THE GOURD 001: May 2023

THE POWER OF STORYTELLING

a brand is a story

Who we are and what we call “life” are really just stories– about how we understand ourselves, the world and our place in it. These stories are powerful, not only because they’re constantly playing in our heads, but because they shape our identities and realities; they inform how we show up in the world and how we engage with it; they impact how we interact with others and define the nature of those relationships.??

Companies also tell themselves, and the world, similar stories– about who they are, what they believe and what contribution they seek to make in the world. Those stories are commonly referred to as Brand. For years, companies like Nike, Apple and Coca-Cola have leveraged the power of storytelling to communicate, illustrate and reinforce the beliefs, values and ideas that make up the DNA of their organizations and the fabric of their brands.?

our story

We named our agency grio, which is short for Griot– an African storyteller. Griots and Bards, the European equivalent, were traveling poets and musicians who served as the guardians of traditions. These artists had the important responsibility– through stories, poems and hymns– to transcribe and translate the collective consciousness of a culture or civilization and to pass it onto the next generation.

At grio, we believe that, just like Griots and Bards, it’s our duty to capture the essence of our civilization and respective cultures through the brands we help create. We have the important responsibility to uphold, communicate, and, when necessary, to update the beliefs, values and ideas that make up the fabric of our respective societies.?

This newsletter is the latest tool we chose to carry out this important duty. We called it The Gourd, which forms the bodies of the musical instruments used by Griots, and whose function is to echo the vibrations of the instruments’ cords to produce sound. Like a Gourd, this monthly newsletter is meant to be a tool to reverberate and amplify our ideas.?

what's your big idea?

Every story is built around a central theme that serves as the throughline that stitches together the plot, characters and narrative in a coherent way. Without this throughline, stories are often incoherent and, therefore, difficult to follow. So the building block of every great story, and of every great brand, is a big idea to serve as the central theme.?

At Nike, the big idea is bravery– having the courage to start on your transformation journey, to stand for what you believe, defy logic and beat the odds, to Just Do It. At Amazon, it’s relentlessness– the obsessive pursuit and unending journey to become the most customer-centric company in the world. At Apple, it’s Think Different– the belief that it’s those who see things differently and who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, who ultimately do.?

At grio, our big idea is empathy– the belief that the purpose of a company is to enhance the human experience; that marketing is the art and science of creating and maximizing value for customers, not shareholders; and that brands have the power to change the world.

you are not the hero

As entrepreneurs and marketers, we strive to use our talents, passions and gifts to make unique contributions to the world. We bring ideas, products and services that we hope can change people’s lives and move humanity forward.

But, inevitably, our egocentric motivations leak through our work… even when our intentions are altruistic. With our “innovative,” “revolutionary,” “life-changing” ideas, companies, products and services, we paint ourselves as heroes on a quest to change the world.?

We bring so much passion into our work, but as the heroes of our own stories, we lack the empathy to recognize that our customers have a hero complex too. That empathy gap is often what separates great brands from the rest. Great brands recognize that they are not the heroes of the stories they tell; their customers are. Brands are meant to be the supporting character, helping the heroes along their respective journeys.

empathy and context matter

The real challenge for all of us is to shift our vantage point to make our customers, audiences or readers the heroes of our respective brand stories— not us, our products, services or companies.

To be effective, we not only have to deploy empathy, but we also have to remember that context matters. Our brands, products and services should be a seamless part of the story, otherwise it comes across as inauthentic and disingenuous.?

Good Examples

Apple’s Working From Home spot not only shows empathy for the audience, but it also seamlessly integrates its products into the story, showing off all the features but treating the brand as the supporting character helping the heroes on their quest.?

Grammarly’s Wedding Toast ad is another great example of empathy in action and seamlessly integrating the brand and product into the story, without trying to be the hero.

Bad Example

Remember this Pepsi Ad with Kendall Jenner? The commercial received backlash because it lacked empathy and context. Not only was the brand trying to be the hero of this story, but its product didn’t fit into the narrative. The audience didn’t feel seen nor understood, and thus couldn’t make the connection between the brand and the story it was trying to tell.

RESOURCES AND SUGGESTIONS

RESOURCE:?

Donald Miller's StoryBrand book and courses offer a great framework for storytelling.

BOOKS:?

Jay Z’s Decoded is a masterclass in storytelling; and in A Hero with a Thousand Faces,? Joseph Cambell gives us a collection of hero archetypes to fit any narrative.??

MOVIE:?

The recent movie “AIR” is a great example of brand storytelling.

COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT

HUE HOUSE

Hue House , founded by David "Dae-Lee" Arrington , David Butler and Davida Galloway, is a creative agency that leverages universal insights from artistic & cultural practice?to tell authentic stories that change how brands connect?to community & culture.

GRIO'S CORNER

Featured Client

The Azira Foundation is on a mission to give children in Uganda access to education, nutrition and character development so they can follow and fulfill their dreams.

Read the case study

Podcast

ICYMI, watch episode 20 of the Empathy-Led Podcast with Kristin Kelly Blinson, CFRE .