Storytelling Roundup!

Over the past three months, TopRight has focused our blog on the craft of storytelling. Yesterday, our series culminated with a webinar featuring Delta Air Lines SVP of Global Branding Molly Battin, Atlanta Public Broadcasting CEO & President Jennifer Dorian, and Atlanta Hawks & State Farm Arena  Executive EVP & CMO Melissa Proctor. If you missed it, you can watch it here.

Up next, our writers, researchers, and experts will immerse themselves in Brand Strategy: What It Is & How It Works. If you enjoyed our focus on storytelling, join us for the next three months as we explore marketing tactics, strategic insights, and branding wisdom.

To find out more about what we offer, please contact us directly. If you missed some of our work on brand story, you can read the full articles at the links below.

TOPRIGHT’S STORYTELLING  ROUNDUP

Chair Dave Sutton wrote about the origins of story and the power of brand story for small business.

“In 2001, Davenport and Beck published The Attention Economy, and the marketing world suddenly became aware of an acute issue in their field. Folks just weren’t “paying attention” like they used to back in the 50s. In that book and subsequent research, a minimum figure emerged that allowed anyone pitching a concept or product the ability to communicate a reason to care, listen, engage, buy, and stay. And that figure was six seconds. If any connection you make is lost in those few seconds, then it’s really lost, and most likely unable to be retrieved.”

CEO Bill Fasig wrote about transformational insight.

“In truth, your story is only as strong as the process of discovery that enables you to build it—and only as powerful as the strategy for delivering it to an oversaturated market. Therefore, your branding team has to ask: What kind of work have I done, and what kind of work to we still need to do, to build toward success with my brand story?”

Partner Judi Friedman wrote about truly successful story.

“Once your brand story and positioning are defined and aligned internally, it’s time to share it with your external audiences—including stakeholders, partners, clients, and customers. But how, when, and why you tell your story will matter as much as the story being told. A powerful story is neutralized if the way you share it is at odds with the brand. If you lose attention, it’s a good bet you’ve lost audience.”

CMO Chris Weissman wrote about what customers care about and the best April Fools’ brand pranks.

“Too many brands spend time talking about themselves, how wonderful the attributes of their products are, etc. I can’t count the number of times I’ve looked at a company’s mission or positioning statement and it starts with the word “We …” and leaves the customer out in the cold. What’s lost in this is the connection the brand has with the customer, the functional or emotional need that’s satisfied by what they offer. Without that connection, you end up in a transactional relationship that diminishes your potential to convert one-time buyers into lifelong brand advocates.”

Partner Natalie Ross wrote about her four steps to fantastic brand story.

“Stories are, at heart, about relationships. The relationship you’re building through storytelling will be compromised if you don’t maintain consistency in what you do. The core values of your brand are central to this, so don’t ever go back on those. Customers will feel as betrayed as a friend would if you suddenly disavowed your beliefs and abandoned ship.”

There’s more!

Check out these fantastic supplementary essays and articles from around the web…

Inc. on the unexpected lessons learned during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“While each person has a unique story, one theme underlines them all: They’re not the same as they were going into this crisis.”

The National Interest on President Biden’s infrastructure package.

“The infrastructure bill is one of two parts, with the package’s overall price tag expected to sit at $3 trillion. The second component of the bill will cover domestic policy issues relating to health care, education and childcare programs.”

Lisa Cron at LitHub on what audiences really want from story.

“The purpose of an effective story—the story you’ll create—is to change how your audience sees things, to spur them to do something right now. That is what makes all stories a call to action, because once we see things differently, we do things differently.”

Forbes on IceLink’s impressive performance in a competitive market.

“When thinking about how to standout from your competition, your brand can be an incredible asset. Just as the team at IceLink demonstrated, be thoughtful about your brand, connect with your customers, and find a way to be different, and you might find yourself with a brand your customers love.”

Sign up for our blog! Then follow Chair Dave Sutton , CEO Bill Fasig, and CMO Chris Weissman on Twitter. Visit us on LinkedIn. And if you still need another fix, grab a copy of one of Dave’s new books, Marketing, Interrupted or HBR’s Strategic Analytics.