Every brand has to have a good back story to attract and engage the consumer but how well are Dubai brands using this marketing tactic?
In the last blog sales through storytelling I discussed the merits of injecting some storytelling into selling so this time I turn to its traditional stomping ground of marketing.
Remember the elements of a good story:-heroes, stimulus, conflict, resolution and a good solid happy and moral ending. How are these elements being applied to entice you into a connection with brands? Stories told by brands deliver a pleasure outcome and builds on Bagozzi and Nataraajan’s ( 2000,p.10) idea that “that people need help in finding what makes them happy, and this is where marketing comes in.”
We store and retrieve a lot of information in the form of stories so it makes sense for brands to play into this for us to experience emotional investment in the brand. Successful brands use ideas of rebellion, railing against power, supporting the underdog and being part of something meaningful and bigger to entice consumers to action. Good examples of this include Nike (Just do it!), Tom’s (One for One) and Warby Parker.
The Warby Parker story is inspirational. It has all the elements of a good story. Wandering students lose their glasses backpacking and can’t afford a new pair. They decide to create an affordable and design led Eyewear Company to topple the company owning 80% of the market share who keep prices artificially high. What’s more for every pair of glasses sold they will give a pair to someone in need. Now you can shop ethically for glasses and stick it to the industry giant at the same time! If you wear glasses like me you must be frantically looking for your nearest store. They are not in Dubai yet but you can try them on, online, and get them shipped…
So which Dubai brands are excelling in the field of storytelling? There is ONE that springs to mind (pun intended). Thomas Lundgren the owner of “The One” tells us on the website pages devoted to storytelling that he set the store up because he was visited by an angel telling him to save the world from IKEA. They want to inspire their customers to be different – to change the world. They sell feelings! They give you music whilst browsing online! They ask us to be part of a meaningful community building sustainable projects in the developing world! Their story ends with the lines “are you brave enough to be with us?”. YES, of course I want to save the world, sign me up for a sofa!
So tell your own brand’s story now. What is the motivation behind your brand and what problems does it solve ? Inspire us and make it meaningful and we will tell your story to other consumers.
The skeptic in us will always questions a brand’s story – but that’s ok , in doing so we are engaging our emotions. Just don’t betray a consumer’s trust, that can have dire consequences …
Bagozzi, R. P., & Nataraajan, R. (2000). The year 2000: Looking forward. Psychology & Marketing, 17, 1–11.