Brand Democracy: How to Tell Stories in the Social Era by Graham Brown Brand Democracy is a bottom-up approach to marketing practiced by brands like GoPro, Zappos, Instagram, Lego and Monster Energy Drinks. Where brand management focuses on top-down brand positioning, Brand Democracy seeks to create the brand through customer conversations and interactions. Rather than managing the brand, the company curates this peer-to-peer communication by giving customers tools and a platform to share their individual stories.

1. BRAND DEMOCRACY
HOW TO TELL STORIES IN THE SOCIAL ERA
flickr © parksdh

2. By Graham Brown
The Digital Ape

3. We can no longer control and manage the
brand conversation like we used to
flickr © posterboynyc

4. The genie is out of the bottle

5. The days of tightly managed brands are over
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6. In the modern brand narrative, the hero of
the story is the customer
flickr © jdhancock

7. It’s time to release their superpower, the
customer’s power of storytelling
flickr © jdhancock

8. Your customer looks at your marketing and
asks, “where am I in this story?”
flickr © lcrf

9. Storytelling?
What exactly is storytelling?

10. http://www.GrahamDBrown.com/digital-ape
If you can’t wait to find out, download now

11. But, if you can…
let’s continue

12. Telling stories isn’t just about
“once upon a time…”
flickr © calliope

13. Stories are the why in branding
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14. and successful brands connect through story
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15. Stories are what we do on a daily basis
flickr © ben_rea

16. our lives are shaped by the stories we tell
flickr © tonythemisfit

17. ...and the stories of others
flickr © onepointfour

18. Daily life is full of stories
flickr © onepointfour

19. ...drama...
flickr © jonathankosread

20. ...discovery
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21. ...encounters
flickr © frosch50

22. ....everyday life is a story
flickr © schmollmolch

23. ...and everybody has a story to tell
flickr © martinhricko

24. To tell stories is to be human
flickr © pennuja

25. Stories create connectivity
flickr © havovubu

26. Stories help us belong
flickr © francisco_osorio

27. Stories cross demographic boundaries
flickr © ministryofstories

28. ...and stories reinforce them
flickr © gagilas

29. So rather than see people in terms of
numbers...
flickr © ministryofstories

30. See people in terms of the stories they tell
flickr © faviovenni

31. Every customer has a story to tell
flickr © garlandcannon

32. Welcome to Brand Democracy

33. Time to embrace the groundswell

34. and the shift
from Loudspeakers to Telephones

35. ?
?
...and time ask some fundamental questions

36. How will your marketing turn users into
people and people into stories?
flickr © niloy

37. How will you help them get to where they
want to go?
flickr © robertotaddeo

38. How will you help them on their personal
journey?
flickr © robertotaddeo

39. How will you release their inner hero...?
flickr © elisamoro

40. ...however strange that is to you?
flickr © Spiterman

41. This is Brand Democracy
flickr © sheezyfries

42. ...choices in mindset not media

43. We need to curate not control
flickr © yannickgar

44. So, give people the tools...
flickr © kwarz

45. ...to tell their story
flickr © darinka

46. platforms to share
flickr © frosch50

47. spaces to connect
flickr © gdominici

48. a canvas for their imagination
flickr © mobilestreetlife

49. tools to join the dots
flickr © frauhoelle

50. No more brand ego

51. Brands are no more than the stories we tell
flickr © rnugraha

52. So why limit their ability to tell stories?
flickr © kongharald

53. Don’t overwrite their unofficial stories with a
louder official brand narrative
flickr © abhi_ryan

54. Open times require open minds
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55. Turn off the corporate brand loudspeaker
flickr © ockam

56. Step back...
flickr © kulimpapat

57. Let the magic happen
flickr © x-ray_delta_one

58. So what is Brand Democracy?

59. It’s not who’s telling your story...

60. but whose story you’re telling
flickr © ryan_polei

61. Continue reading...