Branding Strategy Tip For Sustainable Brands - The Power of Storytelling

Times are changing, and so has the customers' outlook towards brands and consumption. Creating positive mental health among customers through constructive and powerful storytelling, which brings in a feeling of security within the customer instead of self-doubt is an antidote to build and retain users today.

Storytelling is one of the most powerful tools used to influence and inspire people. Individuals with similar experiences and common values quickly connect and respond to stories they resonate with, thus building a community. Moreover, stories are universal, which helps us understand ourselves and others better. Most people are connecting or starting to connect on the topic of living a sustainable lifestyle, which is not just confined to sustainable products but also self-care, mental health, and equality.

Storytelling and consumer response are interconnected

Many startups mostly get their first set of clients through word of mouth, being an entrepreneur myself I can vouch for this theory. What is “word of mouth”, it’s a story. A narration of an experience from one consumer to the other. Word of mouth is a good example of storytelling to build businesses and increase sales. It’s an opportunity where individuals learn from each other's experiences. Even customers who might be longing for an experience not known to them can readily connect to an idea or a story, which adds new clients to the list. Here, it reflects a need that a customer might not be aware of but can start to acknowledge as stories can catch our attention and absorb the meaning of the message. Also, when the brand directly communicates with the audience through storytelling along with a real-time success story it can help build trust.

However, the most successful story is the hero and villain story. In the past, brands have used this concept to lure consumers into buying their products. Stories using the hero technique contributed to building self-doubt, low self-regard, and embed cultural constraints and judgments. For example, fairness beauty cream- promoting light skin over dark skin colour. Brands should be aware of the responsibility they have towards the mental health of consumers. The most important aspect of storytelling is to know the target audience, the reason to choose them, and the purpose. It’s all about the right person, right place, right time with the right plan, or purpose. The moral of the story should solve the problem of the consumers’ who are to invest in the brand, but the moral of most stories is to be a hero. Hence, there is pressure to fit in or be smarter with their choices.

For example, in recent days there has been immense talk on sustainability and the need to buy eco-friendly products. The hero stories are narrated by sustainable brands for creating awareness towards the purchase of environment-friendly products. Even though, it is narrated to benefit people and the environment but the concept does not shift from adding stress, a feeling of being the villain. Many customers say they feel judged when they opt for non-sustainable products. That should not be the case when narrating stories. As we are aware, not all sustainable products are pocket friendly.

Especially, while we are all trying to survive the pandemic and economic crisis can the hero story bring about the positive change? Are they communicating the right message? Any method of storytelling that builds self-doubt will probably never build a good user experience or retain consumers in the long run.

Need for an altered outlook towards storytelling for sustainable brands

Sustainable brands need to dig deeper into the history of sustainability. Is it something new, or has a sustainable lifestyle been practiced for many ages and decades now? Sustainability has been a common practice by our ancestors. Reuse, repair, and recycle were actions taken for everyday living. Even today it’s practiced in the east, in large parts of Asia, and even Africa. When people are asked to change habits, there will always be resistance. While, when the same situation is posed with an example that is tried and tested the rate of acceptance is higher. Quite similar to the narration through word of mouth.

I would like to conclude by saying that, it’s usually best to build a story that begins with a past. To address the solution more than the problem, giving examples of success stories and their ability to sustain the practice even today. Through this method of weaving stories, the brands can inspire people into action. Giving valid examples, keeping stories straightforward and direct instead of fancy tales and heroic stories on how the change can be made possible will build a connection through trust, empathy, and compassion between the customer and the brand, turning customers’ into consumers’ of the product.