Storytelling For Brands

It’s Great To Meet You!

• Ran a digital agency called Playground Inc. • Own national brand Nude Bee Honey Co.• Director of SEO at Reprise Media.

@RyanTylerThomas

What We’ll Cover

Let’s jump right in!

• How to define a brand. • Understanding storytelling in marketing. • How to develop brand guidelines.

You’re Making More Than A Logo

A brand is the summation of any Touchpoints that make what you offer distinct.

Only Cows Think A Brand Ends With A Stamp

Don’t be a cow… beef is mainly regarded as a Commodity Product and traded in ‘futures’ because every unit is basically the same.

You’re Telling A Story Every Step Of The Way

You’re defining an experience at every step of the Purchase Funnel – every Consumer Touchpoint supports or refutes that story.

BRAND DISCOVERY MEDIA - SOCIAL MEDIA REFFERALS - WOM ADVERTISING SPONSORSHIPS – IN STORE – IN PERSON

BRAND ENGAGMENTPRODUCT QUALITY – PRICE POINT – SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT PURCHASING ENVIRONMENT – PRODUCT STYLE POST ENGAGMENTRETURNS – REWARDS – SOCIAL STATUS – ONGOING CONVERSATIONS

Do It Right Then… Do It Again

Brand Equity is the value that these repeated and consistent actions create.

These repeated actions over time will show growth in many areas, slowly raising Brand Value over time through Shared Experience.

SEARCH INTREST 2005 to 2015

STOCK PRICES 2011 to 2015

It’s A Long Way To The Top

Why Does Story Telling Matter?

No Matter How Unique Your Offering Is…

There are hundreds of businesses solving the same problem for your Consumer’s Need State.

Because… Of Something Called [Product] Parity

Remember Commodity Cow!

A Parity Product is a product category or group of categories where the several brands within that category possess functionally equivalent attributes.

Let’s Look At The Travel Category

Transportation is a Consumer Need State. How you choose to get there tells a story and turns Parity Product into a Brand Position.

Cultural Expectations

Historical Experiences Cost

Social Expectations

Ease Of Use

Marketing Messaging

Access

There Are Many Ways To Travel

Aspirations

Each method of transport tells a story, each Industry Vertical is in turn affected by numerous Points Of Differentiation.

Every Trip Tells A Story

Even when unspoken, we are using the enormous amounts of Implicit Information available to create a story.

“The Adaptive Unconscious does an excellent job of sizing up the world, warning people of danger, setting goals, and initiating action in a sophisticated and efficient manner”.

Within single vertical; price, position and features affect Consumer Mindshare.

Small Midsized Large Luxury Sports $0

$5,000

$10,000

$15,000

$20,000

$25,000

$30,000

$35,000

$40,000

$45,000

$50,000

Categories Within Categories

How You “Get Around” Means More Than Ever

The products we buy and the choices we make are often tied to how we Self Identify – attributing qualities to what we choose to buy.

This Bifurcation Occurs In Every Category

We live in a world of plenty where avoiding Analysis Paralysis is only possible through Storytelling.

Even Shirking Norms, You Send Signals

Your story will forever be viewed in context to the Societal Norms, Cultural Touchpoints and Category Expectations that consumers carry.

Navigating and understanding our world through stories is hard-wired into us as a species and the core of our Oral Traditions.

These Signals Are Part Of Our History

Back To The Purchase Cycle

This chain of events is a Brand Narrative, and people buy stories in far greater volumes than they do Need States.

BRAND DISCOVERY MEDIA - SOCIAL MEDIA REFFERALS - WOM ADVERTISING SPONSORSHIPS – IN STORE – IN PERSON

BRAND ENGAGMENTPRODUCT QUALITY – PRICE POINT – SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT PURCHASING ENVIRONMENT – PRODUCT STYLE POST ENGAGMENTRETURNS – REWARDS – SOCIAL STATUS – ONGOING CONVERSATIONS

People aren’t gullible, backwards or stupid - it’s simply that as a species we’ve created so many ways to solve the same problem that we’ve created new kinds of Analysis Paralysis.

These Personal Narratives and Shared Experiences provide useful guide posts in our decision making process.

Now Let’s Tell A Story!The danger is always people’s Outcome Bias –like racism, knowing it exists is the front line in addressing these assumptions.

You’re Not Fooling Anyone…

Slow Your Roll…

There are a million things you could be doing right now! Always On Content has arrived! What’s our Social Media Strategy?

Have A Stretch – Snapchat A Lover

The Money Will Come Later

First Remember The Rules

Here We Go!

CONSISTENCY IS KING HAVE A VISION AND REPEAT THAT VISION - YOU WON’T PLEASE EVERYONE EVERY TIME BUT YOU’LL CREATE MEANING FOR THE CONSUMERS YOU REACH

EVERY TOUCHPOINT MATTERS MAKE SURE TO TELL YOUR STORY AT EVERY STEP IN THE CYCLE DREAM BIG - TARGET NARROW CATAEGORIES GET MORE COMPLEX OVER TIME - NOT LESS - DON’T BE AFRAID TO SPEAK TO A SMALLER SUBSET OF CONSUMERS.

What’s Our Mission?

“Entrepreneurship is about turning what excites you in life into capital, so that you do more of it and move forward with it.”

If you’re not interested in changing the world, do anything other than start a business. There are easier ways to Monetize your skills.

Nikes Mission

Nike wants to “bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world”. That’s the Brand Vision that informs everything they do.

What Values Inform Our Mission?

“Leave this world a little Better than you found it.”

Your company’s values don’t come up everyday, they are the Reactive Framework that helps direct your Company Mission.

Patagonia’s Values

Sustainability, as well as a Connection To Nature, Harm Reduction and Conscious Consumerism all play a pivotal role in Patagonia’s business decisions.

Who Are We Doing This For?

Psychographics group people by personality, values, opinions, attitudes, interests, and lifestyles.

Demographics group people by race, age, income, gender identity, education, occupation, and location.

Need States group people by the key issues that define the decision making process on any given issue or market space.

Always seek to Scratch-Your-Own-Itch first, with some 7 billion people on earth it’s a good bet a few of them share your Values and Mission.

Johnson’s Baby Core Consumer

Johnson’s Baby targets 30 – 35 year old women impacted by an Informational Need State directly related to first time pregnancy regardless of race, language, or location.

How Should We Speak To Those People?

Linguistic Anthropology matters when defining a brand’s Consumer Relationships; friends, lovers, gurus, all speak different tongues?

“I'm not a Businessman, I'm a business, Man!”

Red Bull Speaks With A Clear Tone

Red Bull speaks like a friend who’s always daring you to do something dumb, but strangely brilliant in how they explain why it’s a great idea; it’s Expertise and Excitement.

Full Flex Express: On Board Skrillex's Train Tour

After WA, it was the long lines of the Indonesian Archipelago that wore the mega swell next…

Maintain Perspective, no matter what...

Marco went on a trip around the world and Tested the planet’s Weirdest Sleeping Situations...

What’s The Frist Thing That Comes To Mind?

“Oh, I swear what he means… At this moment you mean Everything”

If you don’t consider the Cognitive Response your brand creates, your consumers will define it for you - No one ever wants to be a one-hit-wonder.

Dos Equis Is Defined By A Single Face

Advertising Clutter leaves consumers little room to carefully consider anything. Until you’ve found what drives your brand’s Cognitive Response you can’t ask what’s next.

Now You Can Be The Cow

Every Brand Needs A Logo!

Learn From Flag Design

1. Keep It Simple 2. Use Meaningful Symbols 3. Used 2-3 Basic Colours 4. No Lettering Or Seals 5. Be Distinctive or Be Related

Vexillology is the study of flags and the rules of great flag design will teach you a lot about a great logo.

Great Flags Are Powerful Brands

With singular focus, clear tone, a core consumer, strong values, and a mission, they can rally people – ultimately becoming Touchpoints of their own.

When All These Elements Work Together...

“The people who are crazy enough to think they can Change The World are the ones who do.”

Great Things Can Happen

Thank You!

@RyanTylerThomas