Reading Time: 3 minutesWhen was the last time you actually changed your mind? The hardest thing a brand can do is convince. To go against what people already believe and to ask them to believe something different. That’s why it makes so much sense to tell a story customers are inclined to believe.
Tag: content strategy
How do you run a brand story you can’t fully own anymore?
Reading Time: < 1 minuteIt’s tempting to believe that our brand story is ours. It’s not of course. Today, it’s owned by everyone – in the sense that virtually anyone, anywhere can input. And that means you’re not the only one telling that story anymore. Once customers simply provided validation that your story was true. Now they are part […]
The next era of brand conversations
Reading Time: 3 minutesToo many brands continue to fail at convincingly placing what they have to offer inside the lives of the people they are trying to reach. A lot of that seems to come down to a simple mis-alignment of priorities: whilst marketing teams ponder data and speak earnestly about really understanding their buyers as individuals, those […]
Brands as extended storylines
Reading Time: 3 minutesThe temptation when you’re working with a brand is to continue to treat it just as a product or service. It’s simpler to do so. It’s contained. You can add features to it or introduce a variation to it. But I’ve wondered aloud with marketers in the past whether treating a brand as the personification […]
20 ways to kill dull communications
Reading Time: < 1 minute1. Promote a refreshing viewpoint. 2. Start a different conversation. 3. Shift away from the standard imagery of the industry.
How to amplify reactions in brand storytelling
Reading Time: 3 minutesSome of the stories brands tell are too focused on what brands want to project about themselves and their world, and not focused enough on first identifying the specific reactions they need to be eliciting from their audience. We advise brands to understand the 10 core elements of great brand storytelling, and to amplify reactions […]
Brand audiences – talking to the people who don’t buy
Reading Time: 4 minutesMarketers tend to think of their customers only as those people who purchase their brands – and to distinguish them from people who don’t buy any more or who haven’t bought yet. However, in a world where all manner of consumers are connected, it’s important to pay attention to a number of other groups that […]
How to avoid short-selling your brand story
Reading Time: < 1 minuteI’m dismayed by how frequently the conversation around content seems to devolve to quantity and tactics. That’s hardly surprising in some ways because of course the two are quickly linked. When everyone’s using the same tactics, quantity starts to look like the only differentiator.
Unlock a competitive brand story
Reading Time: 3 minutesEveryone has a story now. Or at least most brands claim to have one. But having a story in many ways is like having a product. Really it means nothing if it is not compelling as a narrative and personally relevant to each recipient. So your story must be distinctive from the other stories that […]
Cutting through as a brand
Reading Time: 3 minutesMarketers are under enormous pressure to get cut-through. Thing is – where’s the cut off point? How do you decide whether the claims you’re making are justified and how do you know you have pushed the boat out too far? Putting aside the legal considerations (not my space), here are four simple ways to filter […]