Brand as Narrative

When we talk about brand we start of talking about brand attributes.  What I tell firms is to focus on their core values, their mission and vision for the future and tell me what that says about your brand.  For example, say a firm is dedicated to helping their small business clients grow their business.  I mean, really dedicated, the firm is obsessed with that mission.

The question then becomes, what are the qualities of your firm that allow you to do that?  And the firm may answer that they are really good listeners, they have a lot of experience with small business; they’re really well-connected in the community; they have subject matter expertise in a wide range of technical accounting and consulting areas.  These then become he core attributes of the firm’s brand, which in turn drive the firm’s messaging and the statement of its value proposition, etc.

Another way to look at brand is to see it as narrative.  There was an excellent article in yesterday’s NYT that got me to rethinking this view of brand and firm positioning.  The piece was about Obama and how he had such a well defined “narrative” for the campaign but he seems to have lost control of the “narrative” since he’s been in office.  That, by the way, is how those political communications types speak.  Narrative.

Obama’s narrative went something like this.  ”The country’s has gone off course and w’re all feeling pretty down about it.  We all want to change course and set off in an new and exciting direction.  I represent change (you can believe it) and hope for a better tomorrow.”

It doesn’t take a political junkie to describe that narrative, right?  Most of us who voted in the last election can come up with that narrative, that story.  It doesn’t matter whether you voted for him or not, you know that story.

But what’s the narrative of the past year?  Ask that question and you’ll get a whole bunch of different answers, probably depending on your politics, but even within the two parties you’ll find some disagreement on the narrative.  That’s what the story was about.

As a storyteller, I’m naturally drawn to this way to think about brand.  For many people, it’s easy and natural to follow a story line, as opposed to a “value proposition.”  Looking at brand as narrative also marries brand attributes to the zeitgeist, which I think is critical for successful communications and marketing.

So the question I’d ask you is what’s your story?  What’s the narrative of your firm?

I have submitted a proposal to a firm to help them with the communications and marketing of their renewable energy practice.  Their narrative might go something like this.  ”You [prospective client] are in on the ground floor of an industry that is reaching a tipping point and about to take off.  It is like being an Internet start up in 1995.  As the business environment changes, and your company starts to grow, you will face numerous business, operational and financial challenges.

We have been down this road before with our small business clients.  We can help you anticipate these challenges.  We have a breadth and depth of expertise and relationships with other professionals that can help you address these issues as they arise.  Rapidly growing businesses in dynamic business environments need to partner with business professionals to help them navigate the challenges.  We want to be that business partner.”

What story are you telling your clients?

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