Written by Alice Franklin
Copywriter
What is a story? As a general rule, a story has a start, middle, and end. It has a main character, whose strengths push them forward but whose flaws hold them back. This character will want something very badly. And they will go on a journey to get it.
During this journey, the main character will get into trouble but also get out of it again. In the end, everything might be fine or not fine. Either way, our protagonist will be changed somehow.
Brand story ≠ story
But if this is a story, what is a brand story?
Sometimes, brand stories don’t have much of a narrative structure. Some simply go: we are Company A, selling Solution B, because that’s just what we do.
If a brand doesn’t have a story, or the brand story isn’t very story-ish, then it’s not necessarily the end of the world.
In fact, you might be in the majority.
But we’ve been telling each other stories since the dawn of language. We love them and we remember them too.
According to one study, stories are about 12 to 13 times more memorable than statistics alone. And according to another study, stories are around seven times more memorable than lists.
So given the link between storytelling and recall, why not give your brand story more of a narrative arc?
Have a think: what was your journey and what were the obstacles? Who is your main character and what do they want? Does it work if you make your customers the main character? How does it end?
As you answer these questions, a story will start to take shape. After which, it’s just a question of crafting. Of course, it might be hard at first – to find a narrative in the business – but a story can be found in pretty much anything. And it’s usually well worth it, in the end.
We make the complicated simple