Let's Talk Brand Story + Personas

IT’S NOT HOW YOU LOOK,
IT’S WHO YOU ARE.

To us, this is defined through your brand story, your personas and your brand voice.

While empty words may have coined the phrase “talk is cheap”, a winning brand story and solid brand voice have catapulted some of today’s winning brands onto the consumer landscape. It’s allowed them to own it. Think about it. It’s those brands that stand for something. Those that have put a stake in the ground. Those that have owned it. They have become some of the latest wave of winning brands. While their products may not always be revolutionary, their approach and how they tell their story and talk to their consumers clearly has been.

FIRST, LET’S TAKE A LOOK AT YOUR BRAND STORY.

Ultimately, a brand’s story is not just something businesses should refer to every time they launch a marketing campaign or issue a press release. It should be the foundation on which every decision is made, every campaign is founded and their future growth strategy is built.

Obviously brands need good, solid products but the success of many brands is linked to emotion. A strong story based in reality will bring a brand’s message and values to life in a way that the consumer can relate to. It gives them a way they become passionate about and believe in. The best stories tap into people’s emotions. While this may seem obvious, in today’s polluted market, consumers are skeptical. They take a critical eye to the average brand story and demand that brands offer up the transparency, authenticity and passion they want out of a brand. Those who can paint the picture and create such personal relationships are well on the way to establishing long-term brand loyalty.

Stop trying to just sell your product. Instead, tell consumers why they should care about your brand. This will result in a loyal following of brand ambassadors that will be an advocate for your brand among their peers. Also, they will do the selling for you – free of charge.

On top of all the touchy-feely aspects of why a winning brand story is crucial, science has confirmed what we’ve long known to be true: we’re hardwired for stories. They lead to better understanding, trust, comprehension, receptivity, and more. So whether you are emotional based or fact based, the answer is the same. If you want a brand that wins on all levels, take a look in the mirror and ask yourself : What is our story and is it worth telling?

IF ALL OF THAT IS WRAPPED UP IN A BRAND STORY,
THEN WHAT MAKES UP YOUR BRAND PERSONA?

A brand persona is a collection of personality traits, attitudes and values that your brand showcases on a regular basis to help connect with a certain audience segment. A brand persona can be a person, character, mascot or idea. The purpose of a persona is to create reliable and realistic representations of your target audience. These are largely used internally for reference. They help shape your brand voice and the methods used to reach your target audience. However, just because they are for internal use doesn’t mean they don’t have a great deal of value. In fact, if you don’t create a persona intentionally, some type of personality will come out of what you do. This might not convey the impression you want. We always recommend brands start things off with defining this target or targets so that all elements from the ground up are based on a strategic approach to positioning the brand in front of this desired consumer.

ONCE YOU HAVE YOUR BRAND STORY AND PERSONA,
YOU NEED TO DEFINE YOUR VOICE.

By brand voice, we don’t mean sound effects, jingles, theme songs or other sonic aspects of a brand. We mean the tone of your communications and the style of your writing. It’s the personality of your brand. It is determined, in large measure, by the words you use and the sentences you write. That’s why we encourage our clients to select a specific list of 5-7 words that define their brand voice. Then we incorporate these words into the Brand Guide for all individuals who interact with the brand to reference as a benchmark to ensure ALL communications remain true to the brand voice. Making sure they are always speaking to the brand’s audience in the same style regardless of the channel of communication.