Storytelling

Saving Sears: The Wrapping on the Package Matters

Saving Sears: The Wrapping on the Package Matters

We always hear the phrase, “It’s what’s on the inside that counts.” But if we’re going to be 100% honest, what we see on the outside matters too. Just think about receiving a gift. If you see that the person took time to neatly wrap it up in pretty paper and top it off with a matching, flouncy bow, doesn’t that make you feel great, and excited to open it up? But what if that present was just handed to you in the same plastic sack from the store in was bought in? Then the anticipation fizzles out a bit, right?   The truth is that we all determine an item’s value almost immediately once we see the packaging of it. This same concept is applied to product packaging as well as the exterior design of retail stores. If the outside of the store looks questionable, how likely are you to step...

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Saving Sears: Reviving an American Brand

Saving Sears: Reviving an American Brand

The Sears brand has been a staple for the American consumer since it introduced catalog shopping in 1888. It rose in success for over a century but began to wane with the introduction of retailers like Walmart. In an effort to stay afloat, the former giant has begun selling off the brands that have given Sears a sturdy foundation. From 2010, Sears has gone from over 3,500 stores to less than 700, and looks to close more locations in the near future.   Is it possible to revive a brand that has reached its 131st birthday and has seen year after year of declining sales? The answer is yes, but it’s going to take a lot of work, a lot of changes, and a lot of radical thinking from the company’s leaders.   Several companies have managed to pull themselves back from the brink, taking their names off of the endangered species list. Some...

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A great story will stay with an audience for a long time to come.

What Great Storytelling Means for Your Brand

We have all seen that one commercial on television that, no matter how many times you’ve seen it, it still brings a tear to your eye, or makes you laugh, or even just puts a smile on your face. There’s a reason these commercials stay with us. It’s because they are telling a great story. It doesn’t matter if it’s told in one hour or one minute, a great story will stay with an audience for a long time to come.   This is why storytelling has always played such an important role in branding. You’re not just spreading a message or putting an idea out there to your customers. You are sharing an emotion. When your message brings out emotion, then it will stay with the people you are trying to reach and perhaps they will go on to share that message with their own family and friends.   What is your story?   What...

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How Belief and a Well Told Story Can Empower a Brand

How Belief and a Well Told Story Can Empower a Brand

Why is it that Martin Luther King Jr.’s famously quoted statement, “I have a dream…” has remained firmly in the minds of so many people? It’s because he managed to make us feel his story, rather than simply know it. He didn’t choose to say, “I have an idea." That would've made it more distant and detached. Logic wasn’t needed in that moment. Emotion and beliefs were directly connected to his words. His audience could feel it; in fact we can still feel it today when we hear his words again and again.  His passion was conveyed so powerfully that his words have never been forgotten.   When you think about brand, it’s necessary to look beyond the imagined confines of business. That’s why it’s so important to examine someone like Dr. King, to work out what made his message so powerful. Why do we remember his words over 53 years later after he spoke...

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Storytelling journey

Use Storytelling to Take Customers on a Journey

In the last post, we talked about the importance of storytelling in your brand. Why is this such an important thing? How can you develop your story? Let's delve deeper into the subject.   The Journey. Your goal with each client is to take them from point A to B. For example, a car salesman wants to connect with why a customer needs a new automobile (A), and take them on a journey that ends with them deciding that buying it from that dealership is their best option (B). The same thing applies to storytelling. It can't be a vague concept. Define its purpose. Develop the story as though you are scripting a movie or writing a novel.   It's truly important to step outside the box that tells you to convince them with specs, prices, and logical details. Imagine different scenarios that your ideal customer would encounter. What emotions would they feel? What...

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