgets. But that doesn’t mean that small businesses…
Category: Brand Stories
Nobody was more surprised than we were by the headline “Why the future of storytelling will be democratized.” The Fast Company article by Joe Berkowitz suggests that effective storytelling hinges on expensive high-tech whizbangs, and the “democratization” comes from Kickstarters and similar grassroots campaigns vs. big-name corporate sponsorship. Certainly, big-time brand and business storytelling does…
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The future of storytelling is now
Brand storytelling that is vivid, compelling, well structured, and purposeful is timeless. The way that we share stories, however, constantly evolves. To complicate matters, old methods of sharing stories don’t disappear. Paperback books haven’t gone away; they’ve been supplemented with tablets and readers. Likewise, brand storytellers must embrace multiple platforms and channels, each with its…
Crisis breeds opportunity. The year 2020 was evidence of this as brands connected with audiences in unprecedented ways, with new messages and new goals. It was a scramble, for sure. The companies that performed best were the ones that already had a strong identity and the energy and resources to share that identity in novel…
We’ve said before that the best way to greet 2021 is to plan, not predict, for the future. A key part of planning? Taking a good, hard look at the events of 2020 and how they affected consumer behaviors. Today, we’re looking at some particularly astute observations about brands and consumers and how these observations…
The marketing experts are out in full force with ideas for clever marketing strategies and cheery brand messaging this holiday season. It seems that many have taken their ideas from a past holiday season, slapped “2020” in the headline, and republished them as something new and enticing. Let’s be honest. We’re all eager for a…
During the holidays, our holiday messaging overflows with familiar expressions based on tradition and pop culture influences. Most people know what we’re talking about when we refer to the Grinch, “Yes, Virginia,” “white stuff,” and the Charlie Brown Christmas tree. But these phrases and many others have become so ubiquitous and tiresome that the holidays…
Regardless of your family traditions or religious background, the holiday season is loaded with meaning, and brands worldwide work overtime to capitalize on that. However, not every holiday-related brand storytelling campaign tugs on the proverbial heartstrings. Some disappear without a trace – or elicit jeers from the cheap seats. How can brands be real, compelling,…
Andrew Carnegie was born into poverty. In 2019, the charitable trust bearing his name awarded more than $150 million in grants. Jean Nidetch was a housewife with a sweet tooth. She founded Weight Watchers (now WW), which made her a millionaire and a celebrity. Apple, Amazon, and Google were launched in their founders’ garages. Walt…
In July 2020, Forbes published an insightful article on the power of brand storytelling in an innovation culture. “When people hear stories all their sense are engaged,” Forbes contributor Tendayi Viki writes. “Facts and data area easier to retain when presented in story form.” He makes a compelling case for stories as a tool to…