Four years ago, when I first started fitting the puzzle pieces together and came up with my business plan, I didn’t realize how many other Story Branders were out there. Thanks, in part to the wonderful world of Twitter, I have been introduced to storytellers, story writers, story marketing and of course, story branders like myself.
I recently finished Jim Signorelli’s latest book StoryBranding: Creating Standout Brands Through The Power of Story and was very impressed. He clearly lays out the importance of using storytelling when building, developing or changing a brand, and addresses and debunks several myths we have when it comes to business identity. I particularly enjoyed his Archetypal Analysis (The Purist, The Pioneer, The Rebel and of course The Conquerer) and believe that this is the key to creating a timeless brand. My interest in Jungian mythology and archetypes is what first led me to storytelling ten years ago.
This quote in particular captures what I believe is the essence of Story Branding.
“Brands perceived as stories to be told have a better chance of helping us find meaning than they do as products to be marketed. But to tell a brand’s story authentically, we have to know it first.
We have to see, hear, and feel its reality because it’s there, not just because consumers tell us they want it there. What’s real has to reveal itself not in what is promised, but in what is proven across every point of contact.
Story Branding is a process designed to help us know brands the way stories help us know characters. It’s a process that also helps us know a brand’s prospects in ways that will foster lasting relationships, immune from any competitive claim or coupon.” Jim Signorelli
For more information on StoryBranding