A Simple Story - the power of narrative branding
There is no overstating the power of Story. Whether it's sharing weekend adventures, explaining familial relationships or creating a connection to your Brand (personal or corporate), there is simply no stronger way to convey your message than through a narrative.
At Schipul (my wacky and energized place of employment), we've been spending 2008 learning how to tell our clients Stories through the Web and our own Schipul company story through internal narratives to connect new employees to the people, events and eras long past. Books like 'What's Your Story: Stories to Move Markets, Audiences and Brands' are a great starting point to learning how to craft a company story to grow your business and make those personal connections.
Simple shoes (a longtime favorite shoe brand of mine) has recently released a fun and whimsical look at their company's history (see video above and check out this link too) to share their past, present and future with shoe lovers everywhere. Sure, they 'just sell shoes'... And Converse 'just sells sneakers'... And Apple 'just sells computers'... And Mini 'just sells cars'... But many of us have an emotional attachment to these companies that go far beyond 'just what they sell'.
The power of Story is the power of not boxing yourself in to 'just what you do'. It's creating a piece of cultural history and roping in passionate consumers to help you grow for years to come. Plus, who can beat a little story time? It brings out the Indian-style-sitting-chocolate-milk-drinking kiddo in all of us :)
