Forbes: The Brand Story Problem

UM marketing professor quoted in Forbes story on marketing strategy

The notion of brands telling stories, presumably stories that customers will find sufficiently intriguing to motivate trial or cement loyalty, is both admirable and flawed.

Admirable, in that at its best, storytelling is an irresistible marketing elixir.

Flawed, in that many brands simply don’t have interesting stories to tell.

Storytelling can illuminate the value proposition, help the consumer better appreciate its components, evaluate its benefits and determine its appropriateness.

But not every brand was born in a garage and nurtured with a founder’s foresight and grit.

And not every brand can backpack into rainforests in search of elusive and differentiating organic ingredients.

Perhaps the best that a more prosaic brand can do when it comes to storytelling is to showcase its consumers.

The Best Opportunity For A Brand Story

When does a brand story work best?

“Consumers are typically most receptive to brand stories when they are making decisions and purchases based on emotion, rather than rationality,” says Christopher Newman, assistant professor of marketing at the University of Mississippi.

Read the full story here.