research

Apply your narrative broadly A brand narrative should bleed into every facet of operation. Applying it in your messaging is an obvious choice, but you can do more.   McKinsey, for instance, often apply their brand narrative in content marketing efforts. Their McKinsey Emotion Archive is a clear example of a sophisticated approach to blending content and narrative.    McKinsey & Company’s Emotion Tracker exemplifies their brand narrative in action Created during the COVID-19 pandemic, it charts the dominant emotions felt by people around the world. It’s data-driven, hugely insightful, and empathetic. In other words, it embodies the traits that McKinsey wants to represent themselves as having in their brand narrative.  The social media strategy used by SurveyMonkey, an online survey SaaS platform, is another great example of brand narrative in marketing. They playfully highlight their positioning as a tool that can get you answers to even the most niche questions with posts that reveal strange insights from self-run surveys.   SurveyMonkey’s playful social media strategy showcases their brand narrative Another logical application of brand narrative is in the environmental, social and governance (ESG) efforts that your business participates in. Patagonia embody this approach most effectively.   They demonstrate their authenticity by committing to their narrative, with a self-imposed “1% for the Planet” tax. The funds they raise from this tax support environmental nonprofits, while also corroborating their brand story.    Patagonia’s ESG efforts align with their overall brand narrative This initiative effectively separates them from outdoor-wear competitors, highlighting them as a truly ethical business and appealing to their target market’s values.  Stand out by telling your story A narrative should be the cornerstone of your brand strategy, especially if you’re trying to make an impact or build resilience in a saturated market. Without one, there’s nothing to tie together your values, product, and messaging. More importantly, there’s nothing separating you from the competition other than easily replicable “unique selling points.”   The power of storytelling is put to work in all sorts of settings, from the cinema to the classroom. There’s no reason it shouldn’t be central to business, too. Work on constructing a brand narrative with the help of the frameworks above and you can take the first step towards effective differentiation.