STORYTELLING FOR BUSINESS/BRANDS: CRITICAL ELEMENTS
We crave story.
99% of U.S. households pay for 2.9 streaming services…on average…submitting daily to news or fictional story series everyday.
Stories contain repair and reclamation remedies for our unconscious…psychic drive…helping us see things through a new metaphor or exhume a submerged archetype we’ve never drawn upon before dormant deep within us.
So it’s not difficult to grasp the fact that in anything…especially business…brands…
“If you’re not communicating through Story, you’re not communicating.”
This post supports the primary one outlining: How to trigger Brain Science for effectively creating a heart/mind captivating Story for Business in just 2 steps so be sure to check it out too.
Specifically, the critical elements detailed here correspond to the narrative arc of the Hero’s Journey that mimics the way we perceive our own inner heroic tale playing out:
1] face a Difficulty
2] Grapple with it
3] Succeed in the end
…become Better because of it
The reason most tales end happily, Hero winning, reflects our need to experience a sense of justice…optimism…in our own pursuit of life’s greatest goals.
Shaping this very involved exploration into a Three Act story structure responds to our psychic default toward cause-effect, attraction to 3 things, and limited attention span.
The Hero’s Journey narrative arc always involves a Hero questing to achieve a goal which essentially transforms her before she returns home.
So let’s get into the primary 3 elements required for this effort but be sure to consider, first, your: Story Type, Main Goal, and Audience Profile before digging in to these.
THE THREE ELEMENTS
Guiding Idea crafted for your specific Client/Audience
Main Idea
-what do you want your audience to understand or do after they’ve listened to you?
-articulate it as succinctly as possible and start with end in mind to guarantee your Hero learns the right lesson.Client/Audience
-who are your client’s Heroes?
-who are their rivals/Shadow?
-considering both, what are their values…which groups do they identify with?
3 Primary Characters
Hero/Client
-the central figure in your narrative
-Hero’s key question: who am I? who do I want to become?
-how is the Hero motivated to connect with others? which values are important? which identity groups do they align with? life-affirming-directing insights?
-how is the Hero motivated to rise? is their status drive characterized by inherent virtue…values? or is it centered upon success…being the best?
-Luke, Spongebob, Samwise, DorothyShadow Figure
-the Hero’s adversary…represents their fears/obstacles…what are those in general?
-who, or what challenge, stands in the way of the Hero becoming who they want to be?
-Darth Vadar, Plankton, Gollum, Witch of the WestLight Figure/You
-remember, you never drive the story, you only guide the Hero to the right answer to their key question
-how can you help increase the Hero’s transformative desire: connection, status, insights, identity?
-Yoda, Sandy, Gandalf, Glenda the Good Witch
3 Act Structure
Act I: Broken World
-what does this world look?
-how does the Shadow get in the way of the Hero’s success?
-make it the longest, most intriguing arc, to gain audience investmentAct II: Struggle
-what does the Hero need to do to defeat the Shadow…confront in order to fix things?
-what is the Hero’s vulnerability in doing so? what does she risk…sacrifice?Act III: Better World
-what did the Hero learn…gain…lose in this quest?
-show your Hero going from stuck to unstuck, confusion to clarity
-what does this world look like in contrast?
-make it 25% or less of the entire narrative
CASE STUDIES / PROCESS
HubSpot: NUMBERS driven
STEP 1: Guiding Idea
’Inbound marketing can help businesses grow with a conscious and succeed with a soul.’STEP 2: Characters
Hero = Clients using HubSpot
Shadow Figure = unopened emails
Light Figure = HubSpotSTEP 3: Define the Hero in Act III
The Better Hero is not feeling overwhelmed nor pestered, but rewarded and empowered, by email newsletters…actually motivated to open them because they help her solve problems.STEP 4: Define the Hero in Act I
The Broken Hero avoids opening marketing emails assuming they don’t offer adequate value against the time it takes to read them…so her Broken World is where emails are not worth opening, saving, sharing. The Shadow Figure/Villain is fluff or irrelevant content to the Hero.STEP 5: Define the Hero in Act II
The Hero’s struggle is defined by being the best at what they do…delivering client success...through relevant processes and tools.STEP 6: Define the Light Figure in Act II
The Hero is supported by the Light Figure, HubSpot, because they can foresee what this relevant content is…which supports them in being the Hero in the eyes of their own customers.
PATAGONIA: Virtue driven
STEP 1: Guiding Idea
’Protecting the environment is our top priority…come be a part of that quest with us .’STEP 2: Characters
Hero = Customers and Employees
Shadow Figure = fast fashion…H & M, etc.
Light Figure = PatagoniaSTEP 3: Define the Hero in Act III
The Better Hero is not feeling bad or guilty, but connected and distinguished by their virtue, because they buy the brand that stands for, and delivers, meaningful impactSTEP 4: Define the Hero in Act I
The Broken Hero feels overwhelmed and helpless in counteracting nature’s destruction and conspicuous consumption, as part of a society who promotes both.STEP 5: Define the Hero in Act II
The Hero’s struggle is defined by their need to feel good about consuming and shifting the status quo.STEP 6: Define the Light Figure in Act II
The Hero is supported by quality merchandise produced with the least harmful impact to the planet by a employee-empowering organization.
CONCLUSION
A Hero’s Journey narrative is not only a meaningful framework for client’s it should actually be a foundational part of any organization in terms of providing a clear North Star.
Given that we’ve more than learned that this ancient format drives us all at deep inner level, it’s clear that our everyday journey at work in our cast role will be informed by this pattern, and leadership that understands that each employee is on a journey to transform themselves through adventure, challenges, gaining wisdom has cracked a huge part of the code for optimal performance.
Having a Brand Story Strategy, will help you choose who, when, where, why and how to do brand storytelling in your business. here are six key pillars that lay the foundations for using Brand Story as a Strategy in your business.
And you might be familiar with some of them – because they sometimes show up in what would traditionally be called Brand Strategy.
They are your Brand Vision, Brand Mission, Brand Values, Brand Differentiators, The Tribe and Brand Personality.
https://www.heartcontent.com.au/insights/brand-story-vs-storytelling-the-difference-why-it-matters
Narrative Economy
https://www.greenbook.org/insights/behavioral-insights-academy/the-difference-between-narrative-and-story-in-branding-and-why-you-should-care
Another Case Study
https://www.greenbook.org/insights/behavioral-insights-academy/stories-to-be-told-will-elevate-your-innovation-practice
A business is just a business, until someone decides to breathe life into it, tell a compelling story and fill an immense void by pouring value into a vast ocean of deep demand… only then does it have a chance at becoming a brand.
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/heros-journey-business-steve-tate/
Learn more…
The Hero’s Journey is a monomyth, a universal story structure nascent to many cultures for centuries, and popularized by Joseph Campbell in his book ‘The Hero with a Thousand Faces’.
The Hero’s Journey: 12 Step Story Structure
Deeper Dive: Three Act Story Structure
Deeper Dive: The Shadow Archetype
Narrative Economy
Narrative Psychology
#storytelling #brandstories #businessstorytelling #influence #identity #archetypes #herosjourney #storystructure
I learned this framework from journalist and NYT best-selling author Will Storr in earning my Digital Strategy Certification as an enrolled member of the Section: Business Education Masterclass Platform founded by Professor Scott Galloway/NYU Stern School of Business