“The best brands capture some aspect of your humanity and reflect it back to you – it creates an emotional bridge.” Andy Green.
Andy Green is the founder of Story Stars Here, a leading expert in brand storytelling. The food marketing specialists at Ceres PR attended his recent event and found Andy’s advice practical and illuminating. Here’s a summary.
Tap in to human emotions
PR agency staff must use authentic, distinctive and compelling communications to enjoy success and bring a brand to life.
People enjoy stories so offering brand information in isolation is not enough. Humans are programmed to use their emotions when they make decisions, and they then allow the brain to find a reason to justify it.
We’re not always logical, so relying on facts and statistics alone limits the power of any communication. Brand storytelling utilises a narrative and is very effective at reaching people and drawing them towards a brand because it focuses on creating a connection with the consumer.
Does your brand have a story to tell?
Yes. All brands have a unique story to relate. A PR agency can identify this story for you, even if you believe, as you read this, that brand storytelling won’t work for you. Food marketing specialists at Ceres PR learn about a brand, what makes it different and how to effectively manage campaigns with the client and their brand firmly at the core of any approach.
How PR agency teams identify the story
Three primary elements make a brand. Icons, values and information, PR agency teams have tended to focus on the latter.
Icons trigger an image in the mind, asserting implications and associations. Andy Green’s approach during the course was to identify the icons linked to words and brands. Think of the first thing that comes to mind. For example, London could present an image of Big Ben, Buckingham Palace or a cup of tea. To identify values, ask colleagues to share their top 5 thoughts in order of importance. Looking at the results, a picture should form which can be used as a starting point.
We habitually think of a story being told from one person to a listener, but this can be reversed. Andy believes that brands are comprised of the emotions, thoughts, images and possibilities that exist in a marketplace about a group, company, product, service or even a person.
Therefore, listening to existing and potential customers is hugely useful to learn what they know already and how to engage them completely.
Narrative tends to focus on past, present and then future but this can mean the energy levels flag by the end of the story. A shift from past to future and then to present engages the consumer in an activity which makes them see the future in the present. This considerably increases the power of the story. It’s alive.
Story ideas can work hard across all media to attract and maintain interest in a brand.
Please contact the Ceres PR agency team to learn more.