Do you remember the old school ad by Red Bull stating — “Red Bull gives you wings”?
Well, no one can really forget that, can they?
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As a brand, RedBull started to build its image by empowering its audience to live and enjoy the fullest.
The brand even started its video series, Drive Me Crazy, which talks about the world of motorsport from a sports Journalist’s perspective.
Though it is an energy drink product, the marketing strategy hardly reminds you of that. It’s because Red Bull focused on creating experiences. That’s what we call good storytelling, and it indeed delivered results.
According to Forbes, Red Bull sold 6.8 billion cans across 171 countries in 2018.
Moreover, as per Gartner’s Top 10 Beverage brands, the digital IQ of Red Bull is the highest, scoring 159, where 70% of Red Bull apps boasted a million down. This majorly happened due to its presence across multiple platforms creating engaging content for its customers.
That’s the magic of storytelling.
Well, there are more! And we have listed them below.
Here are the top 6 benefits of brand storytelling for your business:
#1: You attract your audience’s attention with stories
Billboards and unnecessary ads between their favourite shows are what people are highly pissed at these days.
But stories? They capture the audience’s attention towards your brand because they are emotional and heartfelt to people.
Hence brands can effectively attract the audience’s attention with the help of storytelling.
Heineken is one of the brands that championed storytelling and attracted its audience’s attention. The brand initially promoted its beer with a USP of commitment to delivering the finest quality. However, it did not appeal to users, so Heineken devised its brand storytelling strategy with a new approach.
Since beer is a social product, Heineken made a safe association with the Champions League. It became one of the main sponsors of the Uefa Champions League, making its brand synonymous with soccer. That’s how it attracted its audience well.
#2: Stories can actually bring you more sales
With the help of business storytelling, you personify your brand, establishing a connection with the people so they can relate to it. Besides, it also solidifies your brand positioning.
According to research by Aston University UK, if people like a brand story, 55% are more likely to buy the product in the future, 44% would share the story, and 15% would purchase the product immediately.
Let us take the example of Zomato push notifications.
When you sideline your lunch because of a busy work schedule, Zomato nudges you to prioritize it.
Even if you are engrossed in work for a moment, you would pause and smile and maybe go ahead and order a burger. This is how brand storytelling can establish an emotional connection with its audience, thereby effectively enhancing sales for the business.
#3: You add your own twist to already existing content
Today most brands are recreating their content from the information that is widely available on the internet. However, the audience can’t really connect with this as it lacks uniqueness. This is because it is quite predicted.
However, you can add a twist to other brands’ existing content, as Swiggy Instamart did.
The famous ad by Liril showed Karen Lunel stepping into a waterfall sporting a green swimsuit. This ad remained etched in people’s minds, and the latest Swiggy Instamart ad pays homage to this ad with a similar setup. However, in this case, as we see a woman bathing near a waterfall, her green soap accidentally falls into the river, but the Swiggy Instamart delivery man saves the day with an ‘emergency’ soap delivery.
This advertisement had about 8 million views on Youtube, and the audience even said it was “The First Ad that they didn’t want to skip.”
This is the art of storytelling in business — with stories, you breathe new life into existing content.
# 4: Stories make people a part of your cause
When customers opt for your brand, they are not here just to buy a product but essentially want to become a part of that experience. So, when making brand stories, you must stay true to your brand’s identity and create such stories that people can connect to on a personal front.
One such brand that has championed this is ‘Nike.’ Keeping in line with its tagline ‘Just Do It,’ Nike portrays its customers as heroes who can challenge themselves through hardships.
For instance, in the “Toughest Athlete” campaign, Nike spoke to more than 20 mothers and brought together female athletes like Serena Willams and Perri Edwards about how they managed their sports, even during the challenging times of motherhood.
This inspired a lot of mothers, and they joined the cause of Nike.
#5: Stories portray the human behind your brand
Most brands today resort to usual promotion tactics by just advertising their products.
However, with the help of compelling brand stories, a brand gets distinctive human qualities that help people connect to it better. This brand personification is essential as customers today are more interested in the human behind your brand than your products or a robotic ad.
One of the brands that have championed this cause is M&M’s.
Though they have been in the business since 1954, they hit stride in the 90s with their commercials starring CGI M&M’s voiced by Jon Lovitz as “Red” and John Goodman as “Yellow.”
They not just worked as funny commercial concepts but became quite popular characters, and the candies started getting recognized by these two mascots, which expanded with time.
#6: You stand out from your competitors with stories
Brand stories help in capitalizing on a company’s USP. It helps them to realize how unique they are, thereby representing this unique factor to the audience.
Through brand storytelling, you can build an emotional connection with your customers through brand values, the journey behind the brand, and your perspective.
Let us take the case of Warby Parker.
Though they sell glasses to consumers at lower prices, their brand story is the major reason why they are popular.
If you go through the company’s website, the history page is like a story that a close friend tells you.
It describes how one of its founders lost a pair of glasses on a trip and had to wait an entire year to replace them due to a considerable cost. The brand is essentially humanized with this story, and this is where they stand out from its competitors.
So what’s next?
Brand Storytelling is not a marketing trend you hop into for a while. Instead, it’s a proven brand communication strategy that delivers substantial and long-term benefits.
Just like Redbull created a brand story and enhanced their conversion rate, you can do that too. But for that, you need just two things — an authentic brand story and the right consultation.
While you already have a terrific story, Loop Of Words is here to help you with strategies to put it out there. So get in touch with us today for a free consultation call.
