How to Use Stories to Elevate Your Brand

Summary

The video discusses the importance of storytelling in marketing and branding, highlighting that strong emotions and stories make memories stick. It emphasizes that storytelling is more engaging than plain facts and bullet points. The speaker explains how successful branding turns products into memorable experiences, using stories to create a stronger emotional connection. The video explores the Hero's Journey framework, character wants, and obstacles in storytelling, showing how these elements apply to brand strategy. Ultimately, it underscores that mastering storytelling can significantly enhance marketing efforts and differentiate brands in a competitive market.

Takeaways

• 📖 Storytelling is essential in both marketing and brand strategy.
• 💡 Memory is strongly tied to two key elements: emotion and story.
• 🧠 We tend to remember events that trigger strong emotions, while routine or mundane moments fade from memory.
• 👶 Children are naturally great at storytelling, but as adults, we lose some of that ability by focusing more on facts and bullet points.
• 🎭 Storytelling connects deeply with audiences, making content more memorable and engaging.
• 📚 Fables and childhood stories, such as Aesop’s, stay with us due to their emotional and narrative structure, unlike dry facts.
• 🏷 A product without a story is a commodity, while a product with a story builds a brand and commands a premium.
• 🦸 The hero’s journey is a powerful storytelling framework commonly used in movies, including Star Wars.
• 🎯 The key components of a story are character, want, and obstacle, which create tension and engagement.
• 💼 Successful branding is about helping customers transform, by understanding who they are, what they want, and what obstacles they face.

Q & A

What is the significance of storytelling in marketing and branding according to the transcript?

Storytelling is crucial in marketing and branding as it taps into the human mind's natural propensity for remembering and connecting with stories that are emotionally charged. It helps differentiate a product from a mere commodity to a brand with a narrative that resonates with consumers.

How does emotion play a role in memory and storytelling as discussed in the transcript?

Emotion is a core component of memory because it frames stories, making them memorable. The transcript explains that people tend to remember events that evoked strong emotions, which is why storytelling, being emotionally engaging, is more effective than simply listing facts.

What is the 'Hero's Journey' and how is it relevant to branding and marketing?

The 'Hero's Journey' is a narrative framework that outlines the stages a hero goes through in a story, from the Ordinary World to facing challenges and returning transformed. It's relevant to branding and marketing because it provides a structure for creating compelling brand stories that resonate with audiences.

Why is it beneficial to create a character, a want, and an obstacle in storytelling for branding?

Creating a character, a want, and an obstacle helps in crafting a relatable and engaging story that audiences can connect with. In branding, this approach humanizes the brand, gives it a purpose, and creates a narrative that consumers can emotionally invest in, thus strengthening the brand's appeal.

What is the relationship between Joseph Campbell and George Lucas as mentioned in the transcript?

Joseph Campbell was a mentor to George Lucas, and his teachings on the 'Hero's Journey' significantly influenced Lucas's work, particularly in the creation of the Star Wars saga, which follows the hero's journey narrative structure.

How does the concept of 'character, want, and obstacle' apply to marketing strategies?

In marketing strategies, identifying the character (target audience), their wants (needs and desires), and the obstacles (challenges they face) helps create targeted messaging and offers that address these specific elements, making the marketing more effective and resonant with the audience.

What is the importance of understanding the ideal customer's journey in branding?

Understanding the ideal customer's journey is vital in branding because it allows for the creation of a strategic narrative that aligns with the customer's experiences and aspirations. This helps in designing marketing campaigns and brand interactions that resonate with the customer at each stage of their relationship with the brand.

Why is it necessary to create a specific character profile in branding?

Creating a specific character profile in branding is necessary to precisely target and understand the needs, desires, and challenges of the ideal customer. This focus enables the brand to tailor its messaging, products, and services to resonate more effectively with that audience.

How can storytelling help a brand stand out in a crowded market?

Storytelling helps a brand stand out by providing a unique narrative that differentiates it from competitors. It allows the brand to connect with consumers on an emotional level, creating a memorable and engaging experience that sets the brand apart from others that may only focus on features and facts.

What is the financial implication of having a strong brand story as discussed in the transcript?

A strong brand story can lead to higher brand equity, which means the brand can command a premium over cheaper alternatives. Consumers are willing to pay more for a product with a compelling story because of the emotional connection and perceived value it offers.

Outlines

00:00

📚 The Power of Storytelling in Marketing

The paragraph emphasizes the integral role of storytelling in marketing and branding. It starts by prompting the audience to recall a memory, highlighting that memorable moments are linked with strong emotions and stories. The speaker explains that emotions and stories are the core components of our memories, and storytelling comes naturally to humans, especially as children. As we grow older, we tend to focus on facts and lose the art of storytelling, which is a detriment in social media engagement. The paragraph also discusses the importance of storytelling in education, comparing memorable stories from childhood to easily forgotten academic facts. The speaker then connects storytelling to branding, stating that a product with a story is more valuable than one without, using the concept of brand equity as an example. The narrative structure of 'The Hero's Journey' is introduced as a framework for creating compelling stories that resonate with audiences.

05:00

🎭 Crafting a Compelling Brand Story

This paragraph delves into the practical application of storytelling for branding. It simplifies the narrative structure to three core elements: character, want, and obstacle. The speaker explains that a well-defined character with a clear desire and a believable obstacle creates a compelling story. Examples from popular culture, such as movies and literature, are used to illustrate these points. The paragraph also touches on the importance of understanding the target audience's desires and challenges. It suggests that by creating content that speaks to these desires and obstacles, businesses can better connect with their audience. The concept of 'no conflict, no story' is introduced, emphasizing the need for conflict or obstacles in storytelling to create tension and interest. The speaker also discusses the relevance of these storytelling principles to marketing and brand strategy, suggesting that understanding the customer's journey and creating content that addresses their needs can lead to more effective marketing.

10:02

🏡 Transforming Lives Through Storytelling

The final paragraph focuses on how storytelling can transform lives and businesses. It discusses the process of creating detailed customer avatars or user profiles to deeply understand the target audience. The speaker explains that by knowing the character's wants, needs, and motivations, businesses can craft stories that resonate and build trust. The paragraph provides an example of how a commercial developer might rethink their marketing strategy by focusing on the specific needs of a small group of high-powered real estate brokers. The speaker suggests innovative approaches, such as using a web app on an iPad for a more personalized and exclusive experience, instead of a traditional website. The paragraph concludes by encouraging the audience to apply these storytelling techniques to create more impactful marketing and branding strategies.

Keywords

💡Storytelling

Storytelling is the art of conveying a narrative that captures attention and evokes emotions. In the video, storytelling is highlighted as a crucial tool in marketing and branding because it helps people connect with products and services on a deeper level. The speaker emphasizes that stories are more memorable than facts because they evoke emotions, making them a powerful way to engage an audience.

💡Emotion

Emotion is a strong feeling that significantly impacts memory and decision-making. The video explains that memories are often tied to strong emotions, which makes storytelling effective in marketing. When a brand can evoke an emotional response, it becomes more memorable and relatable to the audience, enhancing brand loyalty and engagement.

💡Brand Strategy

Brand strategy refers to a long-term plan for developing a brand’s identity and positioning in the market. The video links storytelling to brand strategy, suggesting that effective storytelling can differentiate a brand, build emotional connections, and increase perceived value. The speaker argues that brands with strong stories can command higher prices and create more loyal customers.

💡Hero’s Journey

The Hero’s Journey is a narrative structure that involves a protagonist going on an adventure, facing challenges, and ultimately achieving transformation. This concept is presented as a framework for crafting compelling stories in branding. The speaker uses examples like Star Wars to illustrate how this structure helps create engaging and memorable narratives that resonate with audiences.

💡Character

A character is the main figure in a story who drives the narrative forward. In branding, defining a character, such as a customer avatar or ideal client profile, helps businesses understand their audience's needs, wants, and challenges. The video emphasizes that well-developed characters make stories more relatable and help brands communicate effectively with their target audience.

💡Conflict

Conflict is a struggle or obstacle that the character must overcome in a story. The speaker mentions that conflict is essential to storytelling because it creates tension and interest, making the narrative compelling. In branding, identifying the conflicts or pain points that customers face allows brands to position their products as solutions, thus enhancing their appeal.

💡Commodity

A commodity is a basic good that is interchangeable with other goods of the same type and is usually sold based on price rather than quality or branding. The video contrasts commodities with branded products, stating that a product with a story transforms from a commodity into a brand. This transformation allows businesses to charge a premium because customers perceive added value beyond the basic function of the product.

💡Brand Equity

Brand equity is the value added to a product due to the brand name and the emotional connections associated with it. The speaker describes brand equity as the extra amount customers are willing to pay for a branded product over a generic one. This concept highlights the financial impact of effective storytelling and branding strategies, which increase perceived value and customer loyalty.

💡Customer Avatar

A customer avatar is a detailed profile of an ideal client that includes demographics, preferences, challenges, and desires. The video discusses how creating a specific customer avatar helps brands target their messaging and marketing efforts more effectively. By understanding the avatar’s wants and obstacles, brands can craft stories that resonate and appeal to their ideal customers.

💡Transformation

Transformation refers to the change that occurs in a character or customer as a result of the story or brand experience. In the context of branding, transformation signifies how a product or service helps improve the customer’s life. The video explains that storytelling should illustrate this journey of transformation to show potential customers the value of choosing that brand.

Highlights

Storytelling is a core component of both memory and marketing. Strong emotions and stories help us recall important moments.

Storytelling is the operating system of the human mind, making it easier to remember than mere facts or lectures.

Teachers who incorporate storytelling into their lessons create memorable narratives, whereas fact-based teaching is easily forgotten.

A product without a story is a commodity, but a product with a story becomes a brand, building financial value and goodwill.

Storytelling in branding enables a company to command a premium price, as it creates emotional value and brand equity.

The Hero's Journey structure, widely recognized in modern storytelling, has its roots in Joseph Campbell's teachings and was applied by George Lucas in Star Wars.

Character, want, and obstacle are the three essential elements of a compelling story. Without conflict, there is no story.

Effective storytelling in marketing involves defining a specific character with a clear want and obstacles that hinder their goals.

Branding involves understanding your customer's character profile, their desires, and obstacles that get in their way.

Using customer avatars or profiles in brand strategy helps create targeted and relevant marketing approaches.

A good brand strategy transforms strangers into friends and friends into loyal customers by aligning with their personal narratives.

Segmenting your audience into clear profiles allows marketers to design effective communication that resonates emotionally.

In marketing, offering a personalized experience based on the customer’s journey and obstacles increases engagement and loyalty.

Phil Jones' strategy of framing two types of people in sales pitches helps narrow down ideal clients and better target offers.

Innovative approaches, such as sending tailored web apps to exclusive clients instead of building generic websites, can deliver more personalized and effective marketing results.

Transcripts

okay in this episode I'm going to talk

about the role storytelling has in

marketing and in branding or brand

strategy I'm going to ask you this

question which is to think back on a

memory in your life and almost always

there are two things two core components

that always exist when it comes to

memory number one is a strong emotion

and number two is a story let's examine

this before we tie this into marketing

and brand strategy I think you'll figure

it out before we get there what about

emotion okay so if you were to reflect

back on what you did last week and try

to recall what it is that you've done

are the only things you remember are the

things that cause an emotional reaction

from you the things like driving on the

road or the things where you're kind of

in a vegetative state you're not going

to be able to recall it's because this

is how your memory works it's like

there's a strong emotion and emotion

frames a story and you're able to retell

that story this is why storytelling is

so easy and giving lectures is so

difficult because storytelling is the n

most natural thing it's how the human

mind works Eric meets it's stories of

the operating system of the human mind

and as children so good at telling

stories and somehow we lose that art

when we grow older you'll make up

stories you'll make up stories about how

the dog ate your homework you make up

stories about how that girl was really

into you when she really wasn't and

something happens to us I think when we

get older we start to follow very

specific rules about what facts are and

we don't tend to get as excited to tell

people like how our day went we just

tell them the highlights the bullet

points and we we lose that art and

that's to our detriment cuz now here you

are on social media saying oh my Social

account is dead no one's engaged

engaging with me how come well guess

what you're all facts and bullet points

at this point no one cares cuz it

Doesn't Remind them of anything and yes

we're hungry to learn the facts and the

bullet points but then a day we'll

forget it because I felt nothing and

there's no story for me let's test this

one more time before we get into

strategies and tactics which is do you

remember some of the fables that you you

were read to as a child like aso's

fables the story of The Tortoise and the

hair or the boy who cried wolf how is it

that we can remember these stories

decades later after having heard it and

that they've survived multiple

generations of storytellers isn't that

pretty wild but if I ask you what did

you learn in algebra and who's your

teacher and what did they look like you

probably can't remember a single thing

and that's the way it is because

teachers have yet to incorporate

storytelling into how they teach so the

ones that I remember fondly created a

story a narrative around history or

science and they they gave me a frame to

look at the world and so I can remember

those things and I carry them with me

today so now you are the educator you

just happen to be talking about the

things that you make the services that

you provide if you want to stand out

from all the noise you have to become a

master Storyteller it's not as hard as

you think and I'll tell you how to do it

in a second what Michael margolus said

was a product without a story is a

commodity a product with a story is a

brand so now we it's not just something

that we it's like this fluffy intangible

idea it's like it has Financial metrics

that can be used to measure this and I

want to talk about this okay I think

when a product or service has Goodwill

we call that brand or branding the

amount of money that you're willing to

pay over a cheaper alternative is the

amount of brand Equity that we have two

bottles of water one sells for a dollar

one sells for $5 the one that sells for

$5 has $4 of equity cuz you're willing

to pay that much more you're able to

command a premium over a cheaper

alternative and the one that sells for a

dollar it's just worth a dollar because

that's literally how much it costs to

bring that water to you package it sell

it to you with a small profit margin and

most of us do not want to think of what

we do as a commodity and a commodity is

something that is easily replaced and

usually is sold at the lowest price so

how do you incorporate storytelling what

you do now you can follow Joseph

Campbell's story The her with a thousand

faes and it's a little bit complicated

but I want to tell you where this comes

from where most modern stories come from

the hero's journey it goes something

like this the hero lives in the Ordinary

World is approached by a Herald who has

a call to Adventure and then there's the

refusal the call where the hero doesn't

want to go on adventure and if you're

thinking does this sound like a lot like

Star Wars yes it's Star Wars okay and

there's a little fun fact later I'll

tell you about that so initially the

hero refuses because there has to be

some tension behind this and then the

hero meets a mentor and the mentor helps

the hero to cross the threshold to leave

the Ordinary World and go into the new

world then a bunch of things happen

there and I'll skip over all the boring

Parts but there's usually a relapse and

a resurrection they fall back on that

Journey Only to realize the true lesson

and instead of getting what they want

they get what they need and they're

successful at and having transformed

they bring this lesson back to their

tribe their community and they share

that lesson with them that's a lot to

remember and unpack but before we do

that I'll tell you the fun fact about

George Lucas so you know you're like

wait a minute Joseph Campbell George

Lucas what's their relationship you know

the funny thing is Joseph Campbell

mentored George Lucas and he said he's

one of his best students isn't that

incredible one of the most enduring

pieces of fiction in the modern era in

cinema and has lived Beyond multiple

generations of geeky fathers and

children I think have survived because

George was such a great student he

understood the hero's journey and when

you try to tell a story without the

structure of what we've already learned

that works it usually becomes very

forgettable it it winds up becoming

experimental art experimental film or

literature it becomes more poetry than

than something that we can grab on to

okay let's make this a lot simpler cuz I

just want to condense this down we'll

boil down the idea so that you can walk

away being able to remember it you just

need to remember three words and I'll

tell you where this is relevant to you

in branding okay there's character want

and obstacle you need these three things

there's a character a very specific kind

of person the more specific the better

cuz when we look at movies that have

cardboard characters they're very empty

it's just surfacey things and they feel

very generic there's no personality

there there's that that we're we're

looking for a soul inside that character

and we don't see it cuz it's poorly

designed the character has to have a

want a desire cuz if they have no want

they're totally at peace with themselves

there's nothing left for them to acquire

or to do so there's no tension so they

have a want and we have to invent an

obstacle something that gets in the way

of their want so the classic version is

poor boy wants to date rich girl that's

classic right and what does the

character want well he wants that girl

to love him what's the obstacle the

obstacles well you're poor you come from

the wrong side of the train tracks you

can flip the genders too like Maid in

Manhattan with Jennifer Lopez she's a

Maid in Manhattan Who falls in love with

Ray fines Sleepless in Seattle or you

got mail it's a same story arc over and

over again you got mail is about two

entrepreneurs Two Bookstore owners one

from a very small Bookshop around the

corner quite literally of it's what it's

called in the movie and one who owns

like a Barnes & Noble chain and they

want to love each other but they can't

because they're on diametrically

opposing sides of this whole bookstore

idea one's about Commerce one's about

community and so we have character we

have a want and we have an obstacle

Robert mcke the king of story who wrote

the book book story says no conflict no

story and so what we do as storytellers

is we find where the conflict exists and

we generate that like in a world of

fiction we can generate that boy loves

girl they can't get together why because

uh girls parents hate boy okay boy loves

girl can't get girl why because girls

gay or boys gay you know it's a lot of

weird things so we can we can explore

the obstacles and that's where the

invention comes in when you learn the

Frameworks now you're sitting there

thinking Chris what's this goty to do

with branding and marketing and I'm

going to tell you right now you exist to

help transform the lives of your

customers in one way or the other let's

say you're like my Buddy Rich he helps

influencers authors experts thought

leaders be able to tell their story

across the podcasting format so that's

how he's going to help them transform

their lives he needs to understand who

am I speaking to if he said people

that's too broad that goes back into

this kind of generic profile so the more

tightly he can design his ideal client

Avatar the better he can understand what

their wants needs hopes and fears are

who who they aspire to be when they grow

up right so he's going to zero in on

people who are entrepreneurial who are

thought leaders authors people who care

about sharing their ideas because that

now will lead him to a want cuz not

everybody wants to do a podcast only

specific type of people want to do a

podcast want to do it professionally and

care enough to pay for it so he's

zeroing in on this audience this core

core demographic so they want to be able

to create content so what's the oppos

that they have well the obstacle is well

they're valuable their time is valuable

and they don't understand the technical

components they don't want to deal with

editing they don't want to deal with

publishing they're not sure what's

happening with algorithms or what they

what the best practices are for the

industry so that's their obstacle so

when Rich creates an offer when he does

marketing when he does storytelling it

would behoove him to speak to the

obstacles standing in their way there's

something I learned from Reading Phil

Jones book exactly what to say and he

has a book of magical phrases that

unlock this subconscious and he says use

this phrase there are two types of

people and what you want to do is design

one type of person and the other type

the second type is the type of person

you ideally want to work with you're

saying well what if they identify as the

first type well you won't have them as a

client and the good news is they don't

want you as a as a as a partner either

so it works out beautifully so in a

situation like this rich rich could say

something like in my experience

potential client there are two types of

people the people who dream and Aspire

about being influential but are so

worried about other creating their

content for them that they have to have

absolute control over it that they don't

wind up getting stuff done or the second

type which is the person who knows what

they're talking about knows how to

deliver that to camera or to microphone

but doesn't want to deal with anything

because they trust other people to do

that for them because they have better

things to do with their lives which type

of person are you so you see how we

design those two scenarios and they're

like well I'm definitely type A you're

like fantastic good luck friend you're

not for me allow me to refer someone

else to you and so he needs to

understand the character what their

wants are and their wants their needs

and desires can have multiple layers

something emotional something Financial

something business related something

that's much bigger than this cuz for

some people the reason why they do

something is just to be a firm that one

of the parents who never gave them any

credit that they can prove them wrong

and that's a motivation that you have to

surface in your content and your

communication such that they feel seen

and heard when you can use language that

they use themselves they know you know

them so well and they're going to start

to trust you to handle their content so

that's what we're talking about when we

say learn how to tell a story and how

you can use this in brand and marketing

I'll give you one more example when I

teach brand strategy which is us trying

to design the ideal customer Journey

such that strangers become friends and

Friends become customers we really have

to think about who this character is we

create these things called user profiles

or customer avatars for basically the

same thing we're almost like in Central

Casting to say if we had the ideal

client who would they be is is a man is

it a woman are they married are they

single are they old are they young are

they educated are they self-taught where

do they live what is your job to how

much income so we really designed these

character profiles and we're we're

really casting a very narrow net here

cuz as soon as we can see them in our

mind as soon as we can feel like I know

someone just like that we can then make

some assumptions about what they want

when we can understand that then we can

figure out products and services that

will deliver the kind of transformation

they're looking for in the way that they

want it a give you an example sometimes

our clients will come to us and say well

we want to work with really high-powered

real estate brokers because we're a

commercial developer and we want you to

build a website for us well before we

accept that as truth we'll ask the

clients how many such powerful Brokers

exist in the world that would be

considering one of your spaces and they

said probably no more than 12 so does it

make sense for us to build a website

that's going to cost you tens of

thousands of dollars to reach 12 people

they well what alternative is there

Chris so well why don't we explore that

now we can open up the frame and say

instead of zeroing it on what the

website's going to look and sound like

we can open the frame and say well how

do we reach 12 high- powerered people to

get them to come to visit the building

or to consider the property for the next

project it's a whole different

conversation so in this instance what we

wind up doing was saying wouldn't it be

better if instead of us building a

website we built you a web app not a not

a real app but something that could be

used on an iPad where they can flip

through pages and look at things in in a

dynamic way wouldn't it be better if we

messengered each Prospect each broker

one of these iPads you can even give it

to them if you wanted to because it'll

cost you less money than to build a

website and you hand deliver that to

them and say we'd like to invite you to

a sneak peek at this new property how

exclusive would that make them feel like

this is topnotch development and so if

you can think like this you can come up

with more Innovative marketing and

branding Concepts that could transform

your client's business or your own

business if you're listening or watching

this please take a screenshot and tag me

on Instagram use the hash storytelling

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