Is this the story people are telling about you?
Description: Explore the transformative power of storytelling in business branding, drawing inspiration from Pixar's proven narrative structure. This article discusses how stories can captivate audiences, differentiate your brand, and offer unique insights into your core values. Learn to craft your 'minimum viable story,' providing the foundation for engaging, memorable, and retellable narratives about your business journey and mission.
I'm on vacation with my family and we found a breakfast place called Grumpy's.
While waiting for our meals to arrive my mother-in-law asks out loud, "I wonder why it's called Grumpy's?"
That's a reasonable question.
She checks the menu and looks for a story but finds nothing. We look around the restaurant for a story on the wall, but come up empty.
Then she says, "Maybe it was started by a grandfather whose grandchildren couldn't say 'grampy' and called him 'grumpy' instead."
We all nod as if to say, sure, that's possible, and then the conversation moves on. And all I can think is, what an utterly wasted opportunity.
The intriguing name of this breakfast place got us thinking and creating narratives of our own, which made me realize how naturally humans gravitate towards stories.
Storytelling is in Our Nature
Humans are story machines. We think in stories, act out stories, and invent stories where there aren't any.
Stories make it easier and more likely to recall data and facts. They foster connection in social settings by creating a shared experience. They help us convey lessons to the next generation, which is historically critical for survival of the species.
And perhaps most importantly, stories help us make sense of the world.
That's why we have a tendency to invent stories even when there are none. It's the root of gossip and rumors - we don't know what really happened, which creates tension. We relieve that tension by telling a story about it.
Which means that your customers, clients, constituents, or audience are telling stories about you - whether they're true or not, and whether you like the story or not.
But what story am I going to tell about Grumpy's? Do they have any idea?
Differentiating on Values
In an attempt to control what others say about them, many business owners establish core values. Sometimes they even pay expensive consultants to help them develop those values.
In my experience, the problem with focusing on values alone is that there's only so many of them and every company chooses the same handful.
Law firms choose 'integrity', 'experience,' 'professionalism.'
Tech startups choose 'agility', 'innovation', 'collaboration.'
Healthcare practitioners choose 'respect,' 'patient-centered,' 'excellence.'
And then lots of businesses, particularly large businesses, can't make up their minds and so they list 10 or more values. "All of the above!"
That's why it's so hard to differentiate from your competition on values alone. So, what can we do instead?
Wrap Your Values in a Story
People are going to tell a story about your company, brand, or mission - so it may as well be yours.
When we work on core messaging with our clients, Step 2 is something we call The Story Hook. It's not the only story your businesses will tell, but it's the story you're going to hook the audience with, that they'll be able to tell about you to themselves, and retell to others.
Most commonly, it's the story of how you either 1) became qualified to do the work that you do, or 2) came to believe in what your brand stands for.
Often it's both.
In a previous article we discussed the 3 Act Structure for stories: Before, Transformation, After. And you can definitely use that here.
But many of our clients find a different framework particularly useful in this case: The Pixar Story Structure.
One Way to Craft Your Story
Yep, that Pixar - the animation powerhouse behind unforgettable tales like 'Finding Nemo,' 'Toy Story,' and 'Inside Out,' employs a simple, yet effective story structure.
Here is the structure they use for every film:
Once upon a time...
Every day...
Until one day...
And because of that...
And because of that...
Until finally...
Great, but how does this help us?
Understanding the Structure
Once upon a time is where you set the scene. Who were you before you founded this business or discovered the key insight or belief that led to the work you do now?
Every day is a description of your internal state. How did it feel to be you in the day to day? Critically, what did you see that was wrong with the world, that you desperately wanted to fix?
Until one day is the explosion, as Kindra Hall calls it in her extraordinary book Stories that Stick. It's the moment when everything changes, that put you on the journey to where you are now. You might call this the inciting incident, to borrow language from traditional screenwriters.
And because of that is a series of details, cause-and-effects, that lead to the end of the story. Use as many as you need, and absolutely no more than necessary.
Until finally is when you learned the lesson, or discovered the critical belief/value that your company is founded on.
Notice that the point of using this structure isn't to tell the story with all the emotion and pizzaz of a movie or finished product.
This is a minimum viable story, so to speak. It's the foundational narrative that captures the essence of your journey and the values of your business. It's the structure upon which you can layer details, emotion, and context to fully flesh out the story for each unique instance that you need to tell it.
So there you have it, how to use the most successful story structure in the world to outline your brand's story hook.
Oh, and one more thing...
Actually, Pixar missed something. Well, not really. But if you're using this for business, you'll want to add one more piece:
And ever since...
That's where you explain the actual work that you do in your company, which now provides context for your core values or beliefs.
Should we look at an example?
An Example
Meet Kelsea Koenreich.
Kelsea is an executive coach who teaches established business leaders to make a significant impact without sacrificing themselves or their relationships.
When we first met, Kelsea couldn't quite figure out how to tell her story. She'd given speeches before and had done quite a bit of PR, traditional media, and podcasts, but felt that she rambled on too long and that her main message was getting lost.
Over the course of just 1 session, we crafted the outline of her Story Hook:
Once upon a time… I was a young adult in Florida.
Every day… I had no structure, direction, or intention. I just did whatever made sense that day. I desperately wanted attention, love, and partnership, but I didn’t know how to find it. I was lonely. So I covered it up with drinking and partying.
Until one day… I got arrested for the 3rd time. I woke up in the medical unit. I looked in the mirror and for the first time took ownership for being there. I decided I wanted to live. Really live.
And because of that… I started searching for a purpose instead of merely showing up.
And because of that… I was able to meet my soulmate and start a family.
Until finally… I realized that in order to make a difference in the world, I had to live with intention. When I launched my business I set standards that aligned with who I wanted to be. I’m equally protective of my business and my family, and I don’t believe that in order to be successful in one area of life, you have to sacrifice the rest.
And ever since… I’ve been helping established business leaders make a significant impact in their careers without sacrificing themselves or their relationships.
One of Kelsea's core values is intention. Sometimes she tells this story in its most stripped down form as you see it here, like on website copy or in short form content (actually, it can be told even shorter). Other times she tells it in a longer format with more detail, for example in a speech.
But no matter the length, her core value is given context. It's memorable. And most importantly, it's retellable.
So, what's up with Grumpy's?
I have no idea.
It would have been wonderful to read a story that revealed the mystery of the name AND gave us an insight into how this lovely, warm, inviting New England restaurant with excellent breakfast food was created.
But instead, the only thing I could tell someone is, "The eggs and bacon were great!" Not exactly a huge competitive advantage in a world full of great food.
Tell Your Story or Someone Will Invent One
The story people tell about you determines the success of your word-of-mouth. And today, word-of-mouth is the most powerful marketing asset you have.
It costs nothing and it scales exponentially. One person tells two people, they each tell two people, and on until you have a waiting list and a reputation that precedes you.
It's critical, in that case, that they are telling the right story, in the right way.
So first ask: What core value or belief do I want people to talk about when they talk about my brand? And then craft a story to give context to that value/belief.
And then, of course, tell it. Tell it often, and tell it consistently.
But listen, if you try to do this and you struggle to get your story on the page, that's totally understandable. It's really hard to know how to tell your own story, because you know too much about it. That's why we're here.
Schedule a call to develop your core messaging, including your story hook, and finally learn to talk less, say more, and connect with anyone.
