By: Saima Fatema,  Brand and Marketing Communications Expert

Saima Fatema, By: Saima Fatema,  Brand and Marketing Communications Expert

With the hit of global pandemic everything has changed, especially how we conduct our lives today. The impact is also evident in the manner we communicate today. Digitalization has happened beyond our imagination and new technologies are being introduced everyday to make the virtual life a new reality.

Every company today is trying to sell more than they were doing before to recover from the loss which happened during the lockdown. But the fact still remains, we are all humans at the end of the day, with our emotional needs being the same no matter how tech savvy we become or change our style of living and mode of operations. We still want to share our happiness or grief with our loved ones, we still want to travel and explore the world, we still want to create and preserve those memorable moments and celebrate our milestones in life, whether be it the arrival of a new born in the family or your kid’s graduation from university or your first day at work or your wedding, the list of precious moments is extensive and unlimited. So the question arises, are we marketers still using brand storytelling in our communications to add the human element?

Majority of the communication happening nowadays due to the pressure of selling and making profits for organizations is circling around direct product selling leaving no space for storytelling. However, clever brands have still continued with their Brand Storytelling and have maintained their relationship with their customers. With high media consumption habits during the lockdown, consumers are still consuming digital more than before and that has made it even more difficult for marketers to stand out from the advertising clutter. This is where Brand Storytelling makes the difference and maintains the trust the customers have in the brand.  

Brand Storytelling has always been essential for marketers and for all the right reasons. It is scientifically known that stories grab a person’s attention more easily. But there is a lot of confusion around the idea of brand storytelling. It has become a term that is over-used but what does it really mean? “Brand Storytelling is like using a narrative to connect your brand to customers with a focus on linking what you stand for to the values you share with your customers.” Using a narrative means having a story that comprises of characters, setting, conflict, rising action, climax and final outcome. This is the standard definition you will find anywhere. But what its implies is that by creating these elements you allow your audience to easily follow along with your story and not just follow your story but remember it as well. The main character in your brand story is not you, it’s your customer. The customer has to be the hero and your brand is the guide to make the story work. 

Linking what you stand for in your brand story, truly means the essence of your brand. It is not the product and it’s not to make money. It has to be the driving force behind your business which will allow you to differentiate your brand from the competition, it is the reason why you exist. 

As mentioned earlier, to be more visible and different in the clutter especially in the today’s digital world Brand Storytelling is important. Some great examples of gestures that brands did during COVID-19 lockdown that were simple yet powerful are: IKEA created and shared a guide with parents on how to build furniture forts when they were quarantined at home with kids. This only reminded their customers that they are in it with you. So it’s not always about selling. 

As marketers, while telling the story we also need to ensure we do not do what everybody else is doing. For example, for food companies instead of sharing quick recipes on YouTube for Iftaar, why not allow your customers to create their own quick recipes with your brand and share it on social media. This will allow you to build a connection with them. Similar to how a lot of recipes on TikTok shared by the users have been trending globally. 

Usage of influencers and brand advocates is also another way of storytelling that brings in more believability and trust in the brand if done in the right way. To find and choose the influencers and brand advocates wisely is critical. If they are not genuine to your brand it can backfire.  A lot of companies use their own employees as brand advocates. Traditionally celebrities were used to endorse brands but this trend is now changing and non-celebs who are real life people are resonating more with the consumers.  

Customers well-being and safety is now necessary after COVID-19 in any Brand Storytelling, which is why the beauty industry has now started focusing more on messages like intake of vitamins and health related products, to let their customers know their health is also important for them and it’s not just about beauty but their overall well-being. 

In short, Brand Storytelling is even more critical in today’s world to build our relationship and believability in our customers yet remain different from the competition. However, we need to think of creative ways of telling the brand story which links with our values but also at the same time make sure our brand promise is real and we are just not following the trend, rather are authentic and true in our storytelling. 

Make sure as a brand you let them know you care for them, you are not doing what everyone else is doing, you use genuine and carefully picked brand advocates and influencers and lastly ensure you are concerned about their well-being and health post the pandemic. 

So as marketers let’s continue our Brand Storytelling to create the right impact on our customers that is memorable and trustworthy.