Brand Strategy: 3 Differences Between Masquerading and Storytelling
The world is changing fast, and so is branding. People can smell b.s. from a mile away. We are waking up to the smoke and mirrors. We are sick and tired of the noise and commercialized everything. And yet, we are still undeniably addicted to novelty.
We are trained to seek something fresh, different, intriguing. Our brains have been hardwired to consume, it’s just that most of what is on offer reeks like sugary garbage. No, thank you. Gen Z may have set the trend, but everyone can agree that real and unmasked is far more appealing than regurgitated candy-coated nonsense.
So, how do we evolve the art of business, marketing, and branding when there has never been more competition… and also more resistance to being “sold” yet another product or service?
Well, to say that we go back to our roots, ground our message in realism, and lead with our humanity would be a perfectly fine answer. Yet somehow, also an overworked one.
Yes, simplicity and clarity and an emotionally engaging approach will work wonders almost every time. However, I think it’s reasonable to want a bit more meat than that where brand strategy is concerned.
What I’m talking about is setting a new standard and fervently upholding it.
Not overcomplicating things. Not masquerading as something else and hoping folks buy into it.
Instead, let's expand our capacity to give more, to serve in more acute and impactful ways, and to address a customer’s problem more creatively than just a rinse and repeat of what we’ve been spoon-fed. All while grounding our marketing in raw simplicity, artistry, and integrity.
These lie at the heart of great storytelling. Great stories are artful ways to convey a message with truth, realness, heart, power, clarity. Look at storytelling as a way to artfully convey what a brand offers, with simplicity and integrity. On the other hand, masquerading is an overemphasis on positioning and posturing in order to convince the masses to buy an idea that may be hollow inside.
So, let’s break those ingredients down…
Raw Simplicity
Simple can mean many different things. I don’t think simplicity should come at the cost of substance or thoughtfulness. But, there is something about the “raw” approach that speaks deeply to the human living inside us all. We’ve seen rapidly increasing trends in raw content thanks to Gen Z and TikTok.
Raw doesn’t have to mean rushed or without intention. It can, however, mean we don’t paint gloss over everything. We keep it simple, relaxed, relatable. That raw human spark which is perfectly imperfect is something we’ll always do better than AI.
Artistry
I’ve found the more I spend time in the vast realms of my imagination, the more colorful it becomes. The more I feed my creative fire and challenge myself to take things further than I ever have before, the more weird beautiful things seem to flow through me.
Taking time to push ourselves creatively makes a big difference in the quality of the work we produce. Unfortunately, in a world that prioritizes aggressive timelines and maximizing profits, we can fail to miss the mark of originality and innovation.
I’m all for ambitious growth, making money, and maximizing your efficiency, but when it comes to branding or creative direction, I would encourage you to recognize the artistry of it all with equal importance. Moving a bit slower to strike a deeper chord with your intelligent audience who isn’t looking for another ad campaign shoved in their face, will pay off in the long run.
Integrity
There are so many falsities in today’s world. Glamorized untruths dressed up and trotted around town as if they were the next best thing. More often than not, they are not. There is one thing though, that will sell itself against seemingly difficult odds.
And that will always be value and quality.
Real results. Proven outcomes, amidst all the necessary experimentation and failures along the way.
That’s what we’re all craving.
When you feel solid in your integrity when it comes to what you’re serving up on a silver platter for your people, you don’t have to dress it up so much. You don’t have to rush it. You don’t have to contort it so that they want second or third helpings. It happens organically when there is substance embedded into everything you do.
Those are the three ingredients that I believe are becoming non-negotiable as the world continues to evolve rapidly. Truthfully, these are timeless truths and I think they have always worked. But, as we look toward tomorrow’s audiences, I think the companies that do their due diligence in these areas will be the ones to reap the rewards.
Without these three elements at the forefront of our strategy, we risk losing our audience before we get to the punchline or worse, acting performative without critical underlying substance in an attempt to keep their attention.
We don’t need to oversaturate our marketing approach or people’s attention spans - or their wallets. We need to build sturdy ships, with all the trimmings inside that will make their stay with us effective, comfortable, and reliable, so they want to go the long haul with us. Why? Because it makes their lives better, and easier and eliminates excess in this overcrowded world. Simple.
