Brand Development and Storytelling
It is widely accepted that developing a strong brand image is a key requirement to success, irrespective of the size of company or audience. A small business serving a local community has a brand image which attracts and retains its customers in much the same way as Apple or Virgin attract and retain their customers. The principles are essentially the same. The difference of course is the scale, audience size and channels which are used to impart the messages.
What is branding?
Branding is the process of creating a strong, positive perception of a company, its products or services in the customer's mind by combining such elements as logo, design, mission statement, and a consistent theme throughout all marketing communications.
At Catalyst we have seen many brands who have ‘polished’ brand images, but fail to make an authentic connection with enough of their audience to achieve the business growth they want to achieve - and as we advise many brands on precisely this subject we understand the subtle difference between a ‘polished’ brand image and an ‘authentic’ brand image which fuels business growth.
The key is in message or story…
Since the dawn of the human race storytelling has been at the heart of communities. From generation to generation stories inform, educate and inspire.
This is the key to authenticity of a brand image. We are not suggesting writing pages and pages of text but instead create strong messages linked to the way a brand communicates in the written word, visually, verbally, in action and so on to impart the brand mission in a meaningful way which resonates with their audiences.
It is also important to emphasise here that audiences include not just customers but also staff, partners, suppliers and so on.
A powerful brand image in action (Celebrity Cruises, a wholly owned subsidiary of Royal Caribbean Group, a Fortune 500 company)
I was in the Aegean Sea on a beautiful sunny morning and entered the passenger lift in the main foyer of the ship. Around 5 or 6 other guests were also in the lift and as we stopped on the next floor the lift was now filled with around 10 guests. At the next stop a junior officer entered the lift and proceeded to say ‘good morning’ to all of us and went on to say how privileged she felt to be on in her words ‘such a beautiful ship, working for an amazing organisation (Celebrity Cruises) and was lucky enough to see some of the most beautiful places in the world doing a job I (she) loves whilst serving people of all nationalities’.
Wow - this is branding gold dust - dynamite to help guarantee success.
This is part of Celebrity Cruise’s brand story - a colleague showcasing the company’s ethos in a lift in the middle of the Aegean Sea. This is part of the art of crafting an authentic brand story which is embodied in the organisation. It’s relevant, believable, consistent and verified by a colleague and presented in a compelling short story.
It wasn’t corporate diatribe, polished images of sun kissed people - it is simply a story reaffirming to all those people in the lift that they had made the right choice and were cruising with the right line.
How many of them went on to tell this story - probably all of them and in my case it has made it into a blog on the subject of branding. Powerful stuff indeed.
Crafting your brand story…
At Catalyst we work closely with our clients to help them develop a strong brand image and work with them to develop their unique story which we can then weave into the communication strategy.
There are several steps we would follow, and a skilled art to success but in basic terms we seek to develop clarity on:
Determine your target audience
Position your product and business
Define your company's personality
Want to discuss your brand story? Get in touch on 07831 601 740 or email me at paul@catalyst-growth.co.uk
