Narrative identity #nc2015

(Notes collection: a series of notes I took in 2015. Reported here before losing them.)

The brand that becomes a relational subject and which nature becomes discursive, will be awarded, decidedly realist. Ethic. The brand becomes a source of community bond. The conversation a way of communication. The gift a way of exchange and storytelling. The company will feel the need to spread skills, to defend consumers from fraud, to give a useful service to the other consumers and to participate in the success of a brand or product.

Online this need will find a possible satisfaction if it is considered an experience marketplace, where everyone goes to get the pieces of experiences, turns them into resources for their lives and exchange them. The single individual will not do it as a target, but as Bauman suggests, as a swarm consisting of individuals, because consumption is a solitary activity even when made in a group. It is the narrative, related to the consumer good and the usage of it, that creates the link between the individuals and creates the swarm. Narrative that must be geared to create a lasting and effective bond between the consumer and the market, with instruments applied consistently over time and on a regular basis, to get more than just economic gain or a balanced budget. Loyalty passes from the strengthening of the identity and reputation, daughters of the history and developments of the company.

For this purpose, the use of unattractive strategies, campaigns, promotions cannot turn out successful. Involvement is identification. It is essential for the recipient to tell his experience to re-appropriate and activate the transformation enabled by the experiential process. To do this, it is important that the story open spaces where doubt might be introduced, can be processed and enters in the narratives that can trigger reflections not expected by the interlocutor. These reflections become everyday speech, shared and collective/common if the narrative exchange is carried out with the sharing of stories and traditions. The stories shared in a culture are in fact what relate the individual and the community. Stories, experiences and exchanges move the gravity center of control of the message that becomes the property of the recipient who, making it its own, modifies it.

The right effort, in the right place, at the right time. The moment of truth, where a brand can become a relational subject is in the interception between the brand’s narrative identity and the boundaries drawn by customers’ needs. The digital behavior of a "persona" - or better, a person - highlight neutral meeting points where the company can be the host or the Charon, depending on the digital property ownership.

In those meeting areas, the touching points, we can talk to that swarm of individuals, one-to-one, proposing a virtuous knowledge barter: useful information in exchange for permission. Once the consumer will allow us to talk to her/him, personally. There we could start our narration. Then we became attractive.

The consumer permission allows us to create a bond and support him in every stage of its journey, engaging a continuous information exchange that will help us to grow our narration, getting it closer to the swarm needs.