6. 5
Your brand is
the stories people
tell about it. These stories can be carefully
crafted to change how people
talk, feel, act and think.
7. 6
Why use
stories to
build your
brand? “76% of consumers
believe companies
are untruthful in
their advertising.”
source | Bold Mouth’s “Perceptions, Practices, and Ethics” report
8. 7
The most brilliant brand
stories go viral.
And speaking of viral,
let’s debunk a myth:
Viral Marketing is useless.
15. 14
What the F?#K
is a Viral Coefficient?
(Let’s do a little experiment)
Viral coefficients appear as coefficients in the viral expansion of
the pressure of a many-particle system in powers of the density,
providing systematic corrections to the ideal gas law. They are
characteristic of the interaction potential between the particles and
in general depend on the temperature.
16. 15
You're not just telling a story for the sake of telling a story
—you're using it to achieve your brand’s objectives.
Viral Principle #1 |
Know Your Objectives
17. 16
Example: BlendTech – Will it Blend?
Tactic to Try #1 | Increase Market Share
Every brand has Social Currency –
something interesting that people will talk
about, both online and offline. The job of a
Brand Storyteller is to identify Social
Currency and use it to help move the
business forward.
18. 17
Example: Corning | A Day of Glass
Tactic to Try #2 | Generate Leads
A brand’s Social Currency doesn’t
have to be whatever good or service is
available today. In fact, some of the best
Brand Stories provide a peek into the
future, creating demand for products
before they’re available.
19. 18
Example: Dollar Shave Club
Tactic to Try #3 | Objection Handling
Overcome resistance by crafting brand
stories to handle sales objections. These
can be fun, tongue-in-cheek ways to get
new customers.
22. 21
Build the RIGHT community
Scientific Community Building
Fans
0 1M
Energy
(Time &
Money)
23. 22
Example: Oreo: Dunk in the Dark
Tactic to Try #4 | Capitalize on Real-world Events
Timing is everything. Keep your eyes
and ears open for organic opportunities
to hijack trending topics and news stories.
25. 24
How You Craft Your Story
Tell your story through
the words of others.
Highlight the conflict
and struggle. Stories are about mistakes
and struggle, because that's
how we learn.
26. 25
Example: Domino’s | Pizza Sucks
Tactic to Try #5 | Good Guys + Bad Guys
Every story has to have some kind
of bad guy, or there's no story.
27. 26
Example: Holstee | Manifesto
Tactic to try #6 | Motivate and Inspire
Engage the senses – visuals and music.
People remember stories better than facts,
and they remember stories that engage the
senses more than ones that don't.
28. 27
Example: Kmart | Ship my pants
Tactic to Try #7 | Introduce New Products + Services
Stories get people involved at a deeper
level because they engage the senses and
emotions and activate the brain. We learn
more and remember better.
32. 31
And because every brand
deserves a happy ending!
–AGATHA CHRISTIE,
British Novelist & Playwright
“With method and logic one
can accomplish anything.”
