PERSPECTIVES

Great brand storytelling is all about structuring your storylines

Reading Time: 6 minutes

Brand story has two distinct roles: it forms the basis for the different levels of narrative you unfurl over time to your audience; and it acts as the “brand in your head” reference point internally. The key to success is structuring your storylines so that they incorporate all the classic elements of good storytelling.

Any brand can and should have a story. So, what makes one brand a better storyteller than another? The winning factor is engagement: the ability to create and recount a story that doesn’t just express what the brand is or does, but rather involves people in what the brand is pursuing.

We use a range of different story styles and models to achieve this. One simple but highly effective storytelling structure is Exposition – Tension – Resolution/Optimism. Here, we’ve applied it in different ways to various types of story to show how even this one structure can generate a full range of rich narratives.

Storyline means different things to different people

Dylan Tweney observes that confusions over terms plays out in how the words storyline, plotline, plot and story are treated as synonyms. Further, different groups use the same word to mean quite different things. When journalists talk about a story, they mean an event. When marketers talk about story, they often mean message.

Turning to structuring your storylines, Dylan says: “a storyline must contain at least two elements: A narrative sequence of events (or a “situation” that implies some historical past and/or future direction), and a point of view. Without a point of view, it’s just a statement of fact, a mere chronology or description. Without a sequence of events, it’s just a statement of values or a marketing message. Bring the two together, and you’ve got a story.”

Building a storyline

Your brand storyline is an overview. We build one with words or simple sentences to indicate development and to ensure the sequence is interesting. These simple thoughts enable you to test whether your storyline has *momentum*. We use that word in two senses: there is interest in the moment; and there is a sense of progression. Every part of your story – no matter what it does chronologically – should move the story forward.

You’ll see that below. There is a story theme, and a reason why that theme works, followed by a sequence that brings that theme to life as a storyline. The structure for each theme though remains largely the same.

10 storylines for brands using one structure

  1. Tell people what you believe

We’re all drawn to worldviews and opinions that are intriguing and that help us see what’s around us in different and refreshing ways. The best storytellers interpret and present a new perspective on something we think we know. There’s a premise that underpins the brand’s approach that the brand then asks people to buy into via products and experiences.

A storyline:

People once believed …

What happened to change that

The revelation

The reaction

What won people over

How we developed our belief

Where it’s taking us as a brand.

  1. Tell people what’s possible

Optimism and possibility are powerful motivations. They push people to see past current limitations and realities to what their life could be. The brand in this context is the motivator and the catalyst: making it possible for people to consider something they aspired to but thought was always beyond them.

A storyline:

What we’re all told (that holds us all back)

What that does to people

The brand breakthrough that changed that …

The new mindset

What’s possible now

How you can forge a new life using that mindset

What we will do as a brand to enable that to happen

  1. Tell potential buyers about your approach

A powerful line for groundbreakers and innovators is to explain what you’re doing that’s different from those around you and how you came to think and work this way. This storyline is about defying what’s expected, and overcoming the sceptics. It’s filled with perseverance and the belief that customers deserve more.

A storyline:

What everyone else has done for ages

Why that’s in their best interests

The moment where we decided that had to change

The journey to get there

The insight that changed everything

The new approach we took

Where it’s gotten us to, and what the future looks like

  1. Share your founder’s story

Putting a face and a name to your brand gives it human interest and enables you to ground the brand in qualities and situations that people relate to. The best founder stories combine humility and tenacity. They include challenge and pressure, resolved by characteristics that have since come to define the brand.

A storyline:

It all started here …

The situation the founder found themselves in

They saw the need to go out on their own

They were met by challenges and disbelief

The one thing that changed everything

How the brand grew and what happened as it scaled

How the brand has stayed true to its roots and prepared for the future

  1. Endorse people’s intelligence

The brands people choose say something about them. This approach endorses that by telling a story based on conscious choice and the ability to identify authenticity and quality in a sea of sameness. This approach works because it helps people feel part of a group that they aspire to be in.

A storyline:

Too often, people make the wrong choice

It’s not their fault. It’s what they’re told

We set out to introduce new choice to those looking for it

Here’s what we did to change the game

Our brand caters to people who …

Come join us and see for yourself …

Together we can …

  1. Share a secret

FOMO is a powerful motivation for buyers across all sectors. This approach “reveals” something that customers crave to know or gives them access to something that they can’t get elsewhere. It could be a secret insight or a secret sauce. It’s all about the audacity of availability – daring to know and share what others would rather keep suppressed or out of sight.

A storyline:

Not many people know this

There’s good reasons why

We think you deserve to be part of this

It’s a powerful secret because …

Here’s how to make the most of it

Others deserve to know as well. Share with them

Here’s to a more open world (our little secret) …

  1. Show them what’s next/new …

We live in a world of sequels. People always want to see what’s coming – preferably before others – and to get a chance to criticise or validate the latest development. This approach gives buyers the preview, the next chapter, the chance to get ahead and stay ahead of the pack. It’s all about we call the future/present.

A storyline:

Up until now …

But then this happened, and everything changed …

A world of new possibilities

Imagine being able to …

Smart people will capitalise

There’s a limited time to get there first

This will get huge.

  1. Invite people to be changemakers

Change on a daily basis is a dividing factor, pushing people into factions based on retaining what they have or had, and those who want things to shift more quickly. Stories by their nature are powered by change, so this is a storyline that most will easily recognise.

A storyline:

This is what we’re used to

It may be familiar but it doesn’t work

When you think about it this way though, everything changes

We did. And here’s what happened when we added our own twist.

It wasn’t easy getting people to see it

Some have. And it’s meant huge change for them

This future can’t be unseen

  1. Tell an origin story

The classic Once upon a time … takes people back to the beginning and uses nostalgia and heritage to produce a powerful sense of chronology. The story sweeps through the eras of the brand, adding in side stories and back stories, to increase interest before jumping ahead to where things could go next. Reflection and projection.

A storyline:

It all began humbly enough

But then, one today …

A success (after an initial disappointment)

Then another

Then another

Followed by a setback that nearly finished everything

Until someone where saw this could go – and that’s where the brand is heading.

  1. Turn readers into contributors

Sometimes the most powerful stories are still forming and the story itself becomes the catalyst and the invitation for others to recognise an opportunity and step forward to be involved. This approach appeals to the inner-entrepreneur in many. It’s a life-changing story which the reader gets to experience for themselves.

A storyline:

Something’s happening

It’s not for everyone

It’s got to this point – but now it’s stalled

We’re looking for …

That will enable us to …

You’ll be there as we ….

Do you have what it will take?

We can help you with structuring your storylines

Strong storytelling almost happens without buyers being aware of it. It simply is how the brand makes its presence felt. If you’re interested in building a more structured brand with great storylines, Long Arc is our storytelling workshop. It’s an opportunity to appraise what your story is and the best ways for you to articulate it. More on how we can help here.

Acknowledgements

Photo by Dmitriy Frantsev on Unsplash

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