STORYTELLING
FOR BRANDING

FOR MOST OF US
BRANDING IS
A COOL DESIGN
OR A HIP LOGO

IT'S UNCLEAR
(FOR NON-DESIGNERS)
HOW IT ACTS
ON OUR MINDS
exactly

But,
WE CAN ADMIT THAT
- we are drawn to images
- some designs feel playful,
while others more combative
- red feels more energetic than
blue
- some fonts seem to say
"tradition", others
"modernity"

The truth is,
BRANDING
TELLS THE WORLD
WHO THE BRAND IS
IN A GLIMPSE

about
a
box
so
simple,
a
child
could
use
it
no
worries
The truth is,
BRANDING
TELLS THE WORLD
WHO THE BRAND IS
IN A GLIMPSE

The hidden truth is
BRANDING
IS A STORY
THAT USERS TELL
THEMSELVES
ABOUT WHO THEY ARE
"I'm a laidback worker."

A STORY OF
WHO THEY WOULD LIKE
TO BE & BE SEEN AS
"I'm a romantic intellectual."

A STORY THEY
FEEL THEY BELONG TO
"I'm a friendly foody."

A POWERFUL BRAND
FEELS LIKE HOME
TO THEIR USERS

So, in reality,
BRANDING IS
AN ONGOING STORY
BETWEEN A BRAND
WHO SETS A JOURNEY
AND A USER
WHO WANTS TO JOIN

As a consequence,
FINDING THE RIGHT STORY
MAKES USERS
NOT ONLY NOTICE,
BUT ACT

That's why,
BRANDING
EMBODIES
AND SUPPORTS
YOUR BUSINESS
STRATEGY

SOME BRANDS
PREFER TO
FOCUS ONLY ON THE
WHAT AND HOW
OF THEIR STRATEGY
4th Generation Intel® Core™ i5 Processor
Windows 8.1
1TB Hard Drive
8GB Memory
NO STORY

On the other hand,
ICONIC BRANDS
USE
STORYTELLING,
TO FOCUS ON THE
WHY
' C h a l l e n g e
t h e
s t a t u s
q u o '

"Your strategy is more than a set of goals. It gets to the
hard core question of Why."
– Ben Horowitz, VC @ Andreessen Horowitz

So,
HOW DO YOU
BUILD A BRAND
USING
STORYTELLING?

In short,
HOW DO YOU
CREATE LOVE AND
TRUST FROM
A STORY?

First, the mentor needs
an authentic personality
because people trust other people, not
anonymous entities. Users must feel a real
personality behind the brand - which isn't
necessarily the exact replica of the CEO,
but is usually pretty close to the true
personality of the founders.
Since the personality will impact how the brand looks
like, but also how it acts, there mustn't be a major gap
between the image you want to convey and the
experience the users have when using your product or
hearing about you in the press.

Your personality reflects in
- your tone of voice: the words you use
- your look: the design elements of your
logo or web page
- your behavior: the events you
organize, the pricing you set, the
charities you support, the content you
promote…
Everything you do as a brand must be consistent with
your personality. Any true gap might feel inauthentic
and therefore dent your credibility. So choose from the
heart!

Then, the mentor needs
higher values he stands for
the connection with a person starts as soon
as you talk to them: you encounter their
personality. But when you find out what
their true values are, that's when you decide
if you want to be a part of their world or
not. It's exactly the same with brands. Users
want to know how you see the world and
how you think it should be.
Most brands have very weak – a.k.a. mainstream - values
because they fear being cut off from a portion of their
users. But when you want everyone to love you, well,
nobody really does. They 'kind of' like you. Not great for
true loyalty.

Your higher values also reflect
in
- your tone of voice
- your look
- your behavior: the battles you
choose, the mission statement you put
up, even the products you create or
the way you promote them…
Once again, mind the gap between what you say and
how you act! When you're small, people won't
necessarily react negatively, but they certainly will feel
the contradiction.

Lastly, the mentor needs
to empower the user to
achieve their truth
That's the trickiest part. It requires to
empathize with your users so deeply that
you'll know them to their very core. Based
on that, your goal should be to do
everything you can to help them become
who they aspire to be.
You have to find out their true aspiration in life. What
truly aches in their heart, something they're not
necessarily aware of; what they truly long for, but think is
impossible to achieve; what they truly dream of, but
would never say out loud because it would feel
ridiculous.

Remember, the hero of
the story is the user. The
brand is (only) the mentor.
That's also tricky for most brands, who
instinctively tend to promote themselves:
"We sell the best product, so you should
really choose us" is what most homepages
shout out. In real life, we know bragging is
bad for relationships, but in marketing, we
just go for it.
The key is to love your users. To be obsessed with them.
To want to be there for them. Not just to say it, but to
actually take the strategic decisions that will make their
life easier, happier, more beautiful, more meaningful.
That's the story they want to hear. Don't you?

The truth you empower your
user to achieve, reflects in
- your baseline
- your user experience: in your
product, on your website and, even
more, in your customer service
- your communication: the advice,
guidances & inspiration you distill in
your blog, emails, webinars, op-eds,
ads
- your behavior: how you involve your
users in your events or any strategic
decision you take

In a nutshell,
Brand storytelling means
telling a story your users
will love because it's
about how your brand
will help them become
what they aspire to be.
It's as much a philosophy as it is a tool,
really.

THE TOOL

A BRAND CAN BE DEFINED
IN ONE SIMPLE SENTENCE.
IT'S THE NORTH STAR OF
YOUR COMMUNICATION
STRATEGY.
YOU CAN USE THE
FOLLOWING STRUCTURE.

"WE'RE A UNIQUE BRAND THAT'S ALL ABOUT TRUTH. "
Choose an adjective to describe your unique personality as a mentor.
Choose a verb to synthetize your mission and higher values,
in relation with your user's quest.

IS AN ENCHANTING BRAND THAT'S ALL ABOUT HUMAN
CONNECTIONS.

IS AN ENCHANTING BRAND THAT'S ALL ABOUT HUMAN
CONNECTIONS.
Note that it's not about hosting.

IS A CLASSY BRAND THAT'S ALL ABOUT MOVING TO THE TOP.

IS A CLASSY BRAND THAT'S ALL ABOUT MOVING TO THE TOP.
Note that it's not about driving – although 'moving' refers both to the social ladder and to
the actual business of driving people.

IS A CURIOUS BRAND THAT'S ALL ABOUT LEARNING.

IS A CURIOUS BRAND THAT'S ALL ABOUT LEARNING.
Note that it's not about seeing – and that 'curious' has a double meaning the founders
meant to give to their brand: curiosity for the world and kind of awkward.

IS A FRIENDLY BRAND THAT'S ALL ABOUT EASY SHARING.

IS A FRIENDLY BRAND THAT'S ALL ABOUT EASY SHARING.
Note that it's not about storing – and 'sharing' is as much about files as it is about emotions.

CHECK OUT
THE NORTH
STAR STORY