The Brand Delusion: Discover the No. 1 Mistake Brands Make When Telling Their Story

By: Nii Codjoe

All brands are telling a story about one of three things: their company, their product or their customer.

My Customer “We know traffic frustrates you, so we created a tool to make your life easier.”

My Product “We have the world’s best products. Let me give you the gritty details on our product specs.”

My Company “We’ve done over $25 million in revenue, and we have 13 offices worldwide. Let me tell you how we started the company.”

Template

Most brands make themselves the center of their story. I call this mistake The Spotlight Syndrome Effect. Brands hover the spotlight over their businesses and products instead of over their customers. Their stories usually sound like this: “Let me tell you why our brand is awesome, why our product is the world’s best, why you should buy from us.”

Brands that shine the spotlight on their businesses and products more than on their customers are making an EXPENSIVE mistake. Here’s why: We care about ourselves, our needs and our problems. We don’t care about a product’s technical specs or a company’s balance sheet. We care about how they can help us.

All brands are telling

The world’s best brands hover the spotlight over their customers. In the words of Dan Miller, CEO of StoryBrand, “It doesn't matter what kind of product or service you're trying to sell, customers buy when you position them as the hero and yourself as the guide.” To put it simply, we like stories where WE are the main characters.

The Cocktail Party EffectThis phenomenon describes our ear’s ability to tune into one conversation even when we’re surrounded by noise. In the early 1950s, Colin Cherry, a British scientist, discovered this phenomenon.

The Cocktail Party Effect Have you ever been at a crowded party stuck in a conversation? But then you heard your name mentioned in a conversation nearby – and quickly your mind hopped into that conversation to hear what they were saying about you? What you experienced was The Cocktail Party Effect. Let me show you how this psychology concept is relevant to brands telling their story.

When brands start talking about us and our needs, we tune into their message, muting out all other noise and chatter.

Recent breakthroughs in neuroscience have revealed that our brains are wired for story. According to Lisa Cron, author of Wired for Story: The Writer’s Guide to Using Brain Science to Hook Readers from the Very First Sentence, “...what draws us into a story and keeps us there is the firing of dopamine neurons, signaling that intriguing information is on the way.”

So when brands make us the heroes of their stories and focus on our needs, we become seduced. We tune everything else out, becoming fanatical followers of those brands because they’ve tuned into our frequency.

The Story Seduction

Before we look at practical examples of brands who’ve told either memorable or forgettable stories, let’s explore The Seven Elements of a Story, a framework by storytelling expert Dan Miller, which will help us understand how brands tell their story. Let me paraphrase his framework:

The Seven Elements of Story

Template

Something will always stand between the hero and his goal. The challenge creates tension in the story, as we cling onto our seats wondering, “Will our hero save the day?”

Since our character doesn’t have the knowledge or skills to overcome his challenge alone, a mentor comes to help him.

Character gets the plan

This person is known as a hero. He usually has a need or aspiration. Maybe he wants to defeat a villain or win over a woman’s heart.

Introduce character

Character faces a challenge

Character meets a mentor

The mentor’s plan helps our character achieve confidence and clarity.

1

2

3

4

Template

Something will always stand between the hero and his goal. The challenge creates tension in the story, as we cling onto our seats wondering, “Will our hero save the day?”

Our character must take action because his challenge is mounting Here we are at a point of crisis, and our character must decide, “Will I cower in my comfort zone or overcome my challenges?

Our character will stop the enemy, disarm the explosives and win the woman’s heart

Character takes action

5

If failure happens6

If success happens7

Let’s apply the 7-step framework to a movie we’ve all seen: The Matrix

Template

“Yeah. I’m the hero.”

Template

Problem: The Agents and government have targeted him as a terrorist.

Mentor: Trinity introduces Neo to Morpheus, a legendary computer hacker.

Plan: Morpheus opens Neo’s eyes to the Matrix: a false reality configured to hide humans from the truth.

Template

Take action: Morpheus implores Neo to confront Agent Smith and rebel against the machines because he is “The One.”

If failure happens: Neo will die and humans will be enslaved to the machine.

If success happens: Neo will defeat the Agents and save the human race.

Now that we have a grasp on the 7 Elements of Story, let’s look at a brand that has made itself the hero of its story: Tidal, Jay Z’s music streaming business.

“Yo, I’m the hero!”

Template

Problem: Jay Z’s words in a recent interview, “Imagine your life without music. It's a very valuable part of your life, and like I said, that's why we got in this business...People are not respecting the music, and [are] devaluing it." !According to Jay Z, you’re the problem! You don’t respect music and you’re not willing to pay for it.

Plan: Use Tidal!

Mentor: Tidal, a music streaming business.

Template

Take action: Sign up for a $9.99/mo subscription.

If success happens: We’ll transform the music industry.

If failure happens: Our music will continue to be devalued.

How compelling was Tidal’s story? Hardly. Jay Z and his fellow musicians are the champions of this story. They’ve fallen for The

Spotlight Syndrome Effect by shining the spotlight on themselves.

Alicia Keys recently said about Tidal, “We are here today to offer something different: a platform owned by artists…as dynamic as the artists behind it.” How many times did Alicia Keys mention us, the customers, the music lovers? Zero!

Unlike Tidal, the world’s best brands make their customers the champions of the stories while being mentors in the back seat. Nike is one of the best examples of a brand who has shown the spotlight on their customers. Let’s look at Nike’s story!

Unlike Tidal, the world’s best brands make their customers the champions of their story while being mentors in the back seat. Nike is one of the best examples of a brand who has shown the spotlight on their customers. Let’s look at Nike’s story!

“I’m the hero!”

Mentor: Nike.

Plan: Just do it!

Problem: You’ve got to cross the finish line, you’ve got to swish the final shot, to win.

Template

Take action: Get our shoes so you’ll be equipped with the best gear to win.

If failure happens: You won’t win the race, you’ll miss the winning shot, you’ll never reach your potential.

If success happens: You’ll finish the race, swish the final shot with half a second on the clock, the crowd erupting in celebration!

(We’re the hero!)

Whose story was more memorable: Tidal’s or Nike’s?

The most memorable brands shine the spotlight on their customers, making them the heroes of their story while taking a backseat as a mentor like Master Yoda.

Here’s a quick exercise: Airbnb has made their customers the center of their story. Use the 7-step story structure to map out Airbnb’s story. Let’s explore their story together.

We’re the hero!

Template

Problem: You’re tired of hotels; you want to experience a city like the locals and make new friends.

Mentor: Airbnb, short-term apartment and room-rental service.

Plan: Rent unique places to stay in 190+ countries.

Template

Take action: Book a room for your next trip!

If failure happens: You might miss an authentic experience.

If success happens: You’ll have an adventure and live like the locals.

The most memorable brands aren’t narcissistic. They’re supportive. They know the spotlight belongs on you.

Recommended Reading

Nii helps brands tell their story. Email: ncodjoe@gmail.com Twitter: niicodjoe