How many influencers does it take to transform a brand narrative into a grand narrative? Only one. Are you doing it correctly?
A Pop of Brand Narrative Wisdom
One of the wisest things a small business that’s just starting out can do is learn from others—drink from the vial of wisdom that’s already out there. And if you’re wondering what’s with all the soda puns, it’s because we’re going to talk about Pepsi and Coke—and no, not that coke.
The US and Russia is the biggest rivalry in the world—Pepsi and Coca-Cola are the second. And Coca-Cola sure had its hegemony all established and unchallenged for a good stretch of time. Pepsi came out in 1965. Coca-Cola had been out since 1892. Coke had a head start of 73 years and Pepsi had a major obstacle to tackle.
It chose to do so very creatively. There were those blind mall tests that were so popular in the 1970s. It focused on storytelling and building brand narratives. And it partnered with the biggest influencer possible in the world—that is, Michael Jackson himself. We guess we now know why he was called the King of Pop.
Show and Tell Sell
Eventually, it all boils down to the art of showing and selling. The market around you is densely overpopulated with people selling the same things—just like Pepsi and Coke. What your brand narrative needs to stand out is a story around which you can cement your grounding. Nike has the “Just Do it” motto, for instance, and frames everything it does around those three words. Apple’s “Think Different” works in a similar vein. In fact, every successful brand out there has one: Subway’s “Eat Fresh” or Amazon’s “Work Hard, Have Fun,” for instance.
Once you have decided on a storyline, on a motto, on a company vision—stick to it. Your influencer will help you spread the message.
Oh, and . . . Don’t Overdo it
We’ve talked about Pepsi already, but it’s worth mentioning that overdoing your brand narrative is only going to damage it. It’s like giving five different endings to a movie—but the movie isn’t LoTR, and you aren’t Peter Jackson. An example would be Pepsi’s hilarious Kendall Jenner ad—or its Saturday Night Live parody.
That ad is a good reminder that not every influencer works for every brand.
Ready to Build Your Brand Narrative?
The first step of building a brand narrative, of course, is reaching out to the right influencer. If you have tried looking for them on Instagram or elsewhere without much luck, it’s because you’ve been looking in the right place. Afluencer can help you find the right guy (or gal!) for the job—all that’s required on your end is that you sign up!