Have you ever wondered how brands like Coca-Cola and Ikea feel so close despite being part of large corporations? One of the answers, as usual, is marketing! Apart from having a solid brand and product, these brands have mastered storytelling.
In a time when messages are everywhere and attention is short, a well-told story stands out. Storytelling is a powerful way to connect and persuade while creating a well-grounded brand identity.
Incorporating storytelling into your marketing strategy can profoundly engage and connect with your audience. Here are 5 keys to get started:
Start with the basics: crafting a compelling brand narrative that embodies your values and mission. Then, apply it across channels maintaining consistency throughout all pieces variations.
Enhance this narrative with real customer stories and testimonials to highlight the tangible impact of your products or services.
Develop relatable characters or personas that resonate with your target audience, using various media like videos, podcasts, and infographics to bring these stories to life.
Introduce elements of conflict and resolution to demonstrate how your offerings solve key problems, making the narrative both engaging and practical.
Encourage interactivity by involving your audience in the storytelling process, such as through social media campaigns or interactive quizzes that let them shape the story outcome. Emotional triggers should be carefully woven into your stories to deepen the emotional connection, ensuring authenticity to foster trust and loyalty.
By strategically leveraging storytelling, you not only captivate your audience but also reinforce the emotional bonds that turn casual customers into loyal advocates.
This strategy can be applied across a brand and to specific campaigns to support the brand’s identity. Below we share examples of both scenarios.
The beloved children’s show has managed to remain current throughout the years due to the show’s nature and its ability to adapt to times. One great example of this is how they have created personalities and stories for the muppets outside the show that are aligned with the brand and support it. On X (former Twitter) you can interact with Cookie Monster, Big Bird, Oscar the Grouch, Bert and Ernie, among others. People love it and Elmo’s 2024 viral tweet proves it.
Nike:
They are masters of brand unity and narrating the same idea reinvented: any body can be an athlete's body and with Nike, you will be able to overcome yourselves. An example of this is the “You Can’t Stop Us” campaign that seamlessly blended real-life sports moments, emphasizing unity and resilience.
Ben & Jerry's:
This company—a fellow BCorp—is known for its social and environmental justice mission. They not only sell ice cream, they actively support the efforts to create a more equitable world. Through their marketing pieces, communications, and statements, they maintain the consistency of the messages and ideas that build their core, positioning themselves as exemplars of how storytelling can be used across brand.
For this one, CeraVe went for the pun: Michael Cera = CeraVe. For weeks, the internet was flooded with videos and gossip pieces stating that Cera was behind developing the personal care brand. There was even a series of pictures of the actor handling products at pharmacies and shops. In the end, it was all part of a quirky campaign that finalized with 2023’s Super Bowl commercial that supported the company’s motto: developed with dermatologists. This campaign is an interesting example of how storytelling can be used across platforms to spark interest through narrative.
What are your thoughts on this topic? Have you seen these campaigns? Answer this email and keep the conversation rolling.
