The Obvious Story Is Rarely The Best Story
Successful branding is not about our product or service; it's about the story we tell to our marketplace.
After all, one high-quality toilet paper isn't much different from another high-quality toilet paper. But those Charmin bears keep the brand top of mind when you visit a grocery store. And one athletic shoe is pretty much the same as the next. Until you see that famous Swoosh and the words “Just Do It”. Check out the image to the right and be honest: What's the more compelling and memorable, the service on the left or the story on the right?
Memorable Marketing
We don't know much about this family-owned appliance repair company – who they are, where they're located, what they do well, how much they charge, the number or level of their reviews, or their specific area of specialty. But we already like and remember them. Why?
We connect with their brand because it speaks to our own reality. “We repair what your husband fixed” is our story as much as it is their story. That shared alignment elicits a smile or laugh, a knowing nod, begs a photo. It also assures you'll seek out that photo in your camera roll the next time your fridge goes on the fritz. Behold the power of #CorporateStorytelling.
Differentiate Your Widget
If I make a widget, then I market my widget on its construction, performance, superiority, how much others love it, and tell you to buy my widget, you won't. You'll barely notice my widget, even if its technically the best widget in the biz. That's because my widget is my product, not my brand. And if my brand fails to tell you a unique, recognizable story, you'll buy the widget with the story that does. Sell the brand, not the product.
Decades ago, my friend Paul pulled up alongside an electrician's truck that made such a branding impact he told me about the electrician a few days later. That’s right, he remembered an electrician’s van on the street. And 30 years later I remember that electrician too. Not for his product, but for his company name: “We Show Up!” Talk about brilliant branding.
Electricians are notorious for not showing up when they promise to, but this guy would. Problem solved, connection triggered. Of all the electricians serving the city of Los Angeles, he understood the value of telling his audience a strong story that instantly created recognizable and memorable differentiation in a saturated marketplace.
What if that electrician – we'll call him Bob – had done what most electricians (and most companies) do? Say he called his company “Bob the Electrician”, used his truck panels to explain the kinds of electrical work he offered, claimed he was the best electrician in the city? Paul would never have even noticed that truck. But Bob is the one who shows up. That brand story creates differentiation and recollection.
Top Brands, Sticky Stories
When Apple wants to sell us a phone, they don't tout its technical details, build superiority, market share, or performance data. Instead, Apple puts up massive white billboards with beautiful or emotional images crediting the average ‘everyman’ who took that photo using an iPhone. They brand us instead of their product, and that story sticks.
Corona doesn't sell beer by describing how they boil malted barley, combine hops and wort, ferment yeast, enjoy an impressive 90% brand awareness, or command a whopping 57% Mexico market share and 23% US market share. Their brand is Snoop Dogg and Andy Samburg chilling at Sunset O'Clock, challenging us to “Find Your Beach”. That's a cool story, and we’re desperate to be cool.
Bottom Line
Think about your brand and what story it tells your market. Think about your product and if you’re so focused on its capability that you’re missing its deeper personal value to your buyer. Remember that the obvious story is rarely the best story.
Pay close attention to how your brand relates to the audience you're speaking to, speaking for, or speaking in service of. Don't just describe what you do or sell – no one cares. Without a powerful and differentiating brand story, no one will remember your widget in a sea of competing widgets. Make your brand meaningful and memorable to your market and "They'll Show Up."
