What’s a “brand story” good for?

Like, do you need one? And if you have one, what do you do with it?

I regularly ask people at talks and workshops if they know the brand story of their toilet paper. You know — the stuff you use every. Single. Day. Of. Your. Life.

And maybe 1 in 200 have a clue.

Invariably it’s one person who just started getting Who Gives A Crap. It’s bamboo. Eco-friendly. DTC. Cheeky. Etc. A brand with a very loud, overt story.

But everyone else? Crickets. In fact, about a third of people don’t even know which brand they use.

Two interesting facts about brand stories:

📙 Many brands don’t have them. They make decent stuff, promote it well, and sell plenty of it. Even famous brands.

📙 The vast majority of people don’t know crap about nearly any of the brands they buy & use. (Fun game: quiz your family & friends! lolz.)

So what IS your brand story good for? A few things, actually:

1. It's useful INTERNALLY, for your team to be on the same page about your brand & vibe. To feel like a part of something. To make sure that what they make & do at least smells of your brand story. 

2. It's often useful when talking to RETAILERS or distributors to get shelf space. (Note: it pairs nicely with data on trends & purchase intent & velocity.)

3. It matters to your most CURIOUS consumers. Maybe 1 in 200. But that’s often a vocal group. So have your story dialed for them.

OTOH, it probably doesn't matter to 99.9% of your consumers. At least explicitly & overtly. 

So figure out your brand story. But use it where it’s most useful.