Page 315 - Marketing Management

292 PART 4 BUILDING STRONG BRANDS

BRAND NARRATIVES AND STORYTELLING Rather than outlining specific attributes
or benefits, some marketing experts describe positioning a brand as telling a narrative or story. 38
Randall Ringer and Michael Thibodeau see narrative branding as based on deep metaphors that
39
connect to people’s memories, associations, and stories. They identify five elements of narrative
branding: (1) the brand story in terms of words and metaphors, (2) the consumer journey in terms
of how consumers engage with the brand over time and touch points where they come into contact
with it, (3) the visual language or expression for the brand, (4) the manner in which the narrative is
expressed experientially in terms of how the brand engages the senses, and (5) the role/relationship
the brand plays in the lives of consumers. Based on literary convention and brand experience, they
also offer the following framework for a brand story:
• Setting. The time, place, and context
• Cast. The brand as a character, including its role in the life of the audience, its relationships
and responsibilities, and its history or creation myth
• Narrative arc. The way the narrative logic unfolds over time, including actions, desired expe-
riences, defining events, and the moment of epiphany
• Language. The authenticating voice, metaphors, symbols, themes, and leitmotifs
Patrick Hanlon developed the related concept of “primal branding” that views brands as com-
plex belief systems. According to Hanlon, diverse brands such as Google, MINI Cooper, the U.S.
Marine Corps, Starbucks, Apple, UPS, and Aveda all have a “primal code” or DNA that resonates
with their customers and generates their passion and fervor. He outlines seven assets that make up
this belief system or primal code: a creation story, creed, icon, rituals, sacred words, a way of deal-
ing with nonbelievers, and a good leader. 40

BRAND JOURNALISM When he was CMO at McDonald’s, Larry Light advocated an
approach to brand positioning that he called “brand journalism.” Just as editors and writers
for newspapers and magazines tell many facets of a story to capture the interests of diverse
groups of people, Light believes marketers should communicate different messages to
different market segments, as long as they at least broadly fit within the basic broad image of
the brand. 41

Brand Journalism is a chronicle of the varied things that happen in our brand world,
throughout our day, throughout the years. Our brand means different things to differ-
ent people. It does not have one brand position. It is positioned differently in the
minds of kids, teens, young adults, parents and seniors. It is positioned differently at
breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack, weekday, weekend, with kids or on a business trip.
Brand Journalism allows us to be a witness to the multi-faceted aspects of a brand
story. No one communication alone tells the whole brand story. Each communication
provides a different insight into our brand. It all adds up to a McDonald’s journalistic
brand chronicle.

CULTURAL BRANDING Oxford University’s Douglas Holt believes for companies to build
iconic, leadership brands, they must assemble cultural knowledge, strategize according to
cultural branding principles, and hire and train cultural experts. 42 Even Procter & Gamble, a
company that has long orchestrated how shoppers perceive its products, has started on what its
chief executive, A.G. Lafley, calls “a learning journey” with the consumer. “Consumers are
beginning in a very real sense to own our brands and participate in their creation,” he said. “We
need to learn to begin to let go.”
The University of Wisconsin’s Craig Thompson view brands as sociocultural
templates, citing research investigating brands as cultural resources that shows how ESPN
Zone restaurants tap into competitive masculinity; and how American Girl dolls tap into
mother-daughter relationships and the cross-generational transfer of femininity. 43 Experts
who see consumers actively cocreating brand meaning and positioning even refer to this as
“Brand Wikification,” given that wikis are written by contributors from all walks of life and
all points of view. 44