Once upon a time, “apple” only referred to fruit. “Think different” was a grammatically incorrect phrase. “iPhone” was a Tarzanic way to say you’re making a call. Today, Apple conjures images of computers, phones and a man in a black turtleneck. Apple isn’t famous because they make good products alone. The brand’s success, ladies and gentlemen, is the result of phenomenal brand storytelling.

Brand Narrative That Changed The World

We all know the story. Two Steves—Jobs and Wozniak—started the company in a humble garage. They went up against the world on their mission to make computers accessible to anyone. The Apple II was a huge success, spearheading the world’s computer revolution!

Alas, trouble hit.

Despite its innovation, Apple Macintosh was losing favour with the public at the start of the 1990s, beckoning Jobs back to the helm in ’97. “Think Different.” A mantra for the savants; the calling card of creatives. Inspired. Edgy. Breakthrough for the brand. Everyone wanted a G3. Everyone graduated to iMac. Then iPod, iPhone, iPad.

Apple is seemingly unstoppable. Today, Apple Watch and Apple TV. Tomorrow, Augmented Reality (AR) and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Apple isn’t a brand. It’s a lifestyle. A symbol. A status. And the aspiration of marketers everywhere.

The History of Brand Storytelling

Storytelling marketing is nothing new. Long before Mac, brands relied on compelling narratives to boost sales.

The triumphant tale of starting with nothing more than a dollar and a dream to build a global empire (Walmart). The lady who developed the most iconic chutney to sell at church bazaars after her husband retired (Mrs Ball).

It’s not about origin—but good storytelling—that works.

We simply love hearing from brands with something worthwhile to say. Ones that have “stood the test of time” (Castle Lager). Ones that have changed the way we talk about beauty (Dove). There are brands that are endearing (Mailchimp), quirky (Savannah), and brands we can’t wait to hear more from (Nandos).

Why Narrative Marketing is So Effective

Great narrative fosters a strong emotional connection and makes brands memorable.

It’s easy to read a great story. You’ve already read 350-odd words, and it’s hardly felt like work. Storytelling helps you etch your brand persona into hearts and strengthen the position you want to occupy in people’s minds. A good story is easy to comprehend. It’s easier to trust something you understand. And if you can understand it, you’re more likely to buy it.

Best of all, because a great narrative is easy to understand, it’s easy to talk about. We’re hard-wired to share with others. Apple comes to mind again. Back in 2001, the general public hardly cared about hard drives, Gigabytes didn’t feature in everyday vocabulary. So, talking about a 5GB MP3 player didn’t exactly get tongues wagging. Carrying “1,000 songs in your pocket”, on the other hand, was a major talking point, and conversations ran rampant.

Using Narrative in Marketing Successfully

You can harness the power of brand narrative in your marketing; here’s how.

Establish A Strong Corporate Identity

Brand narrative is so much more than clever copywriting. Your visual identity is crucial to creating a strong brand.

Decide on the perception that you want people to have about your brand. Use that to define what your brand stands for, what it associates with, and what makes it unique. Combine those goals and then set rules for how to achieve that through how the brand looks, sounds, where it appears, and how it reacts. In other words, establish your visual identity, messaging, and corporate behaviour. Then stick to it!

Stay True

Craft your messaging strategy in line with your corporate identity. Stay true to your brand. It’s tempting for marketers to veer off course because of trends or because the C-suite wants it. Would Coca-Cola have any place jumping on the “health and fitness” bandwagon? No. That’s not their narrative. Coca-Cola brands like Energade and BonAqua can sponsor sports events, but Coke would be totally out of place even if the CEO podiums at The Cape Town Cycle Tour.

Before choosing a new channel or starting a new campaign, check your brand compass against True North.

Think Heart

• Good stories are told from the heart. Be authentic.
• Engaging stories evoke the heart. Speak to your audience’s needs and emotions.
• Great stories get to the heart of the matter. Be clear and concise.

Your audience is looking for authentic and relatable stories. Most audiences want to cut to the chase, too. Long stories don’t necessarily mean they’re good. Again, stay true to your brand. If the personality is sharp and quick-witted your stories can be too.

Be Helpful

While a message can be entertaining, entertainment is not the purpose of marketing messaging. Marketing messaging ultimately seeks to achieve goals such as growing brand awareness, consumer education, boosting engagement, or generating leads.

The best way to ensure your message will grab and hold attention is to be helpful. What will your audience get out of reading your content? Will they be enlightened to make smarter decisions, learn something they can apply in their business, or find the solution to one of their problems?

Framing these questions and outcomes firmly in your creative briefs for stronger results.

Consistency Is The Key

You need to communicate consistently to reinforce your branding. One great story won’t cut it. Unfortunately, there’s too much competition—too much content—to stay quiet. A steady stream of strategic communication is key to staying top of mind.

Strategy is vital! Pumping out messages for the sake of it will have the opposite effect and only hurt your brand.

• Plan your marketing communication goals.
• Create a list of topics that drive these objectives.
• Choose the appropriate channels.
• Plot the optimal times to post.

Get Help!

The unicorn marketer is the biggest myth ever—they don’t exist. Your job as head of marketing is to oversee numerous tasks that one person cannot do. And if they are, they’re not all being done well. This list is the tip of the iceberg for the modern marketer:

• Brand strategy
• Budget planning
• Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
• Paid advertising
• Social Media Management (SMM)
• Website maintenance
• Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
• Exhibitions, events
• Content creation
• Analytics

It takes a team, and what’s better than a team of individuals who are experts in their respective fields? That’s what you get when you work with Famous Digital Media. We are a team of specialist strategists, media planners, copywriters, designers, community managers, video-editors, paid media managers and business analysts. Our combined skills ensure that your brand stays where it belongs: in front.