Crafting a brand story

Recently, I pushed one of my clients to craft an honest and interesting brand story. In this world where people make up stuff about their brand just to create buzz, she honestly had a great story to tell. I promptly got the response “Who the hell reads an about us page?”

Is a brand story reduced to just the about us page now to be featured on your corporate website? Sadly most brand managers feel the same way. In reality, it is about so much more. This is one space where you are allowed to bring alive your purpose and passion behind creating the brand. This is replaced by generic manufacturing statements many times. In fact, a strong brand story can sometimes be a blue print of your brand experience that should be visible at every touch point. Really it can.

Take the example of Odonovans Irish pub. A brilliant brand story that lays the blueprint for a great brand experience –

I am a fan of the narrative style which lends a sense of authenticity to it. It brings out the belief system of the individual driving the brand and his passion for what he has built. The complete brand is built on a simple premise – Irish hospitality. Having defined the core, the products / services / features can be mapped out immediately. Nothing non -Irish can exist at O’donovans. So, Irish coffee will be available here, but I would assume they don’t serve Mac N Cheese.

Strategically, it ensures you are on the right direction and sets the parameters for brand extensions and stretch. So, don’t rubbish it just yet. Take your time to craft your story and let the world know it all.

This is a very complicated world; it’s a very noisy world. And we’re not going to get the chance to get people to remember much about us. No company is. So we have to be really clear on what we want them to know about us” – Steve Jobs

Tagged BUSINESS OF BRANDS, strategy