Revolutionizing Brand Storytelling: How to Craft Compelling Narratives

In a previous blog, we explored the art of the brand voice and its role in a successful brand personality. You learned how to create your brand voice and use it to shape your content. 

That’s crucial to expressing your brand identity and building trust with your ideal customers. Now comes the next step: brand storytelling. In this world of social media and endless advertising, a lot of brand content comes off as pushy and sales-y. And let’s be honest, there’s always a sense of fakeness, whether it’s an ill-conceived mega-corporation or that former high-school mean girl-turned-influencer. Authenticity rules on every platform, thanks to story-driven marketing.

The easiest way to be authentic is to tell your brand’s story — and all the stories associated with your brand. Your best customers or clients have their stories too. So do your company’s founders and employees. And then there’s the greater story that you tap into: the dreams you help come true, the peace of mind you provide, and so on.

Let’s explore the authentic approach to brand storytelling, one that goes beyond feel-good corporate tales and taps into the heart of what makes your business unique.

What Is a Brand Story?

You likely came up with your brand story while doing your branding work. It includes your history, mission, and how you work within your industry. For example, are you a disruptor like Uber? A mainstay like Kroger? An innovator like Apple? A champion like Nike? 

The brand story also describes how you solve problems or fulfill needs for your ideal customer. Like any good story, it has a beginning, middle, and end. There is a goal or discovery, a conflict or obstacle, and a resolution. 

The StoryBrand framework, created by Donald Miller, envisions a brand as an epic tale. Since ancient times, the most memorable stories have followed a similar plot with archetypal characters. (Nothing new under the sun, really!) The struggling or reluctant hero faces a problem or is called on a quest. They need a wise mentor to guide them on their path and fulfill their destiny.

Guess who your brand is in this scenario? Yep, you’re the helpful guide! Your brand story is how you help the hero, your customer, solve their problem and make their dream come true. (Check out a detailed breakdown of the StoryBrand framework in PDF.)

If you haven’t yet, write out your business’s solution or problem as though it were one of these stories. For example, if you’re a plumbing company, your story might go like this:

Your hero is a hardworking homeowner who looks forward to a long shower at the end of every day.

They come home one evening to a broken showerhead. Desperate for relief, they search for “reliable plumber after hours near me.”

They find your blog on how to repair a shower head, with your emergency phone number at the bottom. Suddenly, a glimmer of hope: Could they fix it themselves and enjoy that soothing spray of water, then call you in the morning?

Your blog is so helpful and compassionate that they instantly breathe a sigh of relief. They get the showerhead working, albeit not perfectly, and rinse off the dust of the day.

The next morning, they give their new best friend — your business — a call. You’ve earned their trust, so they’ll book you to replace their showerhead. Maybe even get one of those fancy rainfall showerheads in the sequel!

Great story, right? And your brand storytelling strategy doesn’t have to repeat this tale each time. Think about how you make this story possible. Tell similar stories. Tell your story of how you become the wise local plumber. 

What Makes for Good Brand Storytelling?

Now that we’ve drafted your compelling brand story, let’s see how that story sparks others. Brand storytelling involves all the content that shows off your brand. It can be a version of your core story or a tale that expresses your core values.

The key is to mix it up. Think of it as an anthology series rather than just remaking the same story every time. (Looking at you, every adaptation of A Christmas Carol.)

To better understand what makes a story-driven marketing campaign work well, take a look at a truly awful case of brand storytelling: Pepsi’s Kendall Jenner ad.

We can see how this idea got approved. On the surface level, a message of conflict resolution and our shared humanity sounds great. Add Pepsi as the olive branch, and the commercial seemed like a good endorsement of the soda giant’s values.

But in reality, it told a very different story. In case you missed it: Kendall Jenner of Kardashians fame sees a multi-racial peace protest happening. She’s glammed up in a wig and makeup, but wipes it off and enters the crowd. She grabs a Pepsi from a bin of ice, approaches the line of fierce-looking cops, and hands it to one of them. Everyone cheers at this gesture, which apparently brings about world peace.

This commercial caused such backlash that Pepsi pulled it within one day. There were just too many problematic aspects, from the clear reference to civil rights protests to a reality TV star saving the day. Looking at this from a branding perspective, it’s easy to see why it bombed.

Pepsi was only thinking about themselves. Their product, in their eyes, was something that could bring people together. So whether they meant to or not, they tapped into current sociopolitical strife to express that idea. Unfortunately, that didn’t resonate with anyone on this hot-button issue. 

A better approach would have been to show how real people would make Pepsi part of a good day. What makes Pepsi the guide for our hero? Quenching their thirst so they can get back to their favorite hobby? Giving them a bit of caffeine for their game night with friends?

Pepsi could have still expressed its values of inclusivity and peace. Perhaps our hero needs a bit of liquid refreshment so they can keep volunteering for a local nonprofit. This would have helped build Pepsi’s brand authenticity rather than shoehorning its values into an unlikely story.

The Do’s and Don’t’s of Brand Storytelling

When making your brand storytelling campaigns, remember: Your potential customer is the hero, not you! Your brand is their guide.

Pepsi’s Kendall Jenner ad flipped this on its head. The can of Pepsi was the hero that created peace, and Kendall was the guide, helping the can get from the cooler to the police officer. Pepsi’s target consumer had no role in the story; that’s why it didn’t resonate with them.

Let’s summarize:

• DO focus on your ideal customer or client and how they can solve their problems.
• DON’T make yourself or your product the hero.
• DO tap into shared, emotional experiences, such as family fun, personal quests, academic goals, etc.
• DON’T use loaded imagery or hot-button issues as the backdrop or plot point.
• DO express your core values as your target consumer would follow or practice them.
• DON’T just talk about your mission and how great you are.
• DO stick to your brand voice so your story-driven marketing is consistent with your other content.

Brand storytelling is your opportunity to nurture your target audience’s interests and aspirations. To craft a compelling brand story, follow the basic themes that have shaped stories since ancient Greece: A hero on a journey, overcoming challenges, learning lessons, and emerging as a better form of themselves. In other words, your brand storytelling is all about the reader. When it resonates with them, it feels authentic — and, therefore, leaves a good brand impression.

Need some guidance for your brand storytelling campaign? We’re all about great stories and value-driven marketing tactics. Reach out now for a consultation.