From Reality to Narrative: The relationship between the brand and its audience

In 2003 Tim Burton released the film Big Fish which changed my perception of how to tell a story. Big Fish is a film about the strained relationship between a father and son.

Edward Bloom (the father) is a very peculiar and popular person, one of those figures who alone fills a room. The character's main characteristic is that he's a great storyteller. His stories are always unbelievable, marvellous and exaggerated, bigger than life.

Impossible and unrealistic, some will say, fascinating and memorable, others will exclaim, but one thing is certain, they are all captivating and perfect for leaving an audience in awe.

Will (the son) always struggled with his father's prominence, but over time, he also became captivated by his father's adventures.

“Most men, they'll tell you a story straight through. It won't be complicated, but it won't be interesting either.” says Edward Bloom at one point, and this is where the storytelling spark ignited.

Edward Bloom is a storyteller par excellence because he realises that reality is not enough. Telling things as they are doesn't engage, and doesn't arouse the curiosity that keeps us connected to the narrative.

In 2001, Steve Jobs also realised the power of storytelling with the launch of the first iPod. Many consider the iPod to be the first MP3 player on the market, but that's not true. There were other players on the market before the iPod. While it's true that in terms of capacity the iPod made a big leap compared to the competition, the main difference wasn't due to technical features.

The big difference was that while others presented themselves to the market with concrete data like  "MP3 player with 5g capacity", Steve Jobs introduced the iPod with a promise: "1000 songs in your pocket".

While the competitors grappled with technical features, Apple showed us the reason why we needed an MP3 player. Considering and communicating only reality and its facts may be the fairest, but it's also the least interesting for the public.

Thinking about new approaches or different angles creates interest, attention, and above all, establishes an emotional connection with the audience. It is in this connection that the perception of a brand is built.

In the Strategy and Copy team at LOBA, we have a principle: to look at our client’s reality (brand/product/service) from the perspective of their relationship with their audience. From the standpoint of their promise. We call this principle Insight.

It was through solid insights such as "A Relationship of Trust" that we built sustainable communication for Apcer, or the "Face The Elements" that set the general tone for Rodi's BlackJack campaign, or even "Acontece Connosco", which once again brought the Teatro Aveirense closer to the city of Aveiro.

Understanding a brand's reality leads us to a creative angle to find a distinctive vision (insight), and through that vision, we arrive at a concept/story (storytelling) that will guide the development of the necessary communication pieces to reinforce the connection with your audience.

Talk to us and discover how to transform your brand into engaging narratives.