The importance of "story" to health brand marketers and their customers
I wrote a post yesterday providing ten tips to get your health brand engines going. One of the tips was “What’s Your Story.”
This presentation from Kevin Dugan – What’s Your Story? Storytelling’s Link to Social Marketing Sucess – provides great insight into the power of story for health brand marketers.
I think the most important takeaways from his presentation about the power of stories is that they:
• are easier to remember than facts
• are contagious
• bring people together and build loyalty
• can be used to start the conversation, change the conversation, humanize brands, create brands and communities
• have a beginning (a problem or antagonist), middle (solution or hero/awareness) and end (results, transformation)
• online, are told through social media channels, and contributed to by participants, who then share/discuss, comment/link, friend/follow, connect live, support, provide feedback to, reply/rt
All great brands are built on great stories. Stories that have no boundaries. Stories that you know well and stories that will grow in importance over time – Virgin, Apple, Southwest Airlines, St. Jude, Jones Soda, Mayo Clinic, Life Is Good, (RED), Pret Manger, Womenheart, Zara, Memorial Sloan Kettering, Nike, Cirque du Soleil, One Laptop Per Child, 23AndMe.
Their stories engage us in ways that facts and figures can’t. They help create emotional connections that transcend the pervasive and often ignorable messaging around functionality and quality. They reflect who we are or want to be, and help inspire and guide us to do more and achieve more than we could on our own. In turn, they help you stand out from the crowd.
Importantly, every brand has a story. Sometimes it’s right there ready to be told. Other times, you need to search it out. But it’s worth the hard work. Because ultimately, your story is a powerful means to creating enduring customer connections and sustainable competitive advantage.
What other brands would you add to the list of those who tell a great story?
I'm President of Trajectory. We re-energize businesses across the health continuum by helping our clients to imagine and create new value. Before Trajectory, I was EVP Management Board member at Interbrand, the world's most influential brand consultancy. I've also held senior level marketing positions at Faberge, L'Oreal and Beiersdorf.
November 6th, 2009 at 5:21 pm
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#health #healthmarketing #branding importance of story to health brand marketers [link to post]
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November 10th, 2009 at 2:39 pm
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The importance of “story” to health brand marketers and their customers – [link to post] < quick read, good slides.
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December 4th, 2009 at 8:52 am
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RT @TrajectoryLLC: The importance of ’story’ to health brand marketers and their customers [link to post]. It’s always about stories
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December 4th, 2009 at 9:32 am
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The importance of story to health brand marketers and their customers [link to post]
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December 4th, 2009 at 9:33 am
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The importance of ?story? to health brand marketers and their customers [link to post]
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December 4th, 2009 at 9:35 am
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The importance of ’story’ to health brand marketers and their customers [link to post]
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January 28th, 2010 at 7:22 am
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rt @ericbrody
The importance of “story” to health brand marketers and their customers [link to post]
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January 28th, 2010 at 7:34 am
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The importance of “story” to health brand marketers and their customers [link to post]
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January 28th, 2010 at 7:40 am
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RT @ericbrody: The importance of “story” to health brand marketers and their customers [link to post]
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April 27th, 2010 at 5:00 am
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Very good read: RT @ericbrody The importance of “story” to health brand marketers and their customers [link to post]
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April 27th, 2010 at 5:01 am
Great post and crucial point not only for healthcare brand marketers but also for healthcare providers. People connect with stories because they can identify with stories. Identity is the crucial piece here…passion comes from the connection to that story. Healthcare brands can be so big that sometimes it becomes too diluted to reinforce the over-arching brand over and over. But, if we get micro and search within the organization for small stories and let those stories be told through the eyes of the beholder, more connection points are created (touch points). These stories become the many faces of the organization. Thanks for this post!
June 1st, 2010 at 3:40 am
Bobby,
So sorry for not responding to your comment. Really don’t know how it slipped by me. Again, I apologize. Appreciate you taking the time to craft this thoughtful response.