The Role Of Personalisation & Storytelling In Brand Building

Harish Sarma Sep 03, 2021

Stories are undoubtedly the best form of content that can be presented to any audience. Through storytelling, brands create an opportunity to connect with their target audience at a more profound level. On the other hand, personalized marketing communications are useful to connect with consumers in a more meaningful way. After the pandemic struck, more and more consumers became willing to connect with brands through digital channels, making personalized communications an indispensable part of maintaining and forming consumer-brand relationships. These communications are not only relevant but also easy to consume and more focused to trigger actions.

Why Should Brands Tell a Story?

Brands are constantly competing for grabbing the attention of their target audience. To win this game, it is not only important for them to effectively capture their audience’s attention but also hold it and trigger a response.

In our digitally-driven society, where everything is fast-paced and automated, with instant gratification, the human touch has become more coveted and scarcer. Businesses can no longer afford to be faceless entities. For their success, it is important for them to connect with their audience at a much deeper level. By sharing a cohesive narrative based on facts and emotions about the brand, businesses can successfully resonate with consumers and evoke passion towards the brand. By sharing the story of the brand, why it matters, its journey, etc., businesses can give their audience more reasons as to why they should connect with the brand and buy into the products and services offered.

Through effective storytelling, brands can improve their visibility, create a positive brand image, and strengthen consumer loyalty. Brand storytelling as a marketing technique has been expertly used by the world’s leading sportswear brand. The impact of their brand storytelling has been so profound that the company no longer uses the brand name in its commercials. A simple logo or a tagline does the job. Instead of focusing on selling products, the brand continues to narrate impactful, performance-based stories through different media channels, creating a lasting impression on the audience.

Power of Personalization

Personalization is another method employed by businesses to build a strong, personal relationship with consumers. With the help of modern-day technologies, brands can create personalized marketing communications that are more relevant to consumers and help increase their trust in the brand. Given that consumer purchase decisions are often based on emotions, it is important that the brand successfully strikes an emotional chord with its messaging. Through personalized communications, brands can offer excellent customer experience and allow consumers to be a part of the brand journey and vice versa.

Martech for Storytelling with Personalization

The intersection of brand storytelling and the personalization of marketing communications is a powerful tool in any brand’s arsenal. Marketing Automation has proven the test of time. Few e-commerce and online health & beauty or even food & beverage brands have cracked the code to personalize communication at every step of the journey from browsing to ordering to payments.

Recently, the country’s leading chocolatier is a prime example of combining brand storytelling with personalization. To support small businesses during last year’s post-Covid Diwali season, the brand launched a series of commercials that narrated heartfelt stories while featuring products from local retailers across the country. With the help of geotargeting, the chocolatier played ads relevant to the area, featuring nearby businesses.

As the example demonstrates, it is important that the brand crafts a unique message that not only keeps consumer needs and expectations at the centre but also tells stories that humanize the brand instead of making it seem like a corporate entity attempting to sell its products and using technology helps a long way. Effective implementation of both personalization and storytelling can help brands be top of mind for their audiences. And with time, it helps create brand loyalty and a resonance with the brand on a much deeper level.

The Author is Harish Sarma, VP Marketing, Sodexo BRS India