Honesty, consistency and narration: the secret to success
How many times have we asked ourselves what makes a brand irresistible? So many, I almost don’t count anymore. Indeed, hasn’t it ever happened to you that you find yourself faced with those brands which, due to the magnetic aura that emerges from them, encourage you to choose them instinctively, automatically, almost inevitably we might say? Don’t you ask yourself every time how it is possible that you become like a flitting moth, attracted by the light coming from the brand?
John Brown, Founder & President of StoryWorks, an American company that deals with brand strategy and content development, has tried to provide an answer to this dilemma. As far as he is concerned, there are three pillars at the base of this intrinsic ability to align oneself with the priorities and deepest motivations of the consumers: honesty, narration, and consistency.
The secret to their success lies right here: irresistible brands have reached the pinnacle of success with an engaging narrative that is based on honesty and developed consistently. It is on the three pillars mentioned above that the content approach must be adjusted. Brown, to make us understand what he means by an honest, engaging and consistent narration, mentions CNN, whose sales team he worked in for the majority of his career.
The reputation of the CNN brand has been built around honest and quality content. The product that it provides its consumers with is just that: the truth. The trust that viewers place in the large news network has been increasingly consolidated over time. This is because, from the beginning, there has been a careful fundamental process of verifying sources and using well-trained and rigorous professionals. This has made consistency the flagship of the brand, which is considered to be one of the most reliable and respected in the world.
Can all brands be honest?
The fact that a news network must be “honest” almost seems taken for granted. But, this characteristic must also permeate into the consumer industry and B2B sales organizations: an introspection, taking into account the aims that should animate the production and delivery of all brand content is needed at the very top of leadership. An example is provided by the food section of the New York Times, which applies the same precision and commitment for truth that is characteristic of the New York Times to its reporting dedicated to food and home cooking. This has made it one of the most esteemed ambassadors for food and lifestyle journalism.
The extraordinary power that stories have to connect directly with the consumer’s emotions must not be forgotten: if you are honest but boring, nobody follows you! An engaging narration is required, such as that adopted by Patagonia with the Footprint Chronicles, indicative of a strong social and environmental responsibility.
If you want to be truly effective, you can surround your product with a content series in line with your brand’s promises: Red Bull promises to give “wings” to people. It does so with a platform where everything is about the adrenaline rush of physical activity, audacity and personal fulfillment in true Red Bull style. It is an energy drink that gives a little push, or rather, wings, to those who use it.
If you want to keep this promise, your best ally is an Intelligent DAM. By centralizing all content on the DAM platform, you can manage the entire content life cycle, from production, to enrichment, to distribution, and even measuring its engagement with your users.
This guarantees a 100% consistent tone of voice on all your front-end channels, with the addition of feedback on how your messages are received by the audience!
